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STEREOPHILE RECOMMENDED COMPONENTS 2021 FALL EDITION

PRESS  |  POSTED OCTOBER 11, 2021








TURNTABLES

Clearaudio Concept Active Wood:
 $3,700 w/Satisfy Black tonearm & Concept MM cartridge
 $4,600 w/Satisfy Carbon Fiber tonearm & Concept MC cartridge

 "Its first-rate build quality and sound, and its ease of setup and versatility, make the Clearaudio Active Wood a solid choice for both turntable purists and enthusiasts." 

 

CARTRIDGES

DS Audio Master 1: $22,500 with equalizer
"DS Audio has fulfilled the promise of the original DS-W1. Pertinent specs: The Master 1 weighs 8.1gm, sports a MicroRidge stylus on a sapphire cantilever, and requires a downforce of 1.6-1.8gm." 



 
DS Audio DS-E1 optical cartridge and equalizer: $2,750
 
"...with its elliptical stylus, this optical cartridge was fast and remarkably transparent. The price includes the necessary equalizer module."
 
Hana Umami Red: $3,950

"...this low-output moving coil impressed HR with the intensity with which it endowed familiar recordings, as well as the enhanced intelligibility of vocals, natural-feeling contrast levels, grain-free clarity, and lifelike solidity."

 
Hana ML Moving Coil: $1,200 $$$

 "a stunning-sounding, artfully engineered phono invention that loves all music, and a fantastic bargain."

 

Hana EL MC: $475 $$$ ★
 “...the EL's basic sonic character was highly musical and exceptionally nonmechanical." 

Hana SL: $750 $$$

"Herb attributes the cartridge's timbral realism and ability to make singers and instruments sound denser and more real.  Like its stablemate, the Hana SL Mono, this moving coil cartridge impressed Herb with its naturally supple viscosity and glowing vivid tone."

Hana SL Mono: $750 $$$
"...he was won over by the SL Mono's unprecedented ability to hear everything that had never before been exposed by my spherical-tipped cartridges. Single after single, the Hana SL Mono made sound that was decidedly present, punchy, finely detailed, and liquid."

 

PHONOSTAGES

Musical Surroundings Nova III: $1,500
"Used with Koetsu Rosewood Signature and Hana Umami Red moving coil cartridges and powered by Musical Surroundings' optional Linear Charging Power Supply ($650), the solid state Nova III exceeded my expectations for a moderately priced solid-state phono stage..."
 

Musical Surroundings Phonomena II+: $750
"...the Phonomena II+ provided HR with sound that was sweet, natural, rhythmic, and dead quiet. Herb noted unusually deep soundstages, good...and bass that was strong and detailed. Use of Musical Surroundings' optional Linear Charging Power Supply ($650) brought more consistently good sound to the treble range and allowed voices, violins, and electric guitars [to sound] more vibrant and lifelike, and more corporeal overall. Herb's conclusion: my new reference phono stage."
 
 

PHONO ACCESSORIES

Clearaudio Outer Limit Turntable Ring: $1,500 ★
Heavy, stainless steel ring acts as a speed-stabilizing flywheel, damps the record, and flattens outer-groove warps. ...it blackened backgrounds, solidified images, and made them 'pop' in three dimensions."


DS Audio Vinyl Ionizer-001: $1,795
Put this wall-wart-powered watchdog near your turntable—within 2"—and it will reduce static electricity in the area, wrote MF.,,but the unit's half-life is approximately 10,000 hours, or almost 3 hours per day for 10 years."

Stasis Record Cleaning Brush: $29.95

 



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“The MK II sounded noticeably speedier, clearer, harder hitting, and more alpha that the original SL, which it will be replacing.” - Herb Reichert, Stereophile
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