[Oz_Audio]

I have been listening to Hugh's Phono Pre for about 2 months.

This will be part 1 of a may unprofessional review .  Part 2 will be when I get the new cartridge installed.

Presently my turntable is a 1987 vintage Linn LP12, Valhala power supply, Ittok LVII arm and a very cheap Tandy (Radio Shack) MM cartridge.  My Linn Karma stopped playing a number of years ago and I do not have 500 UK pounds to fix it.

The phono pre is in a separate metal box with flying leads from the GK1 for power.  No hum.

When CD first appreared in the 80's, Vinyl killed it in all areas of sound quality.  In the last few years, CD have caught up especially in imageing, height and depth and my preference has been to listen to CD's.

I have never heard height before from LP listening until I built Hugh's Phono pre.  Now I have all the CD qualities in spades, plus the natural analouge sound as well.  Simply sensational.

Records that I have listen to over this period are:

Rolling Stones - Undercover.  One of the drums used on the title track is a piece of thin metal plate.  I can distinctly hear the metal resonance as it is hit.  On all other systems, this has sounded like just another drum! There is also a sequence of drum echos on this track.  The echos disapear into the distance behind the wall.

Roxy Music - Avalon.  This album is very well recorded and has always sounded good.  The title track is very emotional and hearing it on a sound stage that is wider than my walls, as high as the roof and as far back as the front road is moving.  The deepest bass I have heard from vinyl and the female backup singings standing 6 feet behind Bryan Ferry.

Lou Reed - Rock and Roll Animal.  One of the best live albums recorded. ( I must have had a really mis-spent youth!).  Live electric guitar in my living room, what more can I say, real foot tapping stuff!

Rickie Lee Jones - 1979 album.  Her voice on "Chuck E's in Love" are clear and moving, again, she is in my room standing just infront of me.

These are first impressions only listening to a single system.  I will be installing a Denon DL 160 high output MC next week.  I will also borrow a NAD phono pre for comparison as well.  This will give a true indication of the capabilities of Hugh's creation.

Mark


 

[Oz_Audio]

I have been listening to the Denon DL 160 all afternoon (and evening).

Unfortunately, the local shop did no have any Phone pre try against the AKSA pre.

All I can post is my impressions of the Denon as a stand alone!  More bass and a silky smooth high end that was missing with the MM cartridge.

I played all the records in the first post and nothing had changed in respect to AKSA pre.

I was enjoying it so much, I did put on a very old record,  Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells.

All very normal until the end of the first side, also known as the single from 1974 with the "Master of Ceremonies" and the "Tubular Bells".

I do not have the CD of this record and it is not one of my regular albums that I listen too.

BUt when this part of the music was playing, I was blown away!!!!

The Master of Ceremonies came from the Right Speaker, then the instrument came from the Right speaker, over the melody, the instrument moved to the left channel and continued to play whilst the master of Ceremonies came on again, on the right and intruduced a new instrument and the process was continued for the rest of the side.

I could hear the old instrument very clearly on the left whilst the new was playing louder on the right.

I had always heard all instruments in the centre and  only the new instrument.

I played with Tone arm height, weight and anti skid and the resule was the same.  Either what I am drinking is better than I have ever drunk before,  or its what is accuataly on the record.

All I can say, is I am hearing more music than ever before.

Mark

PS. I am currently listen to Led Zepplin 4 "Battle for Evermore" and the tears are flowing!!!

[PSP]

Hi Mark, Hugh, and anyone else who can help...

I am a man with way too many audio projects... but at least I manage to stay entertained (and the music in my house is rather nice   ).  So, in addition to getting my TLP in its own enclosure, building another 55w AKSA for the bedroom and a third AKSA pair so I can biamp my first AKSA 55w... get the picture?

I have a Thorens TD-160 that I bought 25 years ago, still in excellent condition, and I have recently bought a replacement stylus for its Shure V15-Type V cartridge.  Once I get my audio project backlog cleared up a bit, I plan to buy a GK-1 (stage II, I think) probably including Hugh's phono preamp.  My question:  most MM cartridges specify an optimal  input capacitance (if I remember correctly, the Shure V15 likes 250pf)... does Hugh's phono pre offer a simple way to adjust the input capacitance that the cartridge sees?

Thanks,
Peter

[AKSA]

Hi Peter,

Yes, quite straightforward.  R1 on the input to the GK-1 is shunted with the specified cap.  This can done either above or below the pcb, depending on the size of the cap.  The usual cap for this role is either polystyrene or silver mica;  my own preference is for ps as it is a little smaller.

You have too many projects?  Try my agenda!!!

Hope this helps,

Cheers,

Hugh