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Will Fremer Test Kill Era Gold V?

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Graham Slee View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Graham Slee Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Will Fremer Test Kill Era Gold V?
    Posted: 25 Jun 2017 at 7:06pm
The Era Gold V belonging to Michael Fremer and also a contender in his Eight Phono Preamplifiers Compared poll was made in 2003.

I doubt it has the remotest chance of being the winner. It is 14 years old for a start, and I did the auditioning of the design 15 years ago in less than favourable conditions. Even so it has won many friends and is still according to those who have heard it, astounding value for money (he says blowing his own trumpet . . .Wink)

I will now tell you who I would have voted for - number 7.

However, I didn't vote because I only just managed to find the time to download and listen to the AIFFs, and the polls closed Friday. If I'd have said 7 before the close it might have unfairly influenced others, but then again would anybody be reading this?

So whoever number 7 is I wish them success. The reason I chose it is because IMO it is the most relaxed but not that laid back as to rock you to sleep. The tonal variation of the cymbal colours is extremely well detailed, and it doesn't get the old hackles up like some of the others did - but I must say not all did. The bass wasn't as in your face as some were. So 7 has it for me.

Runners up? 5, 6 and 8.

I played it via VLC media player because it is the only program that would open it. It was played out of my desktop via a Bitzie which drives a long Lautus S/PDIF cable to a Majestic. Then via a pair of Proprius to my LS35A's.

The listening conditions are now such that I can hear much more in the way of subtle differences, and the LS35A's go surprisingly deep at the bass end - more than most would believe. Next time and with a different stage, I'm out to win! Wink

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Aussie Mick View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Aussie Mick Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 Jun 2017 at 2:17am
Hi Graham,
   I've listened to all eight a few different ways. Firstly I simply clicked the links and listened via my MacBook Pro headphone output, using HD600's. The differences were stark, and I ended up preferring tracks 4 and 7. 4 seemed to be dynamically alive and 7 the most involving. However, 2 had the best bass imaging and definition. Choose the flavour you like, right?

Next I downloaded the 24/96 aif files and popped them into JRiver and listened via an m2Tech HiFace DAC into the HD600 again. Surprisingly, my preferences were much less obvious. Through the (enormously) better DAC I could hear so much more of the information that all of the tracks had admirable strengths. However, tracks 4 and 7 were still my preferred.

With that in mind, I moved up a step to the little system in the lounge room. A Wadia 151 PowerDac mini into Mission 781 standmounts. This time I listened only to tracks 4 and 7. The little Missions don't really do bass, and I found myself preferring track 4, as it still felt dynamic, but the wooly and overblown bass I'd experienced on headphones didn't have any where near the effect on the standmounts. Track 7 lost its lead and also its depth perspective. The sax got really small and cramped, and all instruments were in a straight line across the stage. It still had better texture, though.

Last of all out to the big system! I have to say I was disappointed! You really do lose something when you digitise and then compress and uncompress and pump it through a DAC. None of the examples really did it for me, but I must admit to preferring track 7. Maybe I just should've read Graham's post and believed him? The Majestic/Proprius combo made all eight tracks very obviously different. I could really hear what each stage was doing well or otherwise. Differences in bass presentation, soundstage, detail retrieval, life! Unfortunately, it all seemed less immediate than when I listen to records at home. I suppose that's to be expected.

I've been reminded of two things here. Firstly, the different presentations of the four "systems" I listened through meant that my preference either changed, or was made less important, depending on which system it was. The lesson? System matching matters. Finding something that does what you want it to do in the context in which you need it to function.

Lesson two is that the better the system, the more you hear the differences and hence your preference is made more clear. When surrounded with quality, quality matters more.

Time to go listen to music instead of thinking about hifi.
Cheers,
Mick.
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tg [RIP] View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote tg [RIP] Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 Jun 2017 at 10:37am
Quote  I played it via VLC media player because it is the only program that would open it
24/96 files, 24/48 Audio device - suggest VLC decided to downsample to suit the output device.
Foobar can certainly open .aiff files but may need instructions WRT downsampling when necessary.
Will be interesting to see the results, you may yet be surprised, it is said "there is many a fine tune played on an old fiddle" (think Stradivarius etc. - though that may not be the more common usage :) )
Still, sounds like you are somewhat chuffed with your work on your "listening room" and its contribution to critical appraisals.  Good to hear.

Tony G
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