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Reflex M Phono Stage and PSU Review

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ilgattapardo View Drop Down
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    Posted: 24 Oct 2012 at 6:24pm

Thanks to the loan scheme, I’ve been auditioning the Reflex M Phono Stage and PSU for a week now and thought that I’d share some of my impressions that I wrote down whilst listening.

Before I start I should say that my turntable is a Project RPM 10 with an Ortofon 2M Black MM cartridge and loudspeakers are Martin Logan Source hybrid electrostatics.

So far, I’ve listened intently to a dozen or so classical LPs and all without exception have revealed something remarkable about the Reflex in terms of soundstage, separation, detail, instrumental timbre and surface noise.

Listening first to ‘The Three Cornered Hat’ by Manuel de Falla, conducted by Ernest Ansermet with his L’ Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, I was immediately struck by how some low level groove noise at the start of the record had almost completely disappeared and how much more of the Victoria Hall acoustic, where the music had been recorded way back in 1961, was to be heard. In fact this increased sense of space added an almost 3D like quality to the sound. I was reminded of the ‘living presence’ marketing tag used by Mercury to describe their stereo records. On further listening, dynamic subtleties became more evident, making for a more involving sound. I couldn’t help but think that the work of the Decca engineers was revealed in all its excellence.

Next, Elgar’s Enigma Variations conducted by Sir John Barbirolli with the Philharmonia Orchestra. The separation of different sections of the orchestra was so much more apparent – I was able to locate the different instrumental sections precisely, even hearing movement of chairs, music stands so much more clearly and again giving an almost three dimensional effect. But what impressed me the most in this recording was how the Reflex allowed the music to swell most realistically in crescendos creating an emotional involvement that I hadn’t experienced before in this recording - a very impressive portrayal of dynamics here indeed.

I then listened to some Beethoven: a recording of the Piano Concerto No 1 with Daniel Barenboim as soloist and Otto Klemperer conducting the Philharmonia. Again I was able to hear more of the acoustic space around the orchestra, this time that of the famous Kingsway Hall in London. I found this sense of space really quite beguiling. Lovely deep and wide perspectives were revealed and all sections of the orchestra were so clearly delineated. Perhaps what I noticed most of all though was that the sound of the piano no longer had a brittle tone in its high register as I’d heard from the Project Phono SE II which I normally use in my listening setup. The notes were now clean and crisp and their delicate decay much more noticeable.

Next, Gustav Holst’s Planets Suite conducted by William Steinberg and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. For me what came over most in this recording was the sheer scale of the orchestral sound and none more so than in Mars where the menace of the music was quite palpable - wonderful dynamics.

Another orchestral showpiece followed, this time ‘Pictures at an Exhibition’ orchestrated by Ravel and in this recording Fritz Reiner conducting the Chicago Symphony. Standing out was the Reflex’s striking ability to so clearly articulate the double-bass section and reveal the beautiful burnished tone from the brass. And once again the wonderful acoustic space of the concert hall came through so noticeably.

Lastly I listened to Elgar’s ‘Introduction and Allegro for Strings’ conducted by Sir John Barbirolli. Low level detail was presented so much more clearly here e.g. one can hear Barbirolli growling, exhorting the orchestra on. In the ‘Fantasia on Theme of Thomas Tallis,’ on the same album, the antiphonal effect created by the interplay of the two string orchestras, the smaller one at the back of the hall, comes over most realistically.

To sum up then, every record that I listened to using the Reflex delighted me in revealing just how much it had to offer. The Reflex never left me feeling disappointed in bringing the best out of the records that I was listening to. It conveyed the music in the most transparent way, capturing vividly the acoustic space in which the music was recorded as well as delineating the individual character of instruments truthfully and at times holographically.

My only question now is should I buy the Reflex now or wait until the upgraded version that some members of this forum have spoken highly about?

 

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote morris_minor Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Oct 2012 at 7:33pm
Welcome to the forum - and what a great review! Especially as I have two of the recordings you refer to - the Barbirolli English String Music and Reiner Mussorgsky on Living Presence. I was talking about the Kingsway Hall acoustic in another post only yesterday . . . The string tone on the Barbirolli disc comes over magnificently, and the way the separate string groups in the Tallis Fantasia are presented is nothing short of magical. 

You've nailed the points that the Reflex excels at - soundstage, separation, dynamics etc, and the way it deals with vinyl's imperfections, which is a result of the wideband technology Graham uses I believe. It really does convey the music so well.

As to which Reflex you go for - well. The initial reports of the upgraded Reflex are so good that you will probably want one sooner or later! Maybe Graham can give us an idea of how long we might have to wait for it to go into full production?
Bob

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Accession MC/Enigma, Accession MM, Reflex M, Elevator EXP, Era Gold V
Solo ULDE, Novo, Lautus USB and digital, Libran balanced, CuSat50
2 x Proprius + Spatia/Spatia Links
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ilgattapardo Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Oct 2012 at 8:10pm
Thanks for the welcome Bob. I must have a look at your post about the Kingsway Hall. It was surely one of, if not the finest recording venue in the country. Such a shame that it's now a hotel! Have you visited the hotel's website? There's an interesting short history with some photo's and a list of some famous recordings made there. But back to the Reflex; like you I hope that Graham can let us know sometime soon when it will become available. Thanks again.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Fatmangolf Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Oct 2012 at 9:57pm
+1 on Bob's accolades for your well written and illuminating review.
 
Jon
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ilgattapardo Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Oct 2012 at 10:11pm
Thank you Jon. I'll be reluctantly returning the Reflex to you in a couple of days and then hopefully purchasing one of the possible upgraded versions to replace it.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Graham Slee Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Oct 2012 at 11:43pm
OK, now to let you into a secret. The upgrade of sorts has taken place over some considerable time since after the loaner program units were sent out (isn't it always the case...).

The first stage of this was ready for the Dublin high end show and the Reflex M which appeared there was halfway to the one recently sent to the club. The last bit of tweaking was to the EQ components in redistributing the output current budget.

Therefore most of those bought since the Dublin show may not benefit greatly by the last ounce of tuning, but there is obviously a subtle difference. I remember Jon ("Fatmangolf") asking me to do the first stage upgrade for him a while back and suggesting he wait - he now knows why.

All new units distributed over the past week are to the latest spec but they may not filter down straight away. All I can say is we have them on sale now.

Before I forget, thank you for the excellent review and the feedback is highly appreciated (and I do and will pinch the odd excerpt for the main website). It really does help others understand that we don't make idle claims about our products, thank you.

Graham
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote mdnicke2 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 Sep 2020 at 12:43am
Have their been any updates since this was posted? Would now be a good time to purchase one or is another update on the horizon?
Thanks
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