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?