Revelation M
Printed From: Graham Slee Hifi System Components
Category: Turntable Audio
Forum Name: Write A Review
Forum Description: Satisfied with your Graham Slee phono preamp? - share your experiences here
URL: https://www.hifisystemcomponents.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2031
Printed Date: 18 Apr 2024 at 6:53am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.01 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Revelation M
Posted By: Fatmangolf
Subject: Revelation M
Date Posted: 04 Oct 2013 at 5:47pm
My Revelation M arrived today and I am using an SMPS to power it during several weeks of burn-in. I will carry on using the Reflex M until making the switchover later this month, using the PSU1 and a day of settling down. It has the same neat functional look of all the GSP gear. A lot of know-how and engineering in a small box. I am really looking forward to trying the non-RIAA curves on my older LP's. One of the best and most versatile phono stages in the World. Designed, hand-built, and tested in the UK. I will post a musical review in due course. ------------- Jon Open mind and ears whilst owning GSP Genera, Accession M, Accession MC, Elevator EXP, Solo ULDE, Proprius amps, Cusat50 cables, Lautus digital cable, Spatia cables and links, and a Majestic DAC. |
Replies:
Posted By: morris_minor
Date Posted: 04 Oct 2013 at 7:51pm
Nice one Jon! I expect you'll be blown away with your non-RIAA discs coming from the Zyx and Elevator ...  ------------- Bob Majestic DAC/pre-amp 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 |
Posted By: tg [RIP]
Date Posted: 05 Oct 2013 at 6:07pm
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Oh dear Then you will be trying to fit a DV-507 to the techie to have removeable headshells. Yes, I know, that has been done already. Look forward to hearing your thoughts on it in due course. ------------- Tony G |
- next we know it will be a mono cartridge too 
Posted By: Fatmangolf
Date Posted: 07 Oct 2013 at 10:17pm
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Not sure I'll get to shellac for a while. Thanks for tempting me Tony! So far it's had 80 hours burning in. I succumbed to a listen to the Zyx/EXP/Revelation M (serious Scrabble score there!) combo. Nice and absorbing sound but then the phone rang... I shall have a proper listen to some 50's and 60's classical LP's tomorrow night and try some of the options. ------------- Jon Open mind and ears whilst owning GSP Genera, Accession M, Accession MC, Elevator EXP, Solo ULDE, Proprius amps, Cusat50 cables, Lautus digital cable, Spatia cables and links, and a Majestic DAC. |
Posted By: tg [RIP]
Date Posted: 08 Oct 2013 at 9:59am
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There are lots of mono LPs on vinyl, the Beatles for starters, some of the older ones I have (mainly classical) sound rather ordinary with a stereo cartridge or even unacceptably noisy, but make beautiful music with a mono cart ------------- Tony G |
- granted a lot of the newer ones are pretty OK with a stereo cartridge but they still shift up a gear with a mono one. The Beach Boys "Pet Sounds" is one.Posted By: Bi-wire
Date Posted: 08 Oct 2013 at 5:20pm
Jon, you're in for a great time with your Revelation M. When I bought mine I wondered if I was overdoing it and should have taken a Reflex M, but the extra control that the Revelation offers can be eye (ear?) opening with those older records.  ------------- Peter Satisfied user of: Revelation M, PSU1-Enigma, Solo SRGII and lots of CuSat50 |
Posted By: Fatmangolf
Date Posted: 08 Oct 2013 at 9:50pm
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Tony I see your point. Thank you, I have some mono LP's and will follow your suggestions. I may try a series wiring of the stereo cart if that would help? Peter thank you, I will experiment as you suggest. Your review got me interested in the Revelation's flexibility. I was at work later than I had expected so the listening will have to wait a little longer. ------------- Jon Open mind and ears whilst owning GSP Genera, Accession M, Accession MC, Elevator EXP, Solo ULDE, Proprius amps, Cusat50 cables, Lautus digital cable, Spatia cables and links, and a Majestic DAC. |
Posted By: tg [RIP]
Date Posted: 30 Oct 2013 at 1:23pm
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I've had my Revelation for long enough now for it to thoroughly settle in along with its new cabling etc. but have only just got around to trying its capabilities. I have replaced the Tecnoarm on my "Once upon a P2" with a very adjustable vintage damped unipivot with removeable headshells and having got the hang of setting that up, I thought time to try some records that have been waiting for a Revelation. Some time ago I scored a set of recordings in mint condition, mono, pressed perhaps in the late 40's or early 50's, of performances of Beethoven by the BBCSO conducted by Arturo Toscanini, originally recorded in 1937-39, reputedly very fine performances, but ones that, even with a mono cartridge did not sound "right". Tonight, between playing with the settings on the Revelation and cartridge loads on the Exp they have been brought to life and I could focus on the performances rather than the sound. Wonderful stuff, worth every penny to be able to release the glory of these recordings and historic performances on nearly their 75th anniversary. I have lots more older recordings that I am sure will benefit when I find the right settings for them. A Revelation indeed. Jon, some indeed do recommend trick wiring of stereo cartridges as a method. I have not tried this, preferring to try "true" mono generator cartridges, the not too expensive AT Mono3-LP was the first I used. The Denon DL-102 is another that is inexpensive (in the scheme of things) but rather heavy @ nearly 14gm IIRC and having only 2 pins may not work with all cartridge tags. ------------- Tony G |
Posted By: Fatmangolf
Date Posted: 04 Nov 2013 at 9:28pm
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Sorry Tony for not picking up your post before, I've been away for several days. My Revelation M isn't getting the use I expected as I am getting some music late at night and in the morning whilst having a coffee before going to work. It needs some evenings and weekends at home whilst I go through the older vinyl in my collection. You've reminded me why I brought the EXP and Rev M, thank you. ------------- Jon Open mind and ears whilst owning GSP Genera, Accession M, Accession MC, Elevator EXP, Solo ULDE, Proprius amps, Cusat50 cables, Lautus digital cable, Spatia cables and links, and a Majestic DAC. |
Posted By: Fatmangolf
Date Posted: 05 Dec 2013 at 9:48pm
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Things are settling down a bit and I am finding our more about non-RIAA curves. I have second hand classical LP's from the 50's and 60's, and the change from -13.7dB to -11dB at 10kHz makes some more 'present' and engaging to listen to. It also brings the noise floor up a little but less than I expected from the EQ, which is a compliment to the cartridge and the GSP preamps I am using. As I have read around the Internet's pre and non-RIAA stuff, it strikes me that there are contradictory views on when and where RIAA was adopted. "Everything after 1955 is RIAA" has a simplicity but I have classical records that sound slightly better when I try different settings. The revelation gives a great number of low and high frequency options. I am curious to know how to emulate the Teldec and eRIAA responses if I can. It is a fine piece of hi-fi and I am really enjoying modern RIAA LP's. ------------- Jon Open mind and ears whilst owning GSP Genera, Accession M, Accession MC, Elevator EXP, Solo ULDE, Proprius amps, Cusat50 cables, Lautus digital cable, Spatia cables and links, and a Majestic DAC. |
Posted By: Fatmangolf
Date Posted: 06 Dec 2013 at 12:33am
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With some more reading I am now thinking Teldec is close to the Revelation's "Decca" setting i.e. 500Hz and -11dB, and enhanced RIAA is only different to RIAA between 20k and 50kHz. I'll spare you the details.
------------- Jon Open mind and ears whilst owning GSP Genera, Accession M, Accession MC, Elevator EXP, Solo ULDE, Proprius amps, Cusat50 cables, Lautus digital cable, Spatia cables and links, and a Majestic DAC. |
Posted By: Bi-wire
Date Posted: 06 Dec 2013 at 3:59pm
Jon, I particularly agree with your second paragraph. When I started with my Revelation I assumed that everything post-58-ish would use RIAA apart from those that explicitly stated otherwise (eg some DECCA) and that would be it. However, my experience is that some recordings from the late-50s and early-60s (and not just classical) sound 'better' (ie more agreeable, less harsh, more rounded/substantial) on the -11dB setting. I know that there's a degree of subjectivity in this but it's great that the Revelation allows one to experiment. By the way, do you keep track of the settings to use for non-RIAA records? I tend to note the settings on the corner of the sleeve inner, alongside the spot that shows I've cleaned the disc. ------------- Peter Satisfied user of: Revelation M, PSU1-Enigma, Solo SRGII and lots of CuSat50 |
Fatmangolf wrote:Posted By: suede
Date Posted: 06 Dec 2013 at 4:09pm
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In retrospect I wish I'd have gotten the Revelation M instead of the Reflex. Not that I ever play anything older than the mid 50's but rather as a lot of substandard pressings could be improved upon by some EQ tweaking. And since a phono stage is already an equaliser, better to keep all equalisation at that stage. And also, as I wrote in a previous post, toggle switches are cool! ------------- Proprius, Reflex M, Solo UL, Bitzie, CuSats & Spatia --------------------------------- Johan |
Posted By: Bi-wire
Date Posted: 06 Dec 2013 at 4:19pm
Yes, Johan, toggle switches are indeed cool  ------------- Peter Satisfied user of: Revelation M, PSU1-Enigma, Solo SRGII and lots of CuSat50 |
Posted By: morris_minor
Date Posted: 06 Dec 2013 at 5:02pm
------------- Bob Majestic DAC/pre-amp 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 |
Posted By: suede
Date Posted: 06 Dec 2013 at 5:29pm
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I think it's perhaps an inner child sort of thing. You just know that toggle switches means serious gadgetry. The way all tech stuff ought to look. ------------- Proprius, Reflex M, Solo UL, Bitzie, CuSats & Spatia --------------------------------- Johan |
Posted By: Fatmangolf
Date Posted: 06 Dec 2013 at 8:04pm
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That is a very good idea Peter about noting the "curve" or setting that sounds best on older LP's. I will adopt this. Bob, guess which 1980's LP benefits from the -16dB setting. Reduced high frequencies on the high life... And Suede is right about the look. Toggle switches are cool. In my readings I have downloaded various preamp manuals and reviews. No names but most of their prices are eye-watering and remind me what great value Graham Slee hi-fi equipment is. Out of curiosity I played on paper with the Jung RIAA and Genera circuits. Trying to work out alternative component values and switching for the various non-RIAA frequencies/time constants made me appreciate what an achievement the Revelation is. And I only did the basic calculations, not the modelling and extensive measurements of real circuits. The Revelation offers so many musical options in a quite small box. Not only am I hearing my RIAA vinyl better than ever, the Revelation is like having new editions of some of the older albums. I am very happy owner! ------------- Jon Open mind and ears whilst owning GSP Genera, Accession M, Accession MC, Elevator EXP, Solo ULDE, Proprius amps, Cusat50 cables, Lautus digital cable, Spatia cables and links, and a Majestic DAC. |
Posted By: morris_minor
Date Posted: 06 Dec 2013 at 9:05pm
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Ah, yes! The stripping wallpaper sound of Back in the High Life .... I equalised my rip in software to tame it, but the Revelation would be a neater solution. ------------- Bob Majestic DAC/pre-amp 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 |
Posted By: Fatmangolf
Date Posted: 15 Dec 2013 at 11:01pm
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One of the best label and EQ guides I have found is the FFT curves list in VinylStudio, the program I use for v-ripping. It corroborates my experiences with some of my 50's and 60's vinyl, where I like the Revelation's -11dB setting as it adds back presence to these LP's. ------------- Jon Open mind and ears whilst owning GSP Genera, Accession M, Accession MC, Elevator EXP, Solo ULDE, Proprius amps, Cusat50 cables, Lautus digital cable, Spatia cables and links, and a Majestic DAC. |
Posted By: Graham Slee
Date Posted: 16 Dec 2013 at 6:35am
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We manufacturers all stick so rigidly to 'the RIAA curve' for fear of ridicule when in reality the 'curve' used to EQ a magnetic cartridge to play RIAA standard records is actually two curves, only one of which is the RIAA correction. We should be able to design the replay curve component values exactly on paper using mathematics but it never works like that in practice. Why? Because the magnetic cartridge correction, which is the other 'non-RIAA' curve, interacts. We, or should I say I, see all those AES articles on RIAA correction written by 'the masters' and wonder why this has never crossed their minds. Time and again I've tricked John and Leo here by playing them a 'new mystery cartridge' but now my little joke is wearing thin. They were staggered by its sound, and still are, but now they know what it is... With this cartridge no magnetic EQ is required. It only has RIAA EQ. What is it? It's a ceramic crystal cartridge! The type which the RIAA time constants were designed around... Graham ------------- That none should be able to buy or sell without a smartphone and the knowledge in how to use apps |
Posted By: tg [RIP]
Date Posted: 16 Dec 2013 at 11:45am
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This had me somewhat perplexed until I substituted VinylStudio for dBpoweramp. ------------- Tony G |
Posted By: Fatmangolf
Date Posted: 16 Dec 2013 at 9:49pm
Doh! I have corrected my posting. ------------- Jon Open mind and ears whilst owning GSP Genera, Accession M, Accession MC, Elevator EXP, Solo ULDE, Proprius amps, Cusat50 cables, Lautus digital cable, Spatia cables and links, and a Majestic DAC. |
Posted By: Paul H
Date Posted: 29 May 2016 at 9:14am
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I've recently acquired a second hand Revelation M from a fellow forum member (thank you, Richard!) and thought I'd post some very preliminary thoughts. The amp has been connected to my system for a little over a week and I've not had a real chance to undertake any "serious" listening but the first thing that was noticeable straight off the bat is the reduction in extraneous noise: pops, clicks and crackles from my vinyl. I've always tried to keep my vinyl in good nick and most of it was bought from new, however, it also used to get played on a very cheap and cheerful deck with an even cheaper stylus (I recall paying around a fiver for a replacement back in the early 1990's)... This reduction in surface noise works really well with my Ortofon 2M Black which is, of course, notorious for finding every bit of surface noise it possibly can. First impressions are that the Revelation tames this quite noticeably and I'm very hopeful that, as the Black runs in, the two will work very well together. More thoughts as I get to listen more carefully. ------------- ProJect 1Xpression Carbon UKX w/ Ortofon 2M Black; Arcam Alpha 7 CD player; Graham Slee Revelation M pre; Denon PMA 355UK amp; Epos K1 speakers; Blue Jeans LC-1 interconnects. Room: 2.9m x 3.1m. |
Posted By: BAK
Date Posted: 28 Jan 2017 at 5:53pm
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John Marks has posted a review of the Revelation M on his site, The Tannhauser Gate... http://thetannhausergate.com/index.php/2017/01/05/graham-slee-revelation-m-phono-stage/#more-1679" rel="nofollow - http://thetannhausergate.com/index.php/2017/01/05/graham-slee-revelation-m-phono-stage/#more-1679 http://www.dailyaudiophile.com/%20" rel="nofollow - ------------- Bruce AT-14SA, Pickering XV-15, Hana EL, Technics SL-1600MK2, Lautus, Majestic DAC, Technics SH-8055 spectrum analyzer, Eminence Beta8A custom cabs; Proprius & Reflex M or C, Enjoy Life your way! |
Posted By: Fatmangolf
Date Posted: 28 Jan 2017 at 9:17pm
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Thanks Bruce. It's good to see the quality and versatility of the Revelation M being recognised by a collector of early and classic vinyl. ------------- Jon Open mind and ears whilst owning GSP Genera, Accession M, Accession MC, Elevator EXP, Solo ULDE, Proprius amps, Cusat50 cables, Lautus digital cable, Spatia cables and links, and a Majestic DAC. |
Posted By: Bi-wire
Date Posted: 30 Jan 2017 at 5:02pm
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As a user of a Revelation M, it was interesting to read this piece by John Marks. As Jon says above, it's nice to see the unit's capabilities being recognised. I see that Bruce (BAK) followed-up the article; it will be interesting to hear if this generates additional loan requests and, ultimately, more sales. ------------- Peter Satisfied user of: Revelation M, PSU1-Enigma, Solo SRGII and lots of CuSat50 |
Posted By: Fatmangolf
Date Posted: 30 Jan 2017 at 8:48pm
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My thanks as before Peter for making me aware of the Revelation's benefits. Mine went to a very good home when I invested in the Accession. ------------- Jon Open mind and ears whilst owning GSP Genera, Accession M, Accession MC, Elevator EXP, Solo ULDE, Proprius amps, Cusat50 cables, Lautus digital cable, Spatia cables and links, and a Majestic DAC. |