Reflex C early and confused observations

Looking at your questions in order :

"Is the MC Reflex better than the MM Reflex" - Graham has recently been talking about an improvement to the output stage (if I have it right) which was incorporated in the Fanfare to which I referred earlier - check http://www.gspaudio-community.activeboards.net/forum_posts.asp?TID=659 when you have time to read through.  This may also be featured in the Reflex MC which you presently have and could suggest that to be better than the Reflex you already have.  Graham could elucidate further on this perhaps and confirm or deny my speculation.

"Is the extra dynamic range of the MM3/Isolator also the cause of the extra noise?"

certainly sounds plausible, I would speculate that it is also possible that the reduced input level from the MC30 vis a vis the MM3 and the extra gain required allows the Reflex MC to  effectively "filter" the noise (or de-emphasize it) in comparison to the signal.  Again this would be for Graham to enlarge upon, but reading from his other thoughts on surface noise it does seem possible that this is happening.

"If I removed the Isolator would the dynamics drop off as much as the noise?" - reading http://www.tnt-audio.com/accessories/isolator_e.html would suggest that the noise might increase rather than decrease although there is no direct comparison with your arm in that review.  It would seem that you may be in the best position to empirically verify this.

"If I stick the Isolator to the MC30 would I get extra dynamics or extra dynamics + extra noise" - again reading between the lines in the above review I would expect an improvement but whether might result in increased dynamics or not I cannot guess.

Given a well supported and suitably clamped record with an appropriate mat (or none on acrylic platters - although the Orbe platter reportedly responded well to the Funk Achromat as also does my acrylic platter on a modded P2) then I feel dynamics to be more dictated by the cartridge design (again given an adequate phono pre).

On that note, the cartridges most often noted for exceptional dynamics, the Decca Londons and the DV Karat 17D3 are also not particularly known for demure handling of surface noise, rather "au contraire".

I know next to nothing of the MC30 so cannot offer comparison but have noted some variation in dynamics with a few MCs on which I have experimented with varying impedance loadings by the use of "T" adaptors and various "loading plugs" of my own making.

There is some discussion of this elswhere on this forum although not perhaps as apropos in the context of an evaluation as in the optimisation of a given setup.

Good to read your thoughts on your latest adventure.

It seems that the Reflex C is, as I suspected, a bit special.  Having read the info that I was pointed to, it seems that my observations of shimmer and sounds hanging in the air, weren’t just down to me getting carried away.  These are attributes that could well describe a valve like sound.  I have very fond but possibly rose tinted memories, of the MC30 Supreme; it lived briefly in my LP 12/Ekos setup, before being replaced by the obligatory Troika.  The Troika had a power and vigour that the MC30 couldn’t muster but was perhaps not quite as ‘sweet’ or delicate with detail.  Even measured against my fond memories though, I don’t think the MC30 sounded this good, last time around. 

For reference, I tried a swap over to the MC input on the Kairn; this resulted in a smaller soundstage and a less vivid tonal palate.  This showed quite nicely what role the Reflex C was playing in the mix.  Switching back to the Reflex C though offered a bigger revelation, instruments and voices had more space, everything seemed better illuminated and the shimmer on treble and decay of sounds was again noticeable.  Doing this also gave an effect that I may have noted elsewhere; that being that with the Reflex C in place, I seemed to have more time to listen to the individual components of the music.  The music almost seemed slowed down by comparison, that may sound odd but that’s how I perceive it.

On a practical note, the warm up process has been a more subtle affair than with the Reflex M.  by comparison, the Reflex C sounded pretty rounded right out of the box (though it may have been powered up before I got it).   The one area that has significantly improved though is the soundstage, which has opened out, placing the instruments in clearer relief and sharper focus.  This was emphasised when I played the music from Paris Texas (an old Linn Select).  The portrayal of the different acoustic spaces of the recordings i.e., the airiness of the main theme and the ‘boxed in’ space of the spoken word parts, was almost tangible.  It sent shivers down my spine and this is what it is supposed to do.  The Reflex C is a very good piece of kit and at the price may, I suspect, shift the balance of the argument between MM & MC, value for money wise.

 

Hi just moving my post across from my Fanfare forum as Graham suggested:

Okay, a great moment. Arrived home today and there was a Reflex C in the mail. Despite the volcano in Iceland I still thought the delivery time was very good. Straight out of the box it looks and feels wonderful. Clearly this one has huge amounts of rarefied air, fully compressed, from the Scottish Highlands. Don't mean to be disrespectful to other country's technology -- after all I love Denon carts -- but this guy has Brit technology written all over it, and as an Aussie I feel I'm in safe hands. I can still remember the day when I bought my first QED amplifier, got home, and put a reggae album on. It was bliss; gone was the booming uncontrolled bass of a Japanese amplifier. But I digress....

I suspect that the Reflex C on first listening would be pretty amazing for someone who hasn't owned a Fanfare. Out of the box the Reflex C is dynamic. The highs and lows are all there and there is also a huge sound stage trying to push through. But it's all muddy and the mid-range suffers worst of all -- very very muddy and very little detail at all. But this is compared to a fully burnt in Fanfare that I thought was brilliant. The Reflex C sounds better out of the box compared to the FanFare out of the box, but I reckon we still need around two weeks until it starts to do it's stuff. Right now I could put the Fanfare back on and it would sound better. But in 2 days, a week, 2 weeks, I doubt it. Burn in is burn in. It's a wonderful experience if you have the patience and know you have bought a beautiful piece of equipment that will get better day by day.

Graham, I probably need to move my comments on the Reflex C to elsewhere on the forum. Can someone point me in the right direction?

regards

Geoff     

Edit by Graham: This reply moved here from "Gram Amp 3 Fanfare"


Edited by Graham Slee - 28 Apr 2010 at 11:08am

Hello Geoff

I am interested to see that you found your Reflex C a going concern straight out of the box too.  I thought it may have been one off with mine but clearly not.  I can’t think why this may be, though perhaps someone could enlighten us?   What I have come to appreciate with time though is the subtleness and smoothness of the C (something the MM version is no slouch at in fairness).   The C though, really does look for and find, a bit of magic in every record as I found out the other day. 

After the sad death of Malcolm McLaren, I was prompted to dig out Duck Rock, which I have probably played a ½ dozen times, since it came out in 1983.  The intricacy of the music (especially the choir vocals) and the obvious care that had been take over the recording, really was a revelation.   And before anyone starts to snigger, who else was mixing African choirs and hip-hop beats in 1983?  Not Sting or Paul Simon.  OK McLaren may have thrown a few too many hats into the ring ideas wise; but I couldn’t help but be impressed to note that this was 3 years before Paul Simon’s highly acclaimed Graceland.  Graceland is a much more focused piece of work admittedly but one can but wonder if Mr Simon had happened across a copy of Duck Rock in the intervening years.

Anyway, back to my main point.  The thing I have continued to be impressed with over time is the Reflex C’s enthusiasm for subtlety and for letting one easily hear the clever things that people have done in the performance/recording/production, to make their works special.  This characteristic is something that definitely improved with burn in.  Sometimes that extra off kilter vocalist or previously unheard and unexpected flute, almost seem an irrelevance but to my mind, these things are evidence that the artist was trying to achieve something special (or someone in the choir was drunk/couldn’t hear the foldback).  For me, being able to hear this sort of stuff is what makes sitting down in front of a pair of speakers and just listening, such a rewarding thing to do.