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Reflex C Review

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    Posted: 26 Feb 2018 at 11:01am

A little about me first.

 

I am a fifty year old bloke that has always listened to music and I’m old enough to still call “vinyl” albums. I don’t know the proper terms for what I’m listening to but I know what I like.

I read lots of forums but I very really contribute. I don’t usually have much to say.  So this is new to me.

My Hifi set up is relatively modest. P******t RPM 5 Carbon, Benz micro gold cartridge, Marantz PM8005 amplifier and B&W CM4 speakers.

Up until now I have used the phono stage in the amp with a moving magnet cartridge. But wanting to try moving coil cartridges I managed to pick up a used Reflex C on eBay for a very good price. Then bought a cartridge to go with it.

The Reflex has been plugged in for 4 days (will it burn in without music going through it?) and the cartridge is new so both need to be run in but here’s my initial thoughts.

Astonishing

As I said before I don’t know the correct musical terms so here goes.

There is more music in my music.

Where I use to hear guitar now I hear separate guitars. Base and drums were bassy now there is a base guitar and a base drum. Cymbals are out of this world.  

I only listen in a small room and 3.5 x 3.5 mts but the music somehow seems bigger. How can two speakers in front of me produce music that sounds like it’s all around me?

I like all types of music (apart from country and warbly female singers). I’ve listen to Classical, Rock Psychedelic and some Reggae and it all sounds good. Apart from a few tracks that sound awful which I am hoping will get better.

I dug out an old Grace Jones album and the sound and rhythm that came out of the speakers was a different class to anything I’d heard from the record before. I put on Pink Floyd’s Momentary lapse of reason. The vocals at the beginning of “on the turning away” were haunting. There is just a voice from nowhere and everywhere at once. The base in the song Angel by massive attack brought my wife in to see what was going on. As I said at the beginning, astonishing.

I can’t wait to hear it when everything is run in and I will add to this review when I have more thoughts.

 

The only real issue I have now is if I bought more of grahams gear would it sound even better!!!!! This could get very expensive.

 

Thanks for reading

Alex

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote morris_minor Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 Feb 2018 at 11:21am
Hi Alex and welcome to the forum!

It's great you're enjoying the Reflex C. You should keep it powered up all the time - that way you'll always get the best out of it.

The difference between integrated amps' phono sections and Graham's phono amps is always a bit of a shock at first. As you're discovering, there's so much more information in your record grooves! 
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
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote BackinBlack Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 Feb 2018 at 2:03pm
Hi Alex and welcome to the forum from me too.
I started with Grahams products in a similar way although with a Fanfare. The first thing that I noticed was the almost total absence of pops, clicks and surface noise, then the width of soundstage with instruments easily identified within it.
As Bob says keep it powered on 24/7 for best results. As your Reflex C is 2nd hand burn in should be well established, but after a time idle there will be some further improvement as everything settles in again.

Happy Listening
Ian
Just listen, if it sounds good to you, enjoy 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: 26 Feb 2018 at 5:25pm
The only problem I can foresee is that some room modes in a square room will dominate and this could be why some albums don't sound right. They will possibly contain frequencies which are overly boosted or cut making them difficult to listen to.

The Reflex C is best left on all the time, only pulling out the mains plug if leaving the house unattended for a few days which most of us do anyway. It doesn't need signal to settle-in.
That none should be able to buy or sell without a smartphone and the knowledge in how to use apps
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Alexjj Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 Feb 2018 at 5:59pm
Hi Graham

It was more certain tracks not whole albums that sounded bad. One was the last track on side one of the new foo fighters album. Also this album seemed to have a lot more surface noise. Could that be the 180g vinyl and the cartridge not being set up for the thicker vinyl?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Graham Slee Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 Feb 2018 at 8:39pm
I doubt it's the thicker vinyl, but then again if the stylus isn't at its optimum "digging in" angle then it could be riding high. Unfortunately surface noise is sometimes pot luck, and I've bought some so called quality re-releases which are worse than their commercial quality originals.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Alexjj Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Feb 2018 at 2:25pm
Thanks for the responses guys. I am looking forward to hearing the sound when its all run in.
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