Reflex M Loaner Impressions

First of all I would like to thank Graham Slee for providing the loaner program. I wish more manufacturers would have the confidence in their products to provide this type of service. It  will certainly influence my final buying decision significantly.

By way of background, I have very little experience with phono stages. I grew up with vinyl in the 70s and 80s but never had funds for anything but entry level products. I went many years without a turntable until about a year ago when I purchased my current table. Since then I have changed my listening habits to almost exclusively vinyl, and really enjoying it.

My current stereo setup is:
VPI Scout
Soundsmith Zephyr Cartridge (Moving Iron)
Parasound P7 Preamp (MM/MC Phono Input)
Parasound A52 Amplifier
Salk Songtower Speakers
Blue Jeans Cables

I don't have any particular complaints about my current system, but as this hobby seems to demand, I am always looking for the next thing to do that would provide the biggest improvement for the money/effort.

This led me to thinking about phono stages, and if that would provide a meaningful improvement for the expense. As I was doing research I learned about Graham Slee products and made my way to this site to setup the loaner.

The loaner Reflex M arrived a couple of weeks ago. Not having much experience with phono stages, my only basis of comparison is the phono input in my P7 Pre-amp. My first impression was how quiet it is. I never had a complaint about surface noise, but I was shocked about how silent the Reflex M is between tracks and in quiet sections.

The second major impression was just a sense of overall realism and clarity. The best way I can describe it is the feeling I get after cleaning my glasses. You don't really notice anything is wrong, but after you wipe the days dust away everything is just that much clearer. In particular acoustic guitar and horns were particularly more lifelike.

Lastly the overall imaging was more stable. The music filled the room better and seemed to just be in the room vs. coming from the speakers.

My original plan was to go back to my old setup for a while to see how much I missed it, and perhaps audition some other products. A couple of evenings have gone by and I really am missing it in my system. It certainly seems more than worth the price for the level of improvement.

Thank you again to Mrarroyo for your efforts to get the loaner to me so quickly!

Tom

Tom thanks for posting your impressions and glad you are missing the Reflex M! 

Life is so cruel! 

Did not acquire my Reflex M on the loaner program , but am truly impressed with all it's virtues .The most significant piece of of equipment I hav ever owned : )