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New Turntable, Arm + Cartridge - Review


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Hi All,

Further to my post last week, here is some feedback I want to share regarding my new Turntable Rig. I say “Rig” because I changed my turntable, arm and cartridge all in one large 'switch-out'.

New Rig Details

·         Turntable: Kuzma Stabi Reference 2

·         Arm: Kuzma 4Point – 11”

·         Cart: Lyra Etna SL

Rest of the System

·         Speakers: Kef Reference 205/2

·         Amplifier: AudiaFlight FL-Two (Integrated)

·         Phono-Stage: AudiaFlight Phono

Why change?
Previously I was using a VPI Classic One (the first iteration), standard VPI 10" uni-pivot arm, external string motor by Scheu Analog and a Lyra Delos moving Coil Cartridge. This was a great setup, I had never had such a dynamic, balanced sound. It was also my first experience with a uni-pivot arm and I was very impressed, I heard little uni-pivot 'chatter' that people often speak of.
I used the external String Motor by Scheu Analog (soon to be sold on SNA) because I felt that the motor in the VPI plinth was a little too loud (vibrations through bearing) and tended to smear edges. The external motor was a huge improvement.

Did I need to upgrade my setup? Absolutely not.

Everything about my previous combo was awesome, I was sufficiently far enough up the 'law of diminishing returns curve’ that it would have kept me happy for years.


However, my Lyra Delos was coming to about the mid-point of it’s useful life and I reached a fork in the road. I was so utterly impressed by the Delos (my first Lyra cart) that It started the cogs turning about an upgrade.  The thing that kept bugging me is: how is it possible that the Delos is only the entry model for Lyra?

In the end, I upgraded because of pathological curiosity. What does that incremental 10% “better” sound like (albeit at 3x the cost). Note: The outlay for this upgrade was considerable and by no means within normal expenditure for me – some people have a passion for cars, mine is vinyl. Upgrading to the Lyra Etna SL meant an upgrade in everything (the car needed to match the engine and so forth). So in reality it’s really the Lyra Etna that drove the entire upgrade.

Preface
I will not make comparisons between my setups because its normally not useful for others and is usually accompanied with too many asterixis, despites, howevers, keep-in-minds… Besides, the minds-ear has bad tricks it plays on your memory (and visa versa), without a direct A/B under perfect conditions any comparison is fairly useless.

I will also not comment on ‘build-quality’ other than to say the components are as good as you would hope.

It took a good month in order to get everything setup correctly. This probably would have been quicker but I was getting used to a new arm and turntable. The Lyra design is fairly congruent across the range, so there were no big differences in the geometry between the Delos and Etna (other than the strange asymmetric design – slightly off-putting at first).

Tracking

The Etna + 4Point combo tracks exceedingly well. Through difficult passages of music it never seems congested or ‘strained’. Everything is retained in a cohesive image, with no harsh/distorted elements. The impressive thing about the Etna is that it retains its ‘character’ under any conditions (more about character below) – that is to say there is no discernible changes in its ‘response’ with difficult tracking. Some cartridges can sound thin or bloated in complex passages (even good ones), the Etna appears not to.

On the Hi-fi News Test Record I managed to pass all torture tests except the very last (though this doesn’t mean much).

For fun, I pulled out my copy of the 1812 Overture pressed by Telarc – the one with REAL(!) canons. The combo breezed through the canon sections like a hot knife through butter. Interestingly, this is the first time I had been able to clearly discern other instruments at the point of explosion when the canons hit (/shortly thereafter). Normally (at least in my experience) the cartridge/arm is so occupied wrangling the 6hz tone modulation that everything else tends to go out the window.

(Note: those who are thinking of getting a copy of the 1812 Overture by Telarc, I highly recommend doing your research before playing, this vinyl is potentially damaging to your system - I DO NOT play it often, it’s a once-a-year party trick).

Sonic Character (the really subjective part)

I will speak of the sonic character of the Etna as a proxy for the entire Rig, this is because I think the job of the Arm and TT is to interfere as little as possible in the sound-reproduction process. (that is not to say the individual elements don’t have a Character – of course they do, but you need to start somewhere).

If I had to pick one word to describe the sound of the Etna it would be “Solid”. It may sound simplistic but after 2 months of listening, that is the one word that I keep coming back to. The mid-range is dense.

The Etna has an unwavering solidity that has the effect of sounding like tape. I think this partially relates to how well it tracks: because there is low tracking errors, there is a higher consistency in the sound, and therefore you hear less “vinyl” and more music. I’ve often heard Michael Fremer say that good vinyl systems sound like ‘tape’ and I’m starting to understand more what that means.

In terms of frequency response, the Etna does not appear to exaggerate anything. Highs are open, airy and fast (like all Lyra carts), without sounding bright. The bass extends low (very low) and is well defined, without being bloated – all ticks here. But you’d expect that from this kind of product.

What the Etna doesn’t do is make average records sound better (some carts do that but at the expense to too many other elements). What it also doesn’t do (which many high-end cartridges fail at miserably) is that it doesn’t make them sound worse (important if you like listening to music….). You can read many reviews of the Etna where the reviewer states “it just makes you want to listen to more vinyl” - and I couldn’t agree with that statement more.

However (and this is the exciting part), when you play a truly well mastered and pressed vinyl, hold onto your pants because this is where the Etna really shines. The Etna is so utterly impressive with dynamic slam, even-handed response, solid mid-range, it is out-of-this-world.

Example One: Is a German press I own of Jimi Hendrix’s posthumous live compilation album ‘Hendrix In the West’: Listening to the iconic recording of Little Wing on Side-B is so utterly real, it left both myself and a friend speechless when we first listened. I’ve listened to this recording more times than I care to remember (mostly because it’s my favorite Hendrix song), when listening with the Etna you feel like your perched in the front row and you can hear everything from the skin of the drums to the buzz of the Marshall Stack 5meters away. Without sounding cheesy, it was like listening to it for the first time.

Example Two: I picked up a copy of the newly re-released ‘LeGrand Jazz’ pressed by Impex Records (Bernie Grundman Mastering). There really is no ‘good place to start’ with this record, it contains some of the best musicians to ever live and is one of the best recordings I’ve ever heard. Listening to ‘Night in Tunisia’ and ‘Blue and Sentimental’ on SIDE-A is hands-down some of the best Jazz music (from both an audio+music perspective) I’ve heard. The dynamic swings in Night in Tunisia have a scary immediacy about them, in no way does this recording sound like 1958. If you want a good example of how things have potentially ‘gone backwards’ in terms of recording techniques, ‘Night in Tunisia’ is a good place to start. Shifting gears to ‘Blue and Sentimental’, a considerably more ‘laid back’ (“Blue”) track, the instruments have tangible timbre, so intimate you find yourself looking in the direction of the speaker to confirm it’s not right there in front of you!

Summary

As I said, this isn’t an upgrade I needed to make, nor was there much rationality in the decision-making process. Having said that, I’m sitting here 2 months later, considerably poorer but a very happy man.

Sure, a 10% improvement is still only 10%, but I can say without hesitation that what this upgrade does to vinyl in my sound-cave is worth every penny.

Buyer’s guilt = zero

If you’re a little unhinged and/or looking at divorcing your partner, the Lyra is a good place to start. If you are single and/or have perfect mental health, don't shy away from giving it a go.




 

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A great read and congrats with the new system.  As a fellow Delos user, i think my cart is now fully run in, and this took me over 2 and a half years (off and on playing records).  I can see why the Lyra's are popular.  I only could imagine what the Etna would sound like.  

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Guest Eggcup The Daft

You're wrong to describe the cartridge as a proxy for the sound quality of the setup. Maybe in terms of "character" you have a point, but the cartridge is totally dependent on the rest of the setup in terms of retrieving detail, apart from the noise problems that lesser turntables bring.

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22 minutes ago, Eggcup The Daft said:

You're wrong to describe the cartridge as a proxy for the sound quality of the setup. Maybe in terms of "character" you have a point, but the cartridge is totally dependent on the rest of the setup in terms of retrieving detail, apart from the noise problems that lesser turntables bring.

 

I described it as such for ease of explanation. I would find it difficult to describe all of the variable's independant characteristics without a thorough 'a/b' (which Im not setup to do).

 

I also realise that everything in the chain has an effect on the end result, from tone-arm wire to drive mechanism. I also know that a cartridge's performance is inextricably linked to its mating with the arm, hence the importance of compliance/resonance control.

 

However, in my opinion, a TT and Arm should (as much as possible) have as little of a 'sound' as possible.

 

My experience has been that a cartridge, as the last component down the line and that which is most intimate with the record surface, has the greatest impact on the end result. For ease of explanation, using the Etna as a proxy for the 'whole sound' was a fair choice I think.

 

 

 

 

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Guest Eggcup The Daft

I have sat through, and indeed performed, a number of A/Bs of the type you aren't set up to do. I've never heard the result that the cartridge has a greater influence on sound quality than the turntable (most important) or the tonearm.

 

I should note that this does presume correct setup, matching and cartridge loading, which I would guess explains why, for example, some here have had different results, particularly with phono amp changes.

 

The cartridge can only do its best when it is held stably over the record surface,  with the record spinning at the correct speed constantly, and with as little environmental interference as possible. The noise and greatest unwanted movement - the enemies of playback - occur elsewhere and don't emanate from the cartridge.

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Nice review and glad you are loving the new system.

 

Not sure I would agree with the Etna SL being dense in the mid range (might be the arm as Kuzma is a powerful sound) - A Koetsu/Benz it is not.  100% agree it's a superb cartridge. 

 

It is slightly more forward in the midrange, more forgiving in the attack of instruments and does have more 3d depth and meat on the bones compared to the Delos and lesser degree the Atlas. 

 

  Enjoy - superb front you have there.

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Great turntable - as another recent Kuzma Stabi Ref 2 owner, I can only congratulate you on your good taste. Although I went with the 313 Ref VTA arm rather than the 4 Point, after trying the 4 Point 9. After owning many turntables over the years, the Kuzma Stabi Ref 2 is clearly in another league to everything else I have heard. The design has been around for over 20 years for a good reason!

 

 

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Guest Eggcup The Daft

I was so keen to criticise on one point - I omitted to say that apart from that one point, I felt that this was a good (if maybe a touch naive in parts, @metal beat touched on the Kuzma sound) run at a short review and reflected well the issues involved in writing something like this. You stressed the importance of, and demonstrated setup care and attention. You also told us about your approach which I appreciated.

 

I also agree about improvements being relatively small objectively in upgrades at this level. But some objectively small improvements can be very important to a listener objectively!

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On 9/27/2017 at 8:11 AM, tellmidd said:

I have a sneaking suspicion that your old VPI Classic is now in my lounge room. The dealer I brought it from said it was a trade in from Sydney and the purchaser was getting a Kuzma

Could well be!

Interested in looking at my Scheu string motor?

 

Will send you a PM.

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On 9/26/2017 at 11:20 PM, metal beat said:

Nice review and glad you are loving the new system.

 

Not sure I would agree with the Etna SL being dense in the mid range (might be the arm as Kuzma is a powerful sound) - A Koetsu/Benz it is not.  100% agree it's a superb cartridge. 

 

It is slightly more forward in the midrange, more forgiving in the attack of instruments and does have more 3d depth and meat on the bones compared to the Delos and lesser degree the Atlas. 

 

  Enjoy - superb front you have there.

Thanks Metal Beat.
 

I certainly agree in the 3d depth and 'meat' comment. I would never have described the Delos as being lean but it certainly didn't wear a singlet and a t-shirt under its jumper (if you know what I mean).

I've owned a Benz Glider and heard a Rosewood Signature many times and I know what you mean. I wouldn't describe the Etna as 'romantic' in same way as I would these carts. I guess my comment about solidity has more to the consistency and focus of the mid-range - that mixed with the added 'meat', came to the word 'dense'.

Cheers,

 

Fish

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On 9/26/2017 at 10:54 PM, Eggcup The Daft said:

I have sat through, and indeed performed, a number of A/Bs of the type you aren't set up to do. I've never heard the result that the cartridge has a greater influence on sound quality than the turntable (most important) or the tonearm.

 

I should note that this does presume correct setup, matching and cartridge loading, which I would guess explains why, for example, some here have had different results, particularly with phono amp changes.

 

The cartridge can only do its best when it is held stably over the record surface,  with the record spinning at the correct speed constantly, and with as little environmental interference as possible. The noise and greatest unwanted movement - the enemies of playback - occur elsewhere and don't emanate from the cartridge.

 

11 hours ago, Eggcup The Daft said:

I was so keen to criticise on one point - I omitted to say that apart from that one point, I felt that this was a good (if maybe a touch naive in parts, @metal beat touched on the Kuzma sound) run at a short review and reflected well the issues involved in writing something like this. You stressed the importance of, and demonstrated setup care and attention. You also told us about your approach which I appreciated.

 

I also agree about improvements being relatively small objectively in upgrades at this level. But some objectively small improvements can be very important to a listener objectively!


At the end of the day, it's each to their own. I do however appreciate the feedback.

This wasn't meant to be a professional review, more a explanation of my findings among people like-minded SNA'ers.

I think if I were to do this properly it could be many 1000s of words. I've also never been the one to shy away from a good a/b and I think this can be very useful. Further, I fully respect the impact of every component in the chain.

I've owned many tables and many more cartridges and my viewpoint still stands. However I will say, in support of your comments, that when I was using lesser tables that upgrades to the drive mechanism,  isolation, counter-weight, dampening and so forth seemed to have a bigger impact than they do at the higher end.
 

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21 hours ago, rossb said:

Great turntable - as another recent Kuzma Stabi Ref 2 owner, I can only congratulate you on your good taste. Although I went with the 313 Ref VTA arm rather than the 4 Point, after trying the 4 Point 9. After owning many turntables over the years, the Kuzma Stabi Ref 2 is clearly in another league to everything else I have heard. The design has been around for over 20 years for a good reason!

 

 


Glad to hear that I'm not a lonesome Stabi owner! Will be good to share experience RossB.

What did you like about the 313 over the 4Point?

I chose the 11" 4Point over opting for the 9" because of the vertical and horizontal dampening - the 313 didn't hit my radar.

In reality I don't use either dampening options. The sound is considerably more dynamic without.


 

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