CONNECTED t o M u s i c & M ov i e s
Issue No.26 Winter 2013/14
NEW PowerKords™ R E V I E W - PA G E 2 3 “changing to a PowerKord-100™ brings a considerable increase in three dimensionality, the sound of Gregory Porter and his band expands into the room in quite a palpable fashion.
CUSTOMER SYSTEM FEATURE page 16
The Evolution of Spiked Feet - page 14
Stop listening to your Hi-Fi and start listening to your music
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Editorial
Welcome The growth in music downloads is crossing over to classical music, with more and more music in higherresolution available to download from the likes of Linn Records, HD Tracks and 2L. So should we all start downloading music and never buy another CD? Well no, because right now is probably the very best time to be buying classical music on CD. And that’s largely thanks to the phenomenon of the last couple of years known as the Classical Music box set. I don’t know whether it’s the Classical labels’ last-gasp attempt to get as many sales as possible from what they perceive to be a dying format, or whether they’ve found a cunningly cheap way of producing the boxes needed to contain typically 50, 100 or 150 CDs, but one thing’s certain - they offer an amazing way to increase your music collection, explore new composers, discover different styles of music and experience more performers and conductors. It should be said that these are not box sets of current releases: in some cases they are box sets of performances recorded over 50 years ago. Far from this being a bad thing, many of these boxes contain recordings made during the Golden Age of Stereo and the sound quality is astonishing. As I write this, it‘s Benjamin Britten’s Centenary weekend and I’m reminded that Decca saw fit to commemorate it with a 66-disc Complete Works box set, allowing you hear everything the composer ever wrote. There are other sets celebrating other composers - with Complete Editions of Bach (160 discs) and Messiaen (32 discs) to name just two. If you want to experience more of
a range of composers and conductors, pick a box set celebrating a particular classical music label: The Decca Sound: The Analogue Years (54 discs) contains a diverse collection of music from performers such as Ashkenazy and Pavarotti and composers like Bruckner and Sibelius. There are plenty of other label-focussed boxes with music from Philips, Deutsche Grammophon, RCA Living Stereo, and Mercury Living Presence as a few examples. Or you might want to investigate a particular performer or conductor. The box set which comes immediately to mind has been released by Sony containing all the recordings made by Arthur Rubinstein for RCA - 142 CDs and 2 DVDs! But there are plenty of others such as Karajan - 1970s (82 discs); Dame Janet Baker: The great EMI recordings (20 discs); and Julian Bream: The Classical Guitar Anthology (42 discs). However you want to investigate these box sets, in many cases they represent astonishing value for money, typically costing £2 or £3 per disc. Whatever the reason for their proliferation at the moment, grab them while you can; I don’t think the opportunity will be around forever and if you are anything like me, they’ll have you falling in love with music and performers you just hadn’t heard before.
Contents Regulars Editorial
3
Russ’s First Words
4
News
5
Dalton‘s Deliberations
19
Letters
20
Competition
27
Features The Evolution of Spiked Feet 14 Customer System
16
Competition Winner Feature 26
John Armer, Editor john.armer@russandrews.com
Products New Products Recent Reviews
7 23
Russ Andrews Accessories Ltd, 2b Moreland Court, Westmorland Business Park, Shap Road, Kendal LA9 6NS, UK. © Russ Andrews Accessories Ltd, 2013. E & OE. Any views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of the company.
Issue 26 Winter 2013/14 CONNECTED MAGAZINE 3
Russ’s First Words
We’ve been rediscovering what’s so great about vinyl... To a pre-vinyl dinosaur like me, the resurgence of general interest in vinyl and turntables is heartwarming. I welcome it because it allows me to show off the deep knowledge of the subject I have accumulated over my 55 years or so of working to get the very best out of the vinyl records. Knowledge and experience I thought was now of only historical interest except to someone like me who has never abandoned the LP (having some 4000 in my collection!). Now, I find that I am being asked more and more questions about vinyl replay, but almost everyone here has wanted to hear for themselves just what is so attractive about vinyl. To address that pressure, and let them hear for themselves, I have dusted off some of the turntables in my museum, set them up properly and lined them up for comparison.
musical enjoyment and sense of reality (that ‘like being there’ feeling) that is possible with recorded music. That was the heartwarming bit; at last they understand the scale of the musicality potential
“The experience has opened their eyes to the real potential for musical enjoyment and sense of reality.” I have been talking about. They were so excited about it they are insisting that I demo with the SOTA at the next Whittelbury Hall Show. Along the way, I demonstrated what a difference different turntable mats
made on each turntable and also the benefits of our PowerKords on the mains driven turntables and our A/C power supplies on the ones with 12V and 24V motors, further adding into the mix the benefits of Super Burn-in on the various Kimber tone arm cables. The result of all these listening tests is for us to have a re-appraisal of our turntable products with several new products. This will be followed up next year with a guide to getting the best out of vinyl LP. My final thought on this is anyone who hasn’t heard what a vinyl LP has to offer in musical terms is really missing out. ■ Russ Andrews
What a rewarding exercise it has turned out to be! At the entry-level comparison, even the inexpensive ProJect Debut 3 impressed everyone with its presentation of a greater sense of dynamic range and musicality than they were used to hearing from comparable CD players. At the very top end, they were completely astonished by the shear reality of the music from my upgraded SOTA Star Sapphire (circa 1986!). The experience has opened their eyes to the real potential for 4 CONNECTED MAGAZINE Issue 26 Winter 2013/14
Turntables lined up for listening, from left to right: modified Garrard 301 in Torlyte® plinth; modified LP12 with Torlyte® plinth, subchassis and armboard; Rega Planar 3.
News
News Connected e-news Have you seen our regular email newsletter yet? If you like what you see in this magazine, our ‘Connected e-news’ is well worth checking out. Published every fortnight, our newsletter keeps you up to date on the latest developments at Russ Andrews HQ. If there’s a new product, you’ll likely hear about it here first and there’s always news and information on buying and using our products. But it’s not all about us. We’ve introduced a whole host of regular features to keep you interested and entertained; each issue has a short review of a recommended album or film; a ‘Website of the Week’ where we trawl through the internet to find you the most interesting and diverse websites of interest to the music and movie fan; a ‘Key Idea’ where we explain some key concepts or problems often encountered in the world of home entertainment; and an interesting and/or obscure fact under the heading of ‘Did You Know?‘ All in all it’s a great way to get your Connected magazine ‘fix’ every fortnight. To subscribe, just go to www.russandrews.com and enter your email address in the ‘Join the Club’ box, near the top left on our homepage.
DeoxIT® delivery We are no longer able to send some of our traditional DeoxIT® and DeoxIT® Gold contact enhancers to UK mainland addresses via the postal service. Regulations concerning the type of propellant used in DeoxIT® D5, DN5 and DeoxIT® Gold and DeoxIT® GN5 mean that it cannot be sent via Royal Mail. Be warned if you’re buying it from an unauthorised supplier, as it may be destroyed by the postal service. The good news is that we’ve been able to source a range of even better performing DeoxIT® products, that are fully compliant with shipping regulations for both the UK and abroad. To see all new DeoxIT® products online and their new prices visit www.russandrews.com/deoxit It’s worth knowing that if you’re yet to experience the performance benefits of DeoxIT® and DeoxIT® Gold, then we have a sample pack of wipes which we can post. Each pack contains three wipes of each and costs £4.95. DeoxIT® & DeoxIT® Gold Wipes Order code 5438 £4.95 Impregnated wipes, three of each. Enough to clean your system once.
Issue 25 Summer 2013 CONNECTED MAGAZINE 5
News
National Audio Show Report Thanks again to all of you who came along to our stand and demos at this year’s National Audio Show on the 21st and 22nd September. This year’s show was the busiest yet, with thousands flocking to see what was on offer throughout the labyrinthine corridors of Whittlebury Hall. And our room was consistently one of the busiest throughout the whole weekend. Again, this year Russ combined his demos in the room with a couple of public lectures put on by the show organisers. The common thread between the two was the love and appreciation of music and the ways in which both the performance and the system that replays it have a vital bearing on how enjoyable or moving the experience is. In our own dem, this idea of musicality was explored in the context of two systems; one budget and one high end. Two very different levels of hardware, but what was demonstrated was the way in which both were capable of providing an enthralling and musical performance. So, although our little Arcam Alpha 6 system couldn’t possibly equal the levels of bass depth and heft of the Meridian/Plinius/PMC combination, the way it conveyed the mid-band and sound-stage was extremely involving and really quite remarkable in comparison. At a comparative cost of around £2000 including hardware and cables, it offered a high-end experience that most would be more than pleased with had they invested
6 CONNECTED MAGAZINE Issue 26 Winter 2013/14
five times that amount. Leaving the demo in the capable hands of Simon, Russ continued the theme in his public lecture by discussing the best way to listen and assess a system so as to avoid making costly purchasing mistakes. Like our own dem, this focused on the way that the music moves us and engages us emotionally rather than how good or bad the sound is. We need to trust our own instincts and be sensitive to how we respond emotionally to the way the music is presented to us. This is a very different approach to the prevalent one which tends to emphasise the sound of a system rather than its ability to communicate music (this approach will often separate out different aspects of the music – bass, mid and treble, for example – rather than judging it as a whole entity, as a piece of music).
Mains cables for sale in our shop
Russ during one of his demonstrations
To illustrate this, Russ played a selection of cover versions to compare the way two performers can interpret a song in a completely different way, one communicating the emotion and meaning of the lyrics in a way that Simon during one of his demonstrations touches us where the other perhaps leaves us ‘flat’. Following this personal lacking in that musical insight that moves you. Trust your own instinct response to the music will always on this, ignore the brand, the price or lead you in the right direction. When how the sound is created e.g. by it comes to listening and comparing more spent on hardware or cables, systems, you can use this principle to and you’ll always manage to avoid judge which is musical and which is the pitfalls of continuing just ‘sound’ – perhaps a very dissatisfaction. impressive sound, but nonetheless,
New products New Select tone arm cable Kimber have recently introduced two new tone arm cables to their Select range. The Kimber Select KS1216 is an all-copper Select tone arm cable, and KS-1236 is the allsilver version. Available with both right angle SME DIN plugs or standard DIN plugs, they are a perfect choice for top-flight turntables that have detachable tone arm cables of this type. One of our long-standing customers, Mr Pettigrew, recently took delivery of the KS-1236 after our recommendation. Having had the cable a few weeks and allowing it to burn in, he sent us an email to let us know how things had been going. His description of what it is like to actually live with the KS-1236 was so incisive that we thought it was worth reproducing here: “The new KS-1236 is astoundingly good ... There are many things which it does so well it’s amazing. Deeper and more tuneful bass, a cleaner and punchier sound across a far fuller soundstage. All very useful for the Indie, Drum’n’bass and electronica I enjoy listening to. The lines from bass guitars can now clearly be heard to have much
lower registers and a tune in those low octaves. More than this, though, is the way the bass now drives the music along. With all instruments, acoustic or electronic, the notes stop and start more convincingly and the music somehow seems more together and powerful. There is more detail and information. The decay on piano notes, for example, sounds far more accurate. Over and above these slightly technical benefits to the system, though, is the increased emotional impact and sheer musicality. With the KS-1236 in place the music is more attention grabbing and the system makes me want to listen to the music much more intently. In many ways it’s now similar to the gigs I go to with good
quality sound systems. Great, strong presence and a sense of being more closely connected to the musicians and the music. In many ways the system is better than live gigs, of course. Greater clarity and detail. Overall the KS-1236 has been a huge step forward for the system, so thank you for the cable, and please thank John for recommending it.”
Kimber Select KS-1216 Code: 2951 Tone Arm Cable 1m £617.00 1.5m £709.00 Kimber Select KS-1236 Code: 2238 Tone Arm Cable 1m £1715.00 1.5m £2391.00
SME 90˚ plug
Constrained matrix geometry 6 discrete conductors Clear FEP dielectric
Solid core silver
WBT 0102 Ag phonos
Kimber Select KS-1236 tone arm cable
Flying grounding lead
Issue 25 Summer 2013 CONNECTED MAGAZINE
7
New Products
NEW Keith Monks Record Cleaning Machine Readers of Connected may recall that Russ is a big fan of the Keith Monks Record Cleaning Machine, having owned one (which remains in use today) since the 1970s. Up until now, entry into the Keith Monks ‘club’ came at a premium - a Classic Keith Monks precision wash system (discOveryOne Classic only)
minimum of £3000 to be precise. We were particularly pleased, then, to hear that a new, consumer-friendly machine had been developed and launched. The Keith Monks discOveryOne incorporates many of the features of the larger, professional versions of the Keith Monks machines but is more compact and very quiet in Suction arm for removing fluid and drying the record
operation - so quiet in fact that you can use the machine in the same room that you are listening to your records in. There are two models available. The discOveryOne features a manual wash system. You apply the cleaning fluid to the record and use the supplied precision brush to gently clean the record by hand. The discOveryOne Classic features a built-in Mini Cooper fluid hand pump and on-deck brush system to more evenly and efficiently distribute the fluid and clean the record. With both models the surface of the record is then completely vacuumed dry. The cleaning and drying process removes excessive mould release agent left as a by-product of record manufacture and without overstripping the vinyl of its natural plasticisers, and the machine is recommended for anyone wanting to get the very best performance from either new records or preowned treasures. 3 year warranty
Machine uses fresh cleaning fluid for every record, depositing it in separate waste container
Automatic functions including auto off and auto shutdown if the waste container is full means you can set the record drying and the machine will switch off when completed.
14 day trial
Keith Monks Record Cleaning Machine Code: 4260 discOveryOne £1295 discOveryOne Classic £1595
MA Recordings Inner Sleeves Todd Garfinkle of US based MA Recordings contacted us recently regarding a new type of record sleeve that he has developed. What makes MA Recordings Innersleeves unique is the material that is used in their manufacture. As Todd explains; “They are made of the same modern, synthetic materials used in Japanese Shoji room screens. The material allows for air flow during the hot and muggy seasons, thus keeping mould and mildew to a 8 CONNECTED MAGAZINE Issue 26 Winter 2013/14
minimum. The material is also super soft and very elegant”. The material itself also has excellent inherent anti-static properties and, combined with its inability to trap moisture, makes it ideal for the storage of your precious vinyl collection. Sold in packs of 50, they also represent excellent value for money at 70p per sleeve.
MA Recordings Inner Sleeves Code: 5080
Pack of 50 sleeves
£35.00
New Products
New Origin Live products Russ recently caught up with Mark Baker of Origin Live who encouraged him to audition their turntable mat. Having tested it on a variety of turntables we were so impressed that we had to include it in our range and we couldn’t resist finding out what else he had on offer!
Upgrade your turntable‘s motor Origin Live‘s DC motor kit is one of their most well-regarded products and offers an ingenious way of improving the performance of almost all belt-driven turntables. The kit contains everything you need you to replace your existing turntable’s AC motor with Origin Live‘s DC motor - giving a very smooth, very low vibration drive for your turntable that gives a very large improvement in transparency and much better definition. The kit comprises the replacement DC motor and pulley, electronic speed control giving 33 and 45 RPM, DC power supply and strobe disc for accurately setting your turntable’s speed. Some minor modifications to your turntable may be required to fit the motor but almost all people succeed
with no problems. The DC motor is a straight swap for the standard AC synchronous motor used on most decks and does not require decoupling due to its inherently low-vibration design. It can be used on almost all decks from budget to high end: Linn, Roksan, Pink Triangle, Rega, Thorens and Project are just some of the turntables that have been successfully upgraded. “This is an effective and substantial upgrade that rejuvenates a classic and well respected turntable (the LP12 in this case) and as such comes highly recommended” Hi-Fi World magazine
“this enthusiasts upgrade path provides a real performance improvement, and may be firmly recommended” Hi Fi Critic magazine
Origin Live Advanced DC Motor Kit
Code: 7651
£345.00
High Performance Upgrade Belt
We think this is one of the best low cost / high value upgrades you can make to your turntable regardless of its brand.
Not all turntable belts are created equal. Origin Live’s High Performance Upgrade belt uses a special type of rubber to give increased grip - under test, we found it made the sound more solid, with better, more musical bass. Available for:
Origin Live’s Upgrade platter mat is 1mm thick and 296mm in diameter. It is a straight swap for almost all existing turntable mats.
Linn LP12 Belt (550mm) Code: 7655 Pink Triangle Belt (438mm) Code: 7654 All Origin Live MK2 & MK3 decks (995mm) Code: 7653 All Origin Live MK1 decks (560mm) Code: 7653 Origin Live Classic MK2 deck (940mm) Code: 7653
Upgrade Platter mat
Origin Live Upgrade Platter mat Code: 7650 £39.95
Origin Live Upgrade Belt See individual codes above £29.60
Cartridge Clips If you are comfortable soldering, it’s well worth replacing the cartridge clips that connect your tone arm’s internal wiring to the cartridge. Origin Live’s are goldplated copper beryllium and very high quality.
Origin Live Cartridge Clips Code: 7652 Pack of four £10.25 Issue 25 Summer 2013 CONNECTED MAGAZINE 9
New Products
PRIME
headphone listening at its best! Meridian Prime can comfortably drive a variety of headphones. There are three headphone outputs on the front panel; a 3.5mm output suitable for earbuds and two full-sized 1/4” stereo jacks, suitable for driving two pairs of headphones simultaneously if required; alternatively they can be used to connect a single pair of headphones that have separate cables to each driver.
1/4” headphone outputs
3.5mm stereo headphone output
Both suitable for headphones in the range 16 Ω-1K Ω, with sensitivity higher than 80dBspl/mW or 96dBspl/V
Meridian Prime is a new headphone amplifier from Meridian Audio. It’s headphone listening at its best, allowing you to maximise the sound from high-end, full-sized headphones or high-end ear buds. Don’t be fooled by Prime’s compact footprint; this is a serious headphone amp capable of giving exceptional performance. Where can it be used? Meridian Prime forms the heart of a high-performance headphone system. It offers a USB input enabling you to connect your laptop or desktop PC or Mac and listen to music files stored on your computer; it can play back MP3s, CD-quality, and high-definition audio files of up to 24bit/192kHz resolution. Prime incorporates Meridian’s renowned Resolution Enhancement Technology including Apodising and upsampling to help make digital recordings sound natural and involving. In addition to USB, Meridian Prime incorporates two analogue inputs for connecting a CD player, MP3 player or other source. A simple front button allows you to select your source.
Prime incorporates Meridian’s new Analogue Spatial Processing (ASP) which, if selected when listening to headphones, gives the sound less of an ‘in-your-head’ presentation, making the sound more like you are listening to loudspeakers.
Not just a headphone amp Meridian Prime includes a pair of analogue outputs so it can also be used as a high-performance preamp for connection to a power amplifier or pair of active loudspeakers - meaning that it’s capable of being the heart of a conventional Hi-fi system, controlling up to three sources. If Prime is being used solely as a headphone amp, the preamp circuitry can be switched off. Stereo line level input
3.5mm stereo line level input
Stereo line level output for connecting to power amplifier when using Prime as a preamp
Mini-B USB input
160mm x 50mm x 150mm WHD 2 year guarantee 14 day trial
MERIDIAN PRIME HEADPHONE AMP
Code: 4655
£1200.00 10 CONNECTED MAGAZINE Issue 26 Winter 2013/14
New Products
Upgrade the power supply
How does it sound? ‘it comes with those long-standing Meridian values of excellent detail retrieval and clean, honest sound built in. Any brand joining the headphone amplifier gladiatorial arena has a fight on its hands, but Meridian seems better equipped than most.’ Hi-Fi Plus, November 2013
‘In terms of the criteria that I listen for in any amp, transparency, noise, dynamics and the ability to get me out of my head and into the music, Prime is well, prime... All in all, a seemingly impressive effort that covers all the bases.’ The Absolute Sound, November 2013
Try Meridian Prime with these: Kimber USB Available with USB A & Mini-B connector for connecting to a PC or Mac. Kimber Mini-B USB Code 2800
Prime can be powered via the included plug-top wall wart or by the new, matching Meridian Prime Power Supply. Prime Power Supply gives a big upgrade in the sound quality, making it more solid, with greater dynamics and better detail retrieval. Meridian Prime Power Supply is a toroidal design, and has five 12V DC outputs. As well as being a perfect partner for Prime Headphone amp, Prime Power Supply can also power other Meridian products such as the Director DAC or the Audio Core 200. Meridian Prime Power Supply also incorporates a USB output designed to provide clean 5V USB power. It can be used solely to power any USB device. Alternatively, the Prime Power Supply can be used as an interface between your computer and DAC (such as Meridian’s Director or Explorer) passing cleaner audio data onto the output device and at the same time improving the power supply.
0.5m £43.00 1.0m £51.50 Kimber Mini-B USB Ag 0.5m £86.00 Code 2802 1.0m £142.00 Clover leaf adaptor Use with Meridian Prime Power Supply and your choice of mains cable Code: 1879 £9.00
MERIDIAN PRIME POWER SUPPLY
Code: 4656
£800.00 Issue 25 Summer 2013 CONNECTED MAGAZINE 11
New Products
Get the very best out of your earth terminal
We have developed an exciting new product - the RF Router - that allows you to make the very best use of the earth terminals fitted to our Silencer Blocks and PowerBlocks, and our SuperSockets and UltraSockets. Using the RF Router means that any connections you make - particularly if they are to an additional external earth rod - comply with the latest electrical wiring regulations whilst effectively ‘dumping’ high frequency noise out of your system. In use in our systems, the RF Router brought about a surprisingly large improvement in sound quality giving a cleaner sound with less ‘hash’, more solid bass and better soundstage width and depth.
About the wiring regulations The latest (17th) edition of the IEE‘s Wiring Regulations state that you 12 CONNECTED MAGAZINE Issue 26 Winter 2013/14
should now no longer add an additional earth rod to your domestic ring main earth. This is something which was previously allowed and many people have had an additional earth rod installed to improve their system‘s sound quality. We’ve developed our RF Router to allow you to continue to use an additional external earth rod and comply with the latest regulations. When installed, it means that your additional earth rod is not directly connected to the mains earth, while ensuring that noise and RF is dumped out of your system.
Who should use the RF Router? Every system that incorporates an additional, external earth rod that is connected to the mains earth should use an RF Router fitted inline between the rod and the earthing point. The RF Router can also be used very successfully even if you don’t use an
external earth rod. Use it to link the casework grounds of your CD player and amplifier, for example, to the earth terminal on the front of our sockets or our mains extensions to ground casework ‘RF’. If you have more than a couple of pieces of kit, you will find our Star RF Router easier to use - it can link the grounds of up to eight pieces of kit.
Star RF Router
Now available fitted inside PowerBlocks PowerBlocks can now incorporate the RF Router internally, meaning that you can link the terminal directly to an earth rod and comply with the regulations. If you have an older PowerBlock and want to use an additional external earth rod, you should fit an RF Router between the PowerBlock‘s terminal and your earth rod to comply with the regulations.
New Products Supplied with two 0.5m lengths of Ground Wire fitted with spades.
4mm binding posts accepts bananas, bare wire & 6mm spades
RF Router
Code: 1843
£169.00 WHD: 155mm inc terminals, 37mm x 59mm
Fit RF Router to a PowerBlock Code: 8136 Fit to a new PowerBlock add £110 to PowerBlock price RF Router with Ground Wires attached
Retro fit to an existing PowerBlock £140
Ground Weave
Code: 1090
Off the reel Terminated
Ground Wire
Earth Rod & Clamp Code: 1201 £21.00
per metre unterminated
Code: 1022
£1.15
0.5m 1.0m
£4.50 £9.00
£19.50 £24.00
Each additional 1m £9.00
Ground Weave
How to use the RF Router
Earth Terminal
RF-ROUTER Ground Weave
Power Cable Earth Terminal on socket
Power Cable
c. Between PowerBlock earth terminal and earth terminal on socket
Ground Weave
Earth Terminal RF-ROUTER
Earth Rod
RF-ROUTER
a. Between earth terminal on socket and additional external earth rod
Ground Weave
Ground Weave
d. Between casework grounds and earth terminal on socket Power Cable RF-ROUTER Ground Weave
b. Between PowerBlock earth terminal and additional external earth rod
RF-ROUTER
Earth Rod
Earth Rod
Ground Weave
e. Between casework grounds and additional external earth rod Issue 26 Winter 2013/14 CONNECTED MAGAZINE
13
The Evolution of Spiked Feet Russ Andrews customer John Ellson contacted us recently and in conversation reminded us of the after-market stands he made back in the early 1980s to support Quad Electrostatic loudspeakers. His stands - Quadropod - led to his development of spiked feet, once mischievously referred to by Paul Messenger as the most important HiFi development of the 1980s. Often overlooked, spiked feet are an important component for anyone wanting to get the best out of a Hi-Fi system and we thought it would be fun to ask John, as inventor of spiked feet, to recount his development work.
“
I designed the Quadropod stands during the winter of 1981/82. They were evaluated using old ESLs and ESL63s belonging to two friends (I was using Linn Saras at the time). They were approved by the management and technical staff at Quad, for both stability and mechanical integrity. They subsequently provided me with their complete dealer list, both in the UK and abroad. Quad themselves purchased a considerable number of both types. Sales commenced in March
14 CONNECTED MAGAZINE Issue 26 Winter 2013/14
1982. A number of versions were made and more than 400 pairs sold as far as Australia, Canada, USA, the Far East and Europe. Numerous Quad dealers in the UK bought them, including Russ Andrews High Fidelity shop in June 1983! [Though Russ had left the Edinburgh shop by then - Ed]. During the winter of 1982/83 I was experimenting with my Linn Sara loudspeakers. At the time we had a very long pile carpet in the listening room and the Saras were anything but rigid or stable on the carpet. Jimmy Hughes had tried putting concrete paving slabs under his speakers about that time. I tried this but my wife was not impressed with the aesthetics and I suspect many other wives would not have been too keen on this also. Linn had just produced their ‘plastic cup on woodscrew in hole-in-floor’ idea. This was very difficult on a wooden floor, and totally impractical on a concrete floor. So the thought occurred - why not try to penetrate the carpet to contact the rigid floor beneath? A friend in the engineering trade (I was an industrial chemist), suggested various methods of fixing a threaded bolt into a steel tube. The solution which appeared the most practical was the anchor rivet bush, which HiFi enthusiasts could fit relatively easily to their existing stands. I fitted these to my Sara stands, handmade eight ‘spikes’ from high-tensile 6mm bolts by hacksawing the heads off, spinning the bolt in a Black & Decker drill and grinding the point with an
Dalton’s Deliberations
angle grinder. These were screwed into the bushes, the stands and speakers placed in position, carefully levelled, with no rocking. And then the listening commenced. Wow!
Several sets of spikes were given to both Linn and Naim for their own trials; this is where Peter Turner [former editor of Hi-Fi Answers magazine] obtained his set.
Further sets were made by the same method and were tried by various friends using Linn Isobariks, Quad 63s, Quad ‘radiators’ and KEF 104aB. Without exception, the sound was transformed.
A set of spikes were sent to Hi-Fi Answers and the reviews by Peter Turner and Keith Howard soon followed. Advertisements were placed in the magazine and the Hi-Fi world beat a path to our door. Mass production started in May 1983; various versions evolved over time as illustrated. Studio 99 acted as agents and distributors and the rest, as they say, is history.
By early 1983 I had developed a very good relationship with Studio 99, the Hi-Fi dealers in Swiss Cottage, London. They had made regular sales of Quadropod Stands. David Davies, the Managing
”
“Jimmy Hughes had tried putting concrete paving slabs under his speakers about that time. I tried this but my wife was not impressed with the aesthetics” Director was a particularly astute and forward-thinking young man; on one of my visits to deliver some stands I took along my spiked Sara stands. He duly listened to them and was immediately bowled over by the sound. He requested I get ten sets to them as soon as possible - he had them from me in two days! He fitted the spikes to the Linn stands for the Kan, Sara and Isobarik speakers. These stands were taken to the London Hi-Fi show and the first public demonstration of spiked feet was carried out in the Linn/Naim room.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
Original Quadropod DCLS Feet. Together with locking nut and bush. First auto-lathe-made version. Second version. Final version. Linn made ‘Plastic Spike’. Linn made ‘Plastic Cup‘ to be used with round head woodscrew.
Issue 26 Winter 2013/14 CONNECTED MAGAZINE 15
Customer System
Customer System Our featured system this time belongs to a customer in London. John Armer finds out about it. Our system’s owner Edward has been an enthusiastic Russ Andrews customer since the early 2000s, gradually building up his system and his cabling to a level which in his words ‘now sounds just as I like it’. I asked him how long he‘d been interested in music and when he started putting together a Hi-Fi system. “I was about 14 or 15 when I went to a friend’s house” says Edward, “and they were playing Diana Ross or Aretha Franklin records on a turntable. I think they were making compilation tapes off the records to play in the car. In any case I was transfixed - it sounded so good, like nothing I’d heard before. I spent the whole day listening to their records!” The first system that Edward put together was a Denon mini system consisting of an amplifier / tuner / CD player but that soon gave way in the late 1990s to what we’d call a ‘proper’ Hi-Fi separates system. It comprised a Marantz CD 63 KI Signature CD player, a Marantz tuner and a Sony amplifier. “My friend Charles was already a Russ Andrews customer and he had an Audiolab system with Dynalab speakers” says Edward. “He had it powered with your YellO Power mains cables and a YellO extension [The YellO range has now been replaced by our PowerMax Plus™ cables and the PowerBar] and I think he used PBJ interconnects. I remember thinking that his music sounded so good on that system. 16 CONNECTED MAGAZINE Issue 26 Winter 2013/14
“He had a copy of your information booklets The Music and the Magic and The Power and the Glory and I read them all. I learned about cabling and the mains supply and went ahead and ordered identical Russ Andrews mains cables and a mains extension - and PBJ interconnects - for my own system”. Edward started putting together the system he uses now - Pioneer CD transport, Musical Fidelity DAC, Audio Research preamp and Musical Fidelity Power Amp - about 13 years ago. “I upgraded my YellOs to your PowerKords™ when I started with the Musical Fidelity system. I also got a Purifier mains filter about the same time. I followed your Upgrade Path quite strictly so I upgraded my mains first, followed by interconnects and speaker cable, and finished with Torlyte® equipment supports.” I was intrigued by Edward’s use of our Torlyte® Platforms in conjunction with the full Torlyte® rack system and asked him about it. “I read all about your Torlyte® racks in your catalogues and when I tried Torlyte® it sounded really good. I’d read on a forum somewhere that someone had used multiple Torlyte® platforms stacked on top of each other so I tried it. It was well worth it; the sound became much calmer and less in-your-face”. In addition to a CD player, Edward has a DVD player and I wanted to know how much he used it in his Hi-Fi system. “I use the DVD player for watching the few music videos I have. My system is strictly two channel though. My Sky box isn’t hooked up to my Hi-Fi system at all; the sound from TV broadcasts comes through
Customer System
Hi-Fi system • Pioneer PD91 CD player with modifications (used as transport) • Musical Fidelity Tri-Vista 21 DAC (modified) • Audio Research SP16 tube preamp • Musical Fidelity A308 power amp (modified) • PMC FB1 loudspeakers (with Russ Andrews upgrades)
separate speakers that are attached to my screen - wired up with Kimber 4TC speaker cable”. Edward’s listening is almost exclusively to CD. I asked if he’d ever had a turntable. “I used to have one but not all music is available on vinyl. CD is much more convenient for me. And when you follow Russ’s Upgrade Path you can get a sound that’s much closer to vinyl. Your Signature PowerKord™ in particular really helped my CDs to sound much more natural when played on my system.”
Pioneer PD91 CD player with modifications (used as transport) on Torlyte® Rack
I asked what his favourite component upgrade was. “The Musical Fidelity power amp” he admits. “I met a former service engineer who advised me which model power amp to get and he was able to upgrade it internally for me. He used Kimber Silver Streak cable for the signal wiring and your woven PowerKord™ internally for the power. He also upgraded the DAC internally too, using KCAG for the internal wiring.
Audio Research SP16 tube preamp on Torlyte® Platform
“My favourite Russ Andrews upgrade was the Signature PowerKord™. I initially bought a 2m cable to connect my PowerBlock to the wall socket; in my previous house the system was quite a distance from the Cont. >
Musical Fidelity A308 power amp on two Torlyte® Platforms
TV system • Toshiba SD9000E DVD player (modified) • Pioneer Kuro Plasma with separate speakers & control box • Sky HD box (with Russ Andrews upgrades) Kimber & Russ Andrews cables • Russ Andrews Reference and Signature PowerKords and PowerKord-500s (with Super Burn In) • Russ Andrews PowerBlock fitted with UltraSockets, incorporating ClarityMains and wired with silver and copper • SilencerBlock • Mini Purifier and UltraPurifier mains filter • MegaClamp Ultra and The AbZorber spike protection • Russ Andrews SuperSocket and UltraSocket • Kimber Select KS-1021 analogue interconnects fitted with MiniZaps • Kimber Select KS-2020 digital interconnect • Kimber HD29 HDMI cable and Kimber DV75 component video cable • Russ Andrews Crystal-24 speaker cable with Super Burn In • Russ Andrews Torlyte rack system and platforms • Russ Andrews The Damper, Focus rings and Shorties Issue 26 Winter 2013/14 CONNECTED MAGAZINE 17
Customer System
The non-Torlyte® racks are reserved for AV components and our PowerBlocks and filters
mains outlet. It transformed the sound of my system - after being well burned-in the sound became ‘calmer’. Since then, I have changed all of my components‘ mains cables to the Signature PowerKords and most recently your newest PowerKord-500 cables. I was also very happy with the AbZorber: it really made the sound clearer and cleaner. The mains cable that feeds my power amp is connected to the 16A outlet at the end of your PowerBlock. This means that there is one less fuse in the system and my music sounded more dynamic with the power amp connected that way. I‘ve seen that some of your customers connect their Purifiers to that 16A socket, but I‘d urge everyone to connect their integrated amp or their power amp into that socket.” I asked him what upgrades he planned to make next to either his system or cables. He admitted that he has no plans for equipment upgrades; the last upgrade he had made was to his speakers about 18 months ago. He found that as he had upgraded his cables the bass stood out; it wasn’t as clear as he wanted and it was muddy. His speakers were duly sent to us for upgrade which solved the problem. He would really like a Balanced Mains 18
CONNECTED MAGAZINE Issue 26 Winter 2013/14
Unit next, a BMU 1500KVA is on his wish list. “It would be really nice if Russ could gift wrap one for me and send it as a Christmas present!” he joked. My overwhelming impression of Edward is of someone who really loves his music and really cares about how it sounds. He is even someone who - dare I say it - is content with his system‘s sound. I commented that he used the word ‘calmer’ more than once when describing his system or an upgrade. “I like to listen to music quietly, I don’t like it in your face” he says. “With your upgrades, you can turn the volume up so the system is flat out and there‘s still no distortion. It sounds really good.”
Current favourite CDs: Gregory Porter: Liquid Spirit;
Jeremy Pelt: Soul
Recommended recording: Tutu Puoane: Quiet Now ‘This is a great CD. It’s really well recorded and sounds really good - to my ears anyway!’ PMC FB1 loudspeakers (with Russ Andrews upgrades)
Write to Simon at - simondalton@russandrews.com
Dalton‘s Deliberations
What’s the future for the iPod generation? According to The Economist, ‘Beats by Dr Dre’ now account for almost half of the market for premium-priced headphones in America. Not that surprising really, as The Economist.com observes: “They have all but created a new product category: premium-priced ($100-plus) cans whose sound quality is good enough, but which mainly sell on their brand image”. Style over substance seems to be the order of the day, then. So should we just shrug our shoulders in acceptance that the next generation of potential audiophiles will never appear? I’m not so sure... The pessimistic view suggests that the downturn for demand in separate Hi-Fi components is directly proportionate to the development of the ‘iPod generation’. The argument goes that the younger generation aren’t interested in sound quality and, in any case, they only listen via headphones so won’t be interested in purchasing a larger, stand alone music system. Support for this argument comes from a) the proliferation of low resolution mp3s and b) the fact that sales of headphones alone very nearly outstrip the rest of the AV industry combined. A pretty convincing case then? But before we all start getting too depressed, let’s just think about this. Why has the mp3 come to
dominate? Is it because the market has demanded low quality music? No. Mp3s came to dominate music consumption because of the limitations of the technology used to play them. The whole point of the iPod was to be able to take your music collection with you. The downside of this was that the devices had limited storage so to achieve the capacity goal,
“the use of better quality headphones introduces the user to the experience of better sound quality, and that has to be a good thing” resolution had to be compromised. Storage is now a lot cheaper than it was when the first iPod was introduced back in 2001. And as broadband speeds improve too, there is now more of an opportunity to enjoy higher resolution files. So far, this has been limited to the Hi-Fi fraternity but there is every reason to think that higher sound quality will be a goal for the likes of Apple in the not too distant future. Why wouldn’t they? Commercially, the opportunity to sell higher resolution music through the iTunes platform is a no-brainer. After all, it gives Apple the potential to sell a whole new range of highercapacity iPods along with higherresolution versions of the music
you already own. And, of course, the market now has better quality headphones to benefit from this higher resolution music. This brings me onto my second point. Why is the value of headphone sales so high? One reason, suggested in The Economist article, is fashion: ‘Beats by Dr Dre’ are good to be seen wearing. But there is also the motivation of improved sound quality, shown by the increase in sales of premium performing headphones such as those from Bowers & Wilkins, AKG, Sennheiser, etc. And don’t forget, even the Beats headphones offer significantly better replay than Apple’s own offering. Whatever the motivation, the use of better quality headphones introduces the user to the experience of better sound quality, and that has to be a good thing. But what of Hi-Fi? Even with highres music and high-quality headphones, we’re still talking portable. But I think there is hope. If people are introduced to the idea that the equipment you use to listen to your music can have a big effect on how much you enjoy it, then there is potential for an interest in taking that further. At present, the simple docking station is the preferred way of listening to music outside of headphones. But once you’ve been introduced to the experience of better music through your ears, are you really going to be satisfied with a docking system? Or will you be tempted to have a listen to some ‘proper Hi-Fi’...? ■ SD Issue 26 Winter 2013/14 CONNECTED MAGAZINE 19
Your Letters Want to share your experiences with our readers? Or simply want advice? Write to us! We’ll publish the best, funniest and most interesting in each issue of Connected. The writer of this issue’s Star Letter receives a Silencer, worth £52.00 Get in touch at: connected@russandrews.com or write to us at: Connected, Russ Andrews Accessories 2b Moreland Court, Westmorland Business Park Kendal, Cumbria, LA9 6NS, UK.
This letter comes from a longstanding customer and regular contributor to our letters page. Such is their enthusiasm that they were responsible for first introducing us to Jerry Krawczyk of ‘The Future of Music’.
In praise of streamers I am a privileged, dedicated customer of both Linn and Russ Andrews. Jerry Krawczyk, with an outstanding professional reputation at Nottingham Hi-Fi Centre and now Director of ‘The Future of Music’ multi room music streaming specialists, continues to help me care for my magical Linn system. The Future of Music exemplifies the simplicity of modern streaming systems in reproducing music to the highest quality. This has been emphatically demonstrated during the well-attended ‘launch week’ and regular ‘Linn Lounges’. Since the installation of my Klimax DS system in 2008 (see p.20, Connected Issue 12) development and innovation in custom-designed support components and software have banished any former complexity and unreliability (as there was then no alternative, I transferred my own CD collection in a similar laborious way to your issue 25 ‘Star Letter’ customer!). Thus streaming systems can now easily appeal to all generations, regardless 20 CONNECTED MAGAZINE Issue 26 Winter 2013/14
Silencer mains filter, worth £52.00
of technological ability; and their unparalleled versatility and excellence in conveying digitallyproduced music could perhaps be the salvation of the shrinking Hi-Fi market which Russ lamented on in his article ‘In Search of musical Nirvana’ (Connected Issue 24). My own experience has shown that with the appropriate Russ Andrews and Kimber cable upgrades streamers will always way outperform any comparable CD player. This has inspired The Future of Music to supply its full range of streaming systems complete with Russ Andrews cable upgrades to the customer’s specification, again emphasising their commitment to a uniquely personal and individual service. At the same time, I continue to value and so much enjoy analogue music on vinyl, the fully upgraded LP12 absolutely excelling in its 40th anniversary year. I was thus very interested to read the inspirational article by ‘The London Jazz Collector’, and especially that just as he heard but couldn’t understand ‘the effect of improving power and interconnects’, it was very obvious from his eloquent description of his musical journey that through his cable upgrades he experiences and fully understands ‘musicality’ although not recognising it with a
name! Also, I too have found that I now listen to all sorts of music, particularly from the DS, streaming systems so ideal for pursuing this all music genres so easily accessible and the entire family’s diverse music collection, from any digital format, available at the touch of a screen! Name & address supplied. Read more about ‘The Future of Music’ on p22.
Upgrading a PowerBlock I am getting in touch regarding the recent upgrade you carried out on my PowerBlock with Ultra sockets. First, many thanks for the quick turnaround. I have to admit when it was first powered up it did improve the sound but not as much as I had hoped. However, as usual with all your upgrades, given time to burn and settle in - WOW what a difference! I don’t know much about ‘noise floors being lower’ etc not sure what it means. All I can say is it sounds sweeter and more musical. A real treat to listen to my CD and LP collection even through my modest system. Existing owners of PowerBlocks can upgrade the sockets to UltraSockets for £299
Letters Anyone still not sure about getting their old block upgraded don’t hesitate... its well worth the money. Recommended. Many thanks for all your upgrades over the years. David Fenwick, by e-mail
A recording with a special meaning The recordings that have a special place in my affections are of two concerts that I was lucky to be at before the recordings came out. In February 1972 I was at an unforgettable gig at Finsbury Park when Pink Floyd did a massive set featuring Set the Controls..., Meddle and a new work... Eclipse. This was later released as Dark Side of The Moon with famous results. Tribute has already been paid to that wonderful
recording in Connected magazine, so I will tell you more about the other concert and recording which is also very close to my heart. This concert actually took place before the Pink Floyd one. On a nice warm day May 31st in 1970 I drove with my girlfriend to the Royal Festival Hall for the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Jascha Horenstein in Mahler’s 3rd Symphony. The entire printed booklet for the concert series was two shillings 10p! This was 43 years ago. I was a huge Mahler fan from 1967 and I had recently discovered this mighty work. The music of both Pink Floyd and Mahler was not well known at that time. The choice of Mahler recordings was small. How things have changed! I had got to know it from a two disc recording of the 3rd by the Boston Symphony Orchestra conducted by Leinsdorf; records of Mahler symphonies were not plentiful in local record shops then (but at least we had local record shops!). I was lucky to have got tickets for this performance; apparently Horenstein only conducted it publicly three times. It was already one of my favourite symphonies and I sensed that a performance of it would be a great event. The performance was staggering, thrilling and moving. As the final notes were hammered out I remember Horenstein standing with his arms outstretched like some primitive shaman exhorting the orchestra to even greater effort. The audience rose and remained standing and applauding for ages -
the longest standing ovation I have seen. Tears filled my eyes. No concert had hit me so powerfully before and few have since. Later an LP of Horenstein conducting the LSO came out and was a Gramophone favourite for many years. And I think the BBC‘s Building a Library too. I have the CD and can now listen through an Arcam DAC and KGSShv/STAX set up which takes me back to that summer evening when I was so moved as a young man. Geoff Clarke, Shropshire.
Servicing an LP12 I just want to say thank you, for saving my early Linn Sondek LP12 (s/n about 123?? can’t remember the last two digits). My motor died and I wanted to also fit new rubbers and springs. I got all my parts from you last week and at the weekend stripped my Linn down and put it all back together after doing all the adjustments courtesy of my original instructions when I bought it (middle to late 1970’s getting old) and all the information on the net, and it now has the correct bounce and sounds wonderful again!! So thanks again. No worries if you wish to use this email for yourselves and your wonderful service, if I need anything else I will be back. Philip Straker, New Zealand.
We are authorised sellers of LINN accessories. See them all on our website at: www.russandrews.com/linn.
Issue 26 Winter 2013/14 CONNECTED MAGAZINE 21
We are delighted to announce that the range of Kimber and Russ Andrews cables is now available to view and buy in the Midlands. We are working with Jerry Krawczyk of The Future of Music based in Nottingham who is able to demonstrate and sell our mains, interconnects and speaker cables.
dedicated dem rooms wired with Russ Andrews & Kimber cables The Future of Music specialises in streaming music systems, with kit from Sonos, Linn, B&O and Simple Audio to name just a few of the brands represented. Pop along to hear it wired with Kimber Kable!
www.futureofmusic.ltd.uk sales@futureofmusic.ltd.uk Phone 0115 9870516 Open for appointments Tues-Fri 9am-5pm Available Saturdays for home demonstrations The Future Of Music Unit 1, Colwick Quays Business Park Nottingham NG4 2JY
Keep up to date with new reviews in our news section at www.russandrews.com/news
Reviews
Reviews PowerKord-100, 300 & 500™ All three of the new PowerKords™ received a group review in the January 2014 edition of Hi-Fi Choice magazine. Starting first on a Naim UnitiLite, the reviewer Jason Kennedy notes how “changing to a PowerKord-100™ brings a considerable increase in three dimensionality, the sound of Gregory Porter and his band expands into the room in quite a palpable fashion. The noise floor seems to drop and the instruments and voices become more lifelike.” Not what you’d call insignificant improvements, then. The plaudits continue: “It manages to combine a polished presentation with the dynamics that give the music life. It also works well with older recordings, which can show their age in revealing systems. The PowerKord-100™ lets the body of the music through along with its dynamic potential”. Pretty impressive stuff. But things get even better when we move up the range to the PowerKord-300™. On the same Naim UnitiLite, Jason observes that “the PowerKord-300™ adds punch and greater dynamic capability to the picture created by the 100™, it also has more low-end welly and adds vibrancy to brass instruments in a rather appealing fashion”. Given that the PowerKord-300™ sits higher in the range, notwithstanding the positive effect the cable has on the Naim, Jason decides it’s worth moving up to a higher level of equipment with the introduction of the MSB Platinum IV Signature transport and DAC as a source. This new, far more revealing setup highlights the even greater
capabilities of the 300™, “delivering an extremely lifelike, well separated and low noise result”. The doubling of the number of conductors over the 100™, “produces real light and shade in the music with power and pace also well served ... the 300 produces a greater sense of realism, vitality and pace, delivering an extremely coherent result”. So what of the range-topping PowerKord500™? Is there still room for improvement? The answer is a resounding ‘yes’. Taking the conductor count up to 24, the 500™ is capable of bringing out even more subtlety from recordings, “revelling in micro dynamics”. The overall effect of the PowerKord-500™ is to produce a “fuller picture with a lot more instrument tone and dynamic detail. All of which come together to produce a really propulsive sense of pace when the music needs it”. Looking across the range of these three cables, the effects can be seen as similar but on different levels, improving in significant steps as you progress through the range. Whichever cable you go for and whatever level of equipment they are used on, the investment is clearly worthwhile in terms of musical enjoyment. This is clear from Jason’s summary, where he states that “they let equipment both realistic and high end deliver more of the musical detail, and that in turn means more rewards for PowerKord-100, 300 & 500™ your listening Verdict: efforts”. Price: Magazine: Issue:
from £150 for 1m Hi-Fi Choice January 2014
Issue 26 Winter 2013/14 23 CONNECTED MAGAZINE
Reviews
The Silencer It's pleasing to see an established product like the Silencer receiving an up to date review, especially when it gets such an unequivocal recommendation from Hi-Fi Choice magazine: "These devices really do work as described".
Sep ‘13
In Neville Roberts’ case he found that The Silencer was even able to cure the annoying problem of clicking through his speakers. Having traced the cause of the problem back to his refrigerator he found that plugging The Silencer into a spare socket near to his system completely eradicated the issue. In terms of the effects of The Silencer on sound quality he notes the drop in background noise and improvements in levels of detail extracted from recordings just what we found and the effects are a much more involving musical experience. All in all summed up as a "great product that won't break the bank".
The Silencer Verdict: Price: £52 Magazine: Hi-Fi Choice Issue: September 2013
Clarity Mains DIY The Clarity Mains DIY module can be easily fitted inside equipment if you are handy with a soldering iron. Is the time and effort of fitting one worthwhile though? Neville Roberts of Hi-Fi Choice certainly thinks so. Having fitted the unit he reports: “at once I detect an improvement in overall clarity with my recordings sounding more alive and realistic. He continues; “Vocals are easier to pick out and identify and everything sounds that bit cleaner on my system”.
Nov ‘13
In conclusion, he states that “with these kinds of sonic benefits I have no hesitation in recommending it as a very worthwhile upgrade!”
ClarityMains™ DIY Verdict: Price: £111 Magazine: Hi-Fi Choice Issue: November 2013
24 CONNECTED MAGAZINE Issue 26 Winter 2013/14
Reviews
HC2 Headphone Cable Our HC-2 headphone cable, used for upgrading Sennheiser headphones, was reviewed by Neville Roberts in the August 2013 issue of Hi-Fi Choice magazine.
Aug ‘13
The first thing he noted was the “huge improvement” in clarity and reduction in harshness. The reviewer previously attributed this harshness to the headphones he was using (the Sennheiser HD 580) but with the new cable fitted this “completely vanishes”. He goes on to note other improvements including better imaging, a vastly improved sound stage and a fuller bass. Summing up, he states “I really can’t find anything negative to say about this cable upgrade. It offers huge improvements and represents, in my humble opinion, excellent value for money.” Result!
HC2 Headphone Cable Verdict: Price: £169 for 2m Magazine: Hi-Fi Choice Issue: August 2013
Tip Tonic Stylus Cleaner TipTonic is a turntable stylus cleaner which employs a special formula designed to remove baked on deposits which can develop over longer periods of time. As Neville Roberts, reviewing, states “although it may sound strange to refer to some deposits as baked-on, it is considered by many that a stylus tip can get quite hot due to friction during playing – some say as high as 160oC – so a cleaner that can gently remove this deposit is very desirable”. And it does the job very well: on examining his stylus under the microscope, Neville observed what a thorough job the cleaner had done, prompting a solid 4.5 stars and a recommendation.
Nov ‘13
TipTonic Verdict: Price: £11 Magazine: Hi-Fi Choice Issue: November 2013
HC Cleaning Cloths A little bit of elbow grease makes a big difference with one of these impregnated cloths, which come in “three flavours to cater for copper, silver and gold”. Neville Roberts, reviewing, notes that “in use, I find that they all work a treat” for cleaning any number of contacts, from internal fuse ends to the pins of mains plugs. Well worth the effort, then, and they receive a handsome recommendation and 4.5 stars.
June ‘13
HC Cleaning Cloths Verdict: Price: from £4 Magazine: Hi-Fi Choice Issue: June 2013
Issue 26 Winter 2013/14 CONNECTED MAGAZINE 25
Competition Winner Our previous competition in Connected issue 25 asked you to contact us with your ideas of how our Connected magazine can be improved. We had some really good entries with lots of good ideas but, as always, there can only be one winner. So congratulations go to Mr Stockdill of Dorset who wins a 0.5m pair of Timbre analogue interconnects worth £103. Mr Stockdill suggested a new regular feature and here is his suggestion...
You asked for ideas for a new feature in Connected. Could I suggest the following..... Readers would name the first 78rpm single, vinyl album, tape or CD, etc, they ever bought, who the artist was, why they bought it and why it still means something emotional to them today. The maximum length of a contribution would be, I suggest, 250 words. Here, as an example, would be my own offering.....
The First Record I Ever Bought The first record I ever bought was as a young lad of about 13 in the early 1950s and it was a 12-inch 78 by Chris Barber’s Jazz Band. The A-side was a number which was intimately associated with Barber for many years called “Whistlin’ Rufus”. On the B-side was “Hushabye” by the Monty Sunshine Quartet. I got into traditional jazz barely into my teens when a chum and I sneaked off to the Victoria Hall, Halifax, to see bands like Barber’s and Humphrey Lyttelton. The first time I heard “Whistlin’ Rufus” I couldn’t get it out of my head, so I bought a copy at Halifax’s only record shop with my precious pocket money.
We think this is a great idea to include in Connected and we plan to include a First Record feature in future issues of the magazine. If you want to have your ‘First Record’ featured, write to us at: First Record Feature Russ Andrews Accessories 2B Moreland Court, Westmorland Business Park, Kendal, LA9 6NS or e-mail connected@russandrews.com
26 CONNECTED MAGAZINE Issue 26 Winter 2013/14
My parents had a pub and got a second-hand radiogram to keep me out of mischief while they were busy in the bar. Hardly Hi-Fi but I thought it was wonderful! Chris Barber’s “Whistlin’ Rufus” was the only record I owned and I played it constantly, driving my parents and customers almost potty until my dad came into our living room behind the bar and threatened to smash it over my head! The original 78 has long gone but I have “Whistlin’ Rufus” on a CD of The Great Reunion Concert which the original Barber band, including Monty Sunshine, gave at the Fairfield Hall, Croydon, on 5 June 1975. Sixty years after I bought the 78 I can still play “Whistlin’ Rufus” and I am back in my mum and dad’s pub in Yorkshire. Mr R Stockdill
WIN
one of 6 CDs (or do worthwnloads) upto
Competition
£18
This year, Linn Products celebrates its 40th anniversary and to celebrate, Linn Records have produced a limited edition double CD and download featuring 40 tracks from a range of the artists featured on the Linn label. Artists on the album include Claire Martin who has established herself as a tour de force on the UK jazz scene winning at the British Jazz Awards multiple times and she is represented along with fellow British Jazz singer, Carol Kidd. Representing Linn's commitment to homegrown Scottish talent are Maeve O'Boyle, Fiona Mackenzie and newcomer Amy Duncan and names Linn fans will be happy to see back on the bill include Hue & Cry, Ray Gelato Giants, Martin Taylor and Jon Strong. The strength of Linn's classical catalogue is clear and resulted in the label being named Gramophone ‘Label of the Year' 2010. The Palladian Ensemble, Sir Charles Mackerras and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, the Dunedin Consort and Magnificat have enjoyed long associations with Linn whilst newer signings such as Katherine Bryan, Kuniko and Richard Tunnicliffe continue the high standard; all are featured on the album. James Jolly (Gramophone) contributes booklet notes charting Linn's path to its 40th anniversary year.
We have six copies to give away as prizes – you can choose from either the CD version (worth £13) or one of their Studio Master Downloads (worth £18). The total running time for the whole collection is 154 minutes. To be in with a chance of winning one of the six copies of the album on offer, simply answer the question below and either email your entry to competition@russandrews.com with the title ‘Linn Competition’ by Monday 10th February 2014, or mail your answer on a postcard to: Linn Competition, Russ Andrews Accessories Ltd, Unit 2B, Moreland Court, Westmorland Business Park, Shap Rd, Kendal, Cumbria, LA9 6NS. How many times has Claire Martin won at the British Jazz Awards? A. 5 B. 6 C. 7
Terms and Conditions 1. The closing day for entries is 10th February 2014; 2. The rules of entry are given in the text of the competition; 3. No purchase necessary to enter; 4. The winner will be picked at random from the correct entries and the winner will be notified by e-mail and/or post by Friday 28th February 2014 ; 5. There are six prizes, each prize is of one copy of either the Linn 40th Anniversary CD or Studio Master download to be won ; 6. The prize is not transferable, cannot be exchanged for cash nor will a cash alternative be offered; 7. Our decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into; 8. We reserve the right to feature photographs and the names and counties of all entrants in future publications and publicity; 9. This promotion is not open to employees of Russ Andrews Accessories or their families, or anyone connected with the promotion; 10. The promoter is Russ Andrews Accessories Ltd, 2b Moreland Court, Westmorland Business Park, Shap Road, Kendal, LA9 6NS, UK. Editor: John Armer john.armer@russandrews.com Design: Sarah Garstang Connected Connected Connected FULL sarah@russandrews.com
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Advertising: Simon Dalton 01539 797301 simondalton@russandrews.com Sales: Peter Bevir peterbevir@russandrews.com Issue 26 Winter 2013/14 CONNECTED MAGAZINE 27
Return address: Russ Andrews Accessories Ltd, 2b Moreland Court, Westmorland Business Park, Shap Road, Kendal LA9 6NS, UK.
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Get the very best out of your earth terminal We have developed an exciting new product - the RF Router - that allows you to make the very best use of the earth terminals fitted to our Silencer Blocks and PowerBlocks, and our SuperSockets and UltraSockets. In use in our systems, the RF Router brought about a surprisingly large improvement in sound quality giving a cleaner sound with less ‘hash’, more solid bass and better soundstage width and depth.
Exclusive UK distributor
RF Router
RF Router See pages 12 - 13
Code: 1843
£169.00 Supplied with two 0.5m lengths of earth wire fitted with spades.
www.russandrews.com Call UK Orderline 01539 797300 Int Tel +44 (0)1539 797300 Buy online at
Russ Andrews Accessories Ltd, 2b Moreland Court, Westmorland Business Park, Shap Road, Kendal LA9 6NS, UK.
Mail Order Direct • 60 Day Cable Home Trial • Cable Upgrade Scheme • Free Delivery (orders over £100 within UK Mainland)