December 2005

I have opined in these pages (on more than one occasion) that the best sounding rooms from this past CES/T.H.E. Show featured analog setups. Particularly in the Black Diamond Racing room which featured the gorgeous new Credo loudspeakers, Thor Audio electronics, and a Sota Millennium turntable.

I left the show feeling as though I had been missing something in my reference system by not having an analog system to do my critical listening. It wasn’t that didn’t own a turntable, it’s just that after moving into my new home a few years ago, I allowed the system to remain dormant in storage while friends and relatives helped themselves to much of my LP collection. On top of that, I had changed my preamp from an old Jeff Rowland Consonance w/phono board to a Tierry Budge-modified Electrocompaniet EC4.7 linestage without phono. So after I returned from Vegas I was determined to put my analog system back in service.

You can’t go home again?
Unfortunately, my trusty old Sota Saphire with Sumiko Premier MMT tonearm had suffered more abuse at the hands of movers than George W did during the fallout from hurricane Katrina. The springs were shot, the armboard was cracked, and the belt crumbled like a Michael Jackson accuser under cross-examination. So my days of enjoying music via my old LP rig were over. But just as I thought I might be doomed to the enslavement of those little silver discs, my big brother and ST comrade, Mike Wright came to my rescue. I told him of my dilemma and he told me that a rare and once great turntable had recently surfaced at Holm Audio in the western suburbs of Chicago. The table, known as “The Source,” was brilliantly designed and hand built by the late Mike Moore. Should you ever come across one and are in the market for a top-notch table you’d do well to snatch it up. Not only is it still a wonderful performer but its craftsmanship is unlike anything that passes for high-end these days. Mounted on the table was the classic Alphason HRS100 tonearm.

So now that I finally had a turntable and tonearm all oiled and polished and ready to go, I needed to find a good phono stage and cartridge to complete my rig. I got lucky again when one of my favorite cartridges, the venerable Monster Cable Sigma Genesis fell into my lap, still sealed in the box. Clement Perry suggested that I get in touch with Garth Leerer over at Musical Surroundings and talk to him about one of the many great phono stages offered by Clearaudio. So I called Garth and told him about the rig I was putting together and he immediately knew just what to suggest. “You should check out this great new Clearaudio phono stage called the “Smart Phono” and the new Benz Micro Ace L low output moving coil cartridge,” Garth said. But I told him that I already had that brand new Monster Cable cartridge and didn’t need the Ace. He responded, “Well the cartridge may be new, but the technology is not.”

Who was I to argue? After all, it’s Garth’s business is to be intimately familiar with the latest and greatest in phono cartridge technology, whereas the last time I bought a cartridge I learned the hard way that an Exacto blade is not a good tool for attaching tonearm wires to cartridge pins. Luckily, fellow The Source owner and resident turntable setup guru Craig “Craigy-G” Fitzpatrick was on hand and carefully installed the cartridge and setup the table for me.

About the cartridge
The Benz Micro ACE L ($550.00) is handmade at the Benz factory in Switzerland. The name “ACE” is actually an acronym for Advanced Cartridge Engineering. The ACE combines a cost-effective generator based on the famous Benz “Glider” with an aluminum frame and acrylic body modeled after the Benz Ruby and Reference. The ACE comes in three output levels: the ACE L has a low output of 0.4mv (where the “L” designation comes from) and is red tinted; the ACE High is blue and has an output of 2.5mV, and the ACE (which is clear/gold and has an output of 0.8mV. I don’t know if you believe in subliminal messages but I have a sudden desire to go to a casino.

Armed with all manner of gauges, templates, weights, counter weights, and a Clearaudio stroboscopic test record, Craig set about the task of mounting the ACE and setting up my analog rig. Actually, this only took about twenty minutes.

Enter the Smart Phono
The Clearaudio Smart Phono ($395.00) is a diminutive external phono stage that appears to be comprised of a small phono card that has been inserted into a hollowed out chunk of silver brushed aluminum. Attached to the phono card are two set of gold-plated RCA connectors, a ground connection, and an umbilical cord that connects to an external power supply. There is no on-off switch so once plugged in the Smart Phono stays powered. A cobalt blue LED on the faceplate also indicates that the unit is ready. Moving magnet and moving coil cartridge operation are selected via a pair of push switches that are recessed into the bottom of the unit. With the switches in the up position you can use moving magnet cartridges. For moving coils, simply push the switches in. Ironically, the last thing you need to be to use this phono stage is … smart.

So now for the first time in years I had my very own revitalized analog rig in full effect. Now comes the hard part, digging through a mountain of boxes in my garage to find my albums.

Getting into the grooves
Even though I haven’t had an active analog setup for a few years, that didn’t stop me from picking up the occasional LP from the racks of one of the many great used record stores here in Chicago or even during a hi-fi show. One of my favorites is a limited edition 180g pressing of Pat Coil’s Steps [Sheffield Lab TLP-31 HQ]. The second track on this album, “Roads Less Traveled,” took me back to some of the great demonstration rooms that I heard during the last CES that featured analog front ends. The detail and impact of Paulinho DaCosta’s percussion work on this track was scintillating. The ACE L gets into the grooves and digs out every audible nugget of music it can. It’s a wonderful tracker and a stable retriever of fine detail.

The Smart Phono proved to be a synergistic match for the ACE L. Despite the cartridge’s low output, I was still able to achieve satisfying listening levels without having to crank the volume control of my Electrocompaniet EC4.7 past eleven o’clock. And the Smart Phono’s operation is extremely quiet, allowing me to quickly forget about capabilities and simply settling in to enjoying the music.

Another recording that I had been saving for this occasion was the Gain 2 Ultra Analog 180g LP version of Isaac Haye’s Hot Buttered Soul [MFSL 273]. I also own the MFSL SACD version of this disc and comparing the two recordings confirmed what I had already suspected. A high quality analog recording simply “feels” more true to life than even the finest digital recordings. The silver disc version of Haye’s haunting classic, “Walk On By,” presents a soundstage with a super-black backdrop from which the instruments standout, but via the analog setup, the instruments seem to take on a more realistic scale and with greater life and depth. But most noticeably is the raw sensual power of Haye’s deep deep voice. And speaking of deep, this combo does a better-than-it-has-any-right-to job of rendering deep bass passages.

I made the same comparison with two versions of the audiophile favorite Jazz At The Pawn Shop [Proprius]. This is a recording that is as well known for what you can hear in the background as it is for the music that is at the foreground. The clinking of dishes and glasses and the tableside conversations add to the experience of listening to this eminently enjoyable live recording. And once again, the vinyl puts you “there” like nothing else.

Conclusion
The combination of the Benz Micro ACE L and the Clearaudio Smart Phono have breathed new life into my system, into my enjoyment of reviewing equipment, and especially into my love of music and at a wonderfully sane price (the price gets even saner when you buy both pieces together as the cost of the Ace L drops to just $450.00!). If you’re considering reviving your analog rig and want to do it in an economically sensible way, you simply can’t go wrong with these two wonderfully matched products. I can’t thank Garth Leerer enough for helping me get my groove back.

Dave Thomas
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Specifications:
Clearaudio Smart Phono
Amplification: 54dB (MC), 35dB (MM)
Input Load: 47kOhm/220pF
MM/MC Input: Switchable (at bottom)
RIAA Accuracy: +-0.3dB
THD: 0.004% (IEC A)
S/N: 67dB (MC), 84dB (MM)
Channel Seperation: >90dB 1kHz
Max. Output Voltage: 12V (1kHz)
Power Supply: +-21V DC (external power supply)
Outputs: Asymmetrical (RCA)
Weight: 128g (preamp w/o power supply)
Dimensions (WxLxH): 102mm x 90mm x 36mm
Price: $395.00

Benz Micro Ace L
Cantilever: Solid boron rod 0.28mm dia.
Stylus: Nude line-contact diamond, mirror polished
VTA: 20 degrees
Coil: Pure iron cross
Weight: 8.8 grams
Output: 0.4V @ 3.54 cm/s
Internal Impedance: 12 Ohms
Frequency Response: 20-20kHz +- 1dB
Channel Balance: >0.5dB
Channel Separation: >35dB @ 1kHz
Tracking Force: 1.6-1.9 grams
Warranty: 2 years manufacturing defects
Price: $550.00 ($450.00 when packaged with Smart Phono)

Address:
Musical Surroundings (US Distributor)
5662 Shattuck Ave
Oakland, CA 94609

Telephone: 510 547-5006
Fax: 510-547-5009
Email: info@musicalsurroundings.com
Website: www.musicalsurroundings.com