simon n
12-02-2009, 23:18
After receiving this PU7 from J7 at Audio Origami, and running it in for a wee bit.. i`ve decided to post up a quick review.
There is also pics here of a "build blog" and an uploaded video of the PU7 in action. I originaly contacted Johnny to make me a 12 inch PU7 in Chrome and black, with Kondo silver wire... as it`s generally regarded that 12 inch arms track better and offer minimal end of side distortion in comparison to their shorter counterparts. I wanted silver as all wiring, apart from the pre to monos is silver, so wanted to keep the materials consistent. Another reason i wanted J7 to commision me an arm is that I was very happy with my AO 250 he did for me (which was waay better than my previous Notts Analogue Ace-Space tonearm) and i also wanted to know what the "top of the tree" in tonearms sounded like.
Yes, i could of gone for an SME 5 or a Graham Phantom among others, but i trusted Johnnys workmanship and the fact that he matches the arms to specific.cartridges that it`s going to be used with.I have spent quite a few quid in investing in an Audio Note IO1 cartridge, so i wanted to be sure the arm matched the cart, as i wasn`t upgrading this at all. I also wanted to give my money to someone who prides himself in his work and keep it "British"! I wanted to give him free reign on what he could do, and he has certainly delivered in spades.
He kept in constant touch throughout fabrication, asking me if i wanted anything changing (which i did on a few occasions... sorry mate!) and inspired confidence throughout.
The build quality of this PU7 is astonishing... well upto SME standards in my book, and is absolutely flawless. It`s very solid in build and smooth to touch..like a babys botty. The chrome finish throughout is fabulous and flawless, not unlike a quality time piece or a quality car. Fabulous engineering, and it`s all finished by hand. All in all it has took 8 weeks to build from start to finish, and a lot of care and love has gone into the build.
Set up is a cinch as Johnny provides a set up DVD, a set of allen keys, a phile of his Super SLipper bearing oil, a headshell spirit level, some plastic washers to stop the headshell marking and is superbly packed. He finished the arm off with Kondo cartridge tags and Kondo silver RCA plugs, which was a bonus as i didn`t know he was fitting these!
The sound: Pure and simply breathtaking. In a nutshell, "big, ballsy, smooth, clear, clean and very, very musical".
The tonal qualitys of this PU7 is the best i`ve hear..ever.Every intonation in voices and every breath is clearly heard, but this detail doesnt distract at all. Bass is tight, deep and tunefull, highs are crystal clear and clean (once the slight emphasis on the "s" of voices had calmed down after around 8 hrs of run in... yes run in...it does happen! :) ) and the midband.....THAT MIDBAND!!!! WOW! For my missus to comment on it says something! Soundstaging is massive, on apar with a lot of unipivots , but with none of the vagueness. You want airy? Yuo got it! You want bass?? You got it! You want fatigue free?? You got it!!!.
All in all, a fantastic purchase, and once i got over the shock of shelling out the cash, it`s probably the best purchase i`ve ever made... more so than the Audio Note IO1 and my my Triumph Daytona!
Nice one Johnny, you`ve done yourself proud kid.
pictures of the build:
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m121/slythedude/armcuebase.jpg
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m121/slythedude/pagsbellendandheadshell.jpg
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m121/slythedude/pagsbase-1.jpg
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m121/slythedude/pagsbase.jpg
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m121/slythedude/pagsheadshell.jpg
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m121/slythedude/pagsbackend.jpg
After Chroming and assembly:
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m121/slythedude/headshell.jpg
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m121/slythedude/pagschromegodess.jpg
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m121/slythedude/chromedup.jpg
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m121/slythedude/pu7new.jpg
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m121/slythedude/pu7new4.jpg
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m121/slythedude/pu7new2.jpg
A video in action: (sorry about the darkness)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwmaGD5es-g
:guitar:
There is also pics here of a "build blog" and an uploaded video of the PU7 in action. I originaly contacted Johnny to make me a 12 inch PU7 in Chrome and black, with Kondo silver wire... as it`s generally regarded that 12 inch arms track better and offer minimal end of side distortion in comparison to their shorter counterparts. I wanted silver as all wiring, apart from the pre to monos is silver, so wanted to keep the materials consistent. Another reason i wanted J7 to commision me an arm is that I was very happy with my AO 250 he did for me (which was waay better than my previous Notts Analogue Ace-Space tonearm) and i also wanted to know what the "top of the tree" in tonearms sounded like.
Yes, i could of gone for an SME 5 or a Graham Phantom among others, but i trusted Johnnys workmanship and the fact that he matches the arms to specific.cartridges that it`s going to be used with.I have spent quite a few quid in investing in an Audio Note IO1 cartridge, so i wanted to be sure the arm matched the cart, as i wasn`t upgrading this at all. I also wanted to give my money to someone who prides himself in his work and keep it "British"! I wanted to give him free reign on what he could do, and he has certainly delivered in spades.
He kept in constant touch throughout fabrication, asking me if i wanted anything changing (which i did on a few occasions... sorry mate!) and inspired confidence throughout.
The build quality of this PU7 is astonishing... well upto SME standards in my book, and is absolutely flawless. It`s very solid in build and smooth to touch..like a babys botty. The chrome finish throughout is fabulous and flawless, not unlike a quality time piece or a quality car. Fabulous engineering, and it`s all finished by hand. All in all it has took 8 weeks to build from start to finish, and a lot of care and love has gone into the build.
Set up is a cinch as Johnny provides a set up DVD, a set of allen keys, a phile of his Super SLipper bearing oil, a headshell spirit level, some plastic washers to stop the headshell marking and is superbly packed. He finished the arm off with Kondo cartridge tags and Kondo silver RCA plugs, which was a bonus as i didn`t know he was fitting these!
The sound: Pure and simply breathtaking. In a nutshell, "big, ballsy, smooth, clear, clean and very, very musical".
The tonal qualitys of this PU7 is the best i`ve hear..ever.Every intonation in voices and every breath is clearly heard, but this detail doesnt distract at all. Bass is tight, deep and tunefull, highs are crystal clear and clean (once the slight emphasis on the "s" of voices had calmed down after around 8 hrs of run in... yes run in...it does happen! :) ) and the midband.....THAT MIDBAND!!!! WOW! For my missus to comment on it says something! Soundstaging is massive, on apar with a lot of unipivots , but with none of the vagueness. You want airy? Yuo got it! You want bass?? You got it! You want fatigue free?? You got it!!!.
All in all, a fantastic purchase, and once i got over the shock of shelling out the cash, it`s probably the best purchase i`ve ever made... more so than the Audio Note IO1 and my my Triumph Daytona!
Nice one Johnny, you`ve done yourself proud kid.
pictures of the build:
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m121/slythedude/armcuebase.jpg
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m121/slythedude/pagsbellendandheadshell.jpg
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m121/slythedude/pagsbase-1.jpg
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m121/slythedude/pagsbase.jpg
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m121/slythedude/pagsheadshell.jpg
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m121/slythedude/pagsbackend.jpg
After Chroming and assembly:
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m121/slythedude/headshell.jpg
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m121/slythedude/pagschromegodess.jpg
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m121/slythedude/chromedup.jpg
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m121/slythedude/pu7new.jpg
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m121/slythedude/pu7new4.jpg
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m121/slythedude/pu7new2.jpg
A video in action: (sorry about the darkness)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwmaGD5es-g
:guitar: