North West Analogue DH1: could this be the 'perfect' MC cartridge?
Hi Greg,
It was nice meeting you again. I'm glad that you liked the Techy. It's always reassuring obtaining unbiased confirmation from others that modifications to your turntable have taken it in the right direction since they last heard it, especially when used in an (albeit excellent) but alien system :)
I have to say that your EL-84 based power amp sounded stunning (and I don't use that word lightly), reminding me somewhat of the style of musical presentation I obtain at home from my Copper amp. Your power amp remained in the system all day and never put a foot wrong. If I were you, I wouldn't ever sell it, as to improve on it, sonically, would be a rather difficult task. For me, you can put that area of your system to bed.
In all honesty, that amp of yours is, sonically, as good as (or most probably better) than most of what the likes of AudioNote produce, at a fraction of the price. Yes, you can tell that I was rather impressed!! :eyebrows:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Greg2010
One revealing combination of the day was Marco's turntable and Dom's new MC cart, a good partnership indeed...
I have to say that I was equally as impressed with Dom's new, bespoke-made, MC cartridge: the DH1. Unfortunately on the day, his SME-based 12" arm, as you know, was rather ill, and so wasn't sounding its best on the Garrard. I could certainly hear more than a few hints of greatness when it was used there, but unfortunately, due to the arm having an 'off day' (suffering from hum issues, etc), it was difficult for me to enjoy the undoubted talents of the cartridge in that context.
However, that certainly changed when Dom fitted it to the Techy! :eek:
What Dom has created with the DH1 is quite remarkable, as it's the first genuinely high-end MC design I've heard that gets the balance spot-on between analysis and musicality. It is special because it achieves the former, forensically, without a hint of sterility, whilst delivering the latter with abundance - and in a way which not only makes music a joy to listen to, but which to my ears, recreates realism on every record graced by its stylus.
In terms of high-frequency resolution and extension, IMO, it has few peers (if any), as the bespoke and exotic (but highly effective) combination of its constituent parts, from the generator through to its stylus profile, combine to create crystalline-sounding highs which, seemingly, extend into infinity and imbue all music with a beguiling sense of air and space, producing a convincing illusion that one is not listening merely to a mass-produced recording on a round piece of plastic, but the sound of the actual master tape.
Its seemingly unbridled high-frequency headroom [in this respect making my SPU Royal MKII, with its Replicant stylus, itself extending up to 60,000Hz, and so no slouch at delivering pure sounding, crystal-clear highs, sound 'limited' in comparison], gives the DH1 an 'effortless' quality, which not only is magical to hear, but succeeds in subsequently, and rather advantageously, influencing the lower frequencies. This allows the midrange in particular to 'breathe' and exhibit a spine-tingling lifelike quality, creating an effect with voices in particular that renders them as almost living entities, rather than simply as musical information embedded into record grooves.
All of the above, together with bass that is sublimely tuneful, textured and 'organic' in nature, yet when required, thunders through with near subwoofer-like intensity, underpins all genres of music with an authority that transcends the experience of merely listening to recorded music on a hi-fi system, into something more tangible, believable and real. This is genuine accuracy, folks - musical accuracy - not simply that derived from achieving notionally perfect technical results on a spec sheet - and no other cartridge I've heard to date gets it so fundamentally right.
Some may baulk at the £5k price tag (and I myself was sceptical), but when you consider that this cartridge has been voiced by ear and meticulously fine-tuned and hand-crafted by an artisan, over 100s of hours, using the finest materials possible, and crucially in an optimal combination, which not only gets it so correct technically on almost every level, but also exists as a shining example of the designer's ability to make recorded music actually sound like MUSIC, then perhaps that is the price one must pay to obtain near perfection from vinyl replay?
Therefore, in due course, I hope that this exemplary music-maker makes it into plenty of hands belonging to those who can afford it, and who most importantly, deserve to own it. If the DH1 can reach the right customers, who appreciate its unique talents, then I predict that its future is destined for greatness.
The world has shown us the mastery of Sugano-san, however gentlemen, I now salute the birth of our very own Dom-san! :youtheman:
Marco.
