mike manning audio established 1989

AMADEUS GT Turntable and Arm
Dynavector DrT XV1S Phono Cartridge
Dynavector P75 MARK 2 Phone Pre-amplifier

5th January 2009

I don’t wish to rely on old clichés to describe my subjective view on this current newly purchased front end…but you know what they say “a few drags and you're hooked”.
But this new set up is not without it's own warning labels. I will endeavour to explain later.

Approximately three months ago I purchased the above with the view of exploring our vinyl collection with anything new it had to offer, or should I say never discovered before.

When I first auditioned the Amadeus turntable my first impression was of the energy it portrayed irrespective of the type of music being played. Added to which a distinct ability to unravel the complexity and composition of the music with such ease. And as such relieves you, the listener, the chore of trying to do the work yourself. Because its “there”, with no noticeable distortion coupled with a neutral sound brings you far closer to the real thing with tremendous attack, drive, detail and enthusiasm that I have not experienced before. And the records noise was virtually non-existent!

So what does this give you?
I have played a wide range of music from Classical to Rock. What it gives is a confident, sure-footed performance that can only be matched with a turntable setup costing…well thousands or even tens of thousands of £’s of your hard earned cash. From my understanding and limited knowledge of all that is engineering, there is a limited interface between the arm and, well, what I was going to say… bearings. And that’s just it. There are no bearings to get in the way of anything. Coupled with the fact of the seemingly correct viscosity of silicon and the role it plays with a golf ball. Gone is the onerous task of producing metal bearings to very close tolerances and its mating components, and of course WEAR. I am led to believe that there is nothing to wear out in this system!

I could go on forever about my understanding of the various design concepts involved. But I’m sure you have a feel of what this turntable is about and the point of its existence.

My next dilemma was which Cartridge and Phono stage to go for. For a number of years I have marvelled at the variety of Dynavector cartridges on offer and more specifically their performances from the lower end of the range to their flagship Dr.T XV1s.

The Amadeus (standard version) was auditioned with the XX1 mark 2 cartridge and Super Nait amplification with Naim’s latest phono stage incarnation. The whole setup from the off displayed such delicacies for the instruments being played yet dynamic but without aggression or forwardness. Such control was in place at all times.

This front end has a natural ability to portray the respect that the musician has for the instruments he or she is playing. I can only best describe this feeling by way of the delicate information, which seems to hang in the air and at the same time is not lost amongst the more powerful and dynamic components of the music.

Based on this audition I made the bold decision to go for the Dr.T XV1s cartridge (which I have heard on a numerous occasions before) and capitalises on the very best that Dynavector can offer. As for the P75 phono stage I must admit that I was relying on others that have used this phono stage with similar set ups as described and took a gamble on its performance. I should have not feared as I have found the P75 well suited to the information fed to it from such first class components…and it allowed me to be able to afford the Dr.T!

The P75 seems to capture the very essence of what the Dr.T has to offer and yet this component does not rely on a massive power supply to perform at its best-it smacks in the face of what we come to accept as the norm for such kit as a Phono stage. Then there is the cost. Yes I have no doubt there are other Phono Stages out there in the big bad world that can out perform the P75, the Naim for example. But at £450…bargain!

At the time of agreeing to go ahead with the purchase of this new front end, I discovered there is a GT version of the Amadeus at a slightly higher cost. I then took another gamble and decided to go for the GT where yet again I was not disappointed.

The turntable base is made of what I can best describe as a Piano Black finish, it is actually acrylic. The golf ball has also been covered in a black acrylic type of material. It also feels somewhat heavier than the standard Amadeus. A significant improvement (a cosmetic point of view) than the standard version.

I should say at this point some mention of my background with regard to my previous turntable setup. I did own (for more than two decades) an LP12, and Ekos. Over the years however, I upgraded to a Lingo Power supply and Prefix phono stage. The cartridge that I used was a Lyra Clavis, which, when it was first introduced in this country was a breath of fresh air, so different from other cartridges that went before it.

So, for many years I can say (LP12 for example), that I have witnessed this product evolve over the years and with every modification having seen a sonic improvement.

That said, I always felt the LP12 could (and still could offer) so much more even allowing the latest developments of the Keel etc.

So when the Amadeus came along I soon discovered it could easily match the LP12 performance and more, but with one huge difference…cost.

I mentioned at the beginning of this review that these products do come with their own warning labels. You’ve heard of the saying a picture paints a thousand words…well as I’m not in a position to play the system to demonstrate what I mean, I’m left with my one and only option of describing what this all sounds like in the comfort of our home.
It is true the amplification we use at home is somewhat of an improvement over the Super Nait that I mentioned earlier being 252, 135’s etc. The music is by far louder than before, much louder, with greater focus and musicality. I believe this is due to efficient and extremely effective way the information from the grooves are then fed into the amplification, thereby giving a startling and honest take on what is going on.
The tracks I chose were reproduced in recording studios. However, because of the aforementioned, would and could suggest that this was recorded outside of the recording studios and as such all the instruments and vocals are allowed to breath and be expressive in their own way. There is rawness about its delivery and thus giving you a far closer insight of what both musicians and producer wanted to create in the first place.

I feel as though that all this vast amount of information can be all too overwhelming in a living room measuring fourteen feet by twelve. When you go to a concert however, it becomes accepted as the norm where everything is loud so loud in fact you can feel the air move through your body. I accept that I don’t have a live band in our living room but feel that the new front end is a step nearer to the real thing, and its for that that I’m having too adjust to what is going on and to absorb the information rate within just a few feet in front of me.

And then one evening it struck me. I played a variety of tracks and albums that I had not heard for many years. As I was listening I completely forgot that I was listening to a Hi Fi system AND what it was doing or not as the case may be. Because I have been used to listening to the improvements of the Hi Fi system (for more than two decades) and not what the musicians and or producers wanted from their music in the first place. It struck me that I was appreciating the creativity of the artist. A point in case is the track (Aerial Boundaries) from Michael Hedge’s album Strings of Steel. I have never heard this track made up of so many layers-not just a plain 2D presentation previously experienced from the LP12 combination. Yes, there is more detail but its far more than that. And here is the real strength in the Amadeus. What this turntable is all about is not “Hi Fi” but music itself, the artist and the message they wish to deliver. I strongly believe that the Dr.T was designed and put together with the same ethos as the Amadeus and therefore is well suited to working in harmony, but then I also remember how good it sounded with the cheapest of the Dynavectors!

I have been striving to capture all of the above for many years, and it now seems I’m a significant step nearer to that goal.

So my conclusion is that if you want rawness and honesty from your music, then certainly this front-end combination is the one for you.
If you can turn the volume up further still then the whole system comes to life even more with such life like energy, filling the room with such efficiency.

Happy listening and enjoy.

PS. Do take advantage of the adjustable feet and ensure the Amadeus is level as can be.

George N.
Gloucester