Mr. Comeback from West Coast of Singapore like many audiophiles have tasted the great sound of vinyl years ago. Also like many others, he gave up his loads of precious vinyl to go fully digital. So why is he making this comeback? In his words, he was very impressed with the Clearaudio Performance turntable sound when he turned up for an impromptu audition at Modular Audio. Like they say, the rest is history...
This smallish hi-fi, audio-only room (our kind of guy) houses a simple but yet hi-end system. The Sonus Faber Elipsa, EMM Lab player, Passlab X350, Audio Space tube pre-amp and the main new kid on the block - Clearaudio Performance turntable. . .
Although the most suitable top shelf has been taken, the Clearaudio Performance turntable is nevertheless supported by this solid, rigid and handsome DIY rack which is very key to getting the best out of this turntable.
The Performance turntable package comes with the handsome Clearaudio Satisfy (carbon-fiber) tonearm, in-built phono cable and Clearaudio Maestro MM cartridge.
Mr. Comeback did not hesitate or held back his 2nd chance on vinyl now. He immediately opted to upgrade the already top-of-the-line MM cartridge to the Sumiko Blackbird high output MC cartridge. The difference is obvious. Greater dynamics, improved resolution and refinement. The Maestro MM cartridge, rated Stereophile Class B cartridge (no less) is now his spare cartridge.
Like all new hi-fi components once the crucial 100+ hours are crossed, the full glory of vinyl sound will shine through although Mr. Comeback is ready to tell you he’s already very pleased with the performance.
Not to be outdone by the lofty neighbours, the Clearaudio Syncro Speed Controller which is an excellent and essential upgrade to provide speed stability to most turntables yielded timing, rhythm and precision in start-stop of notes here.
Mr. Comeback also acquired the Furutech deStat device which blew him away in our short demonstration of the user-friendliness and effectiveness of removing static from his beloved CD and LP. Every treated piece is like an upgraded version. For now, he may not have many LP to “deStat” but with this superior source (Clearaudio Performance), we are sure many new software will blow this way.
