Photograph by Jonathan Halpern
Great Machines: Audio: Raising a Glass to Class A Sound
June 1, 2006
The Garrard 301 Player System is a heavily retrofitted version of the legendary Garrard 301 turntable, with new spindle/bearing, platter, and massive bronze tonearm base, mounted in an exquisitely crafted plinth. The plinth is constructed with many constrained laminations of cherrywood under a gorgeous lacquer finish. The carefully chosen wood filters undesirable resonances and is a key to the turntable’s hallmark sound and high performance. The Mersault RF-773 Tonearm is a high-precision version of the classic Ortofon/EMT RF-297, employing the same design but using modern, precision ball bearings for superior tracking ability. Meanwhile, the Shindo SPU cartridge is a modified Ortofon SPU cartridge. Shindo’s modifications give the classic SPU cartridge greater frequency extension, resolution, and refinement. (The Garrard 301 system, which includes the turntable, tonearm, and SPU, is $19,995.)
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The
Latour 15 Reference Field Coil Loudspeaker is Shindo’s statement speaker and a
stunning expression of high-efficiency (100 dB/16-ohm) speaker design. The
proprietary “tuned” cabinet is entirely hand built in woods selected for their
tone. It does not conform to conventional alignments and is tuned entirely by
ear. Highly modified, field-coil versions of the vintage Altec 515 woofer and
288C compression driver are employed. The compression driver is loaded into a
horn and lens of Shindo’s design for the mid and treble frequencies. This
two-way speaker achieves the frequency response and dynamics usually associated
with large three-way horn designs, however it performs with the coherency and
imaging of a single-driver speaker. This exceptional coherency allows the Latour
to seemingly disappear, leaving the listener with nothing but the music. The
Latour ($48,000 per pair) is available by special order only and can be
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Sonic nirvana for vinyl aficionados: Shindo Labs' highly
modified
Garrard turntable with Shindo arm and cartridge. Photograph
by Matthew Rotunda. (Click image to enlarge)
Tone Imports (distributor), 646.425.7800, www.toneimports.com
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