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Basically, the tiny incoming needle signal goes through two gain stages with an RIAA filter in the middle. The second gain stage incorporates a DC servo circuit (feedback) to keep control over the DC offset and guarantee a stable output. Other measures to reduce distortion in the power supply are a hefty toroid transformer with low stray field and Schottky barrier diodes for efficient power conversion. From this documentation, the Japanese phono stage looked very promising to us. We have owned and still do tube-based phono stages. First we used a Tri TRV EQ3SE, presently our phono stage is a Trafomatic Reference Phono One. Now we were about to assess a completely solid-state design.
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As with all equipment, the magic only shows up after sufficient burn-in. We estimated that some 100 hours would be a good start. That meant casual vinyl spinning and leaving the amplifier powered up 24/7. When the burn-in period was over, we already had a good notion about what the rest of the system should be. We tried the Vida with our Trafomatic Reference One preamplifier and Hypex Ncore 1200-based monos into Sounddeco Alpha F3 loudspeakers, with a Chris Feickert's Blackbird MkII table with DFA 1o5 arm and high-grade Zu/Denon DL-103 MC cartridge. This already was very satisfying as accompaniment over dinner. It also promised to behave well in a bigger system because low-frequency processing was, in a word, awesome. Accompanying our Arcadian Audio Pnoe horns with additional BatPure super tweeters was still the review loaner NVO ISA-2 integrated KT120-based 120wpc powerhouse. Alternatively, we could connect our 300B-based Audio Note Meishu. For ultimate low-frequency extension, a pair of Zu Submission subwoofers were on stand-by.
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The Vida in combination with 109dB efficient horns proved to be dead quiet. Only the two pink LEDs gave away that it was even on. Of course this changed when a record played. Vinyl is never 100% quiet. There's always a little tick or noise somewhere, even after a rigorous cleaning job on the Clear Audio Double Matrix SE. With phono stages and cartridges, there's also always the issue of optimal interface impedance.
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Fortunately the Vida is quite adaptive. Our Denon DL-103 cartridge modified by Zu has an internal resistance of 40Ω. With selecting a load impedance on a phono stage, brightness and dynamics can be manipulated. Our rule of thumb is to load a cartridge at 10 times its internal impedance, thus at 410Ω for the Vida. This worked fine as our experiments showed. The selector switch made this choice very easy, too.
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We played a wide selection of music starting with the 1979 RCA Red Seal version of The Rite of Spring, with Eduardo Mata conducting the LSO. Stravinsky scored the Rite for a very large orchestra and that's exactly how it was portrayed en suite. The Vida managed to transfer the size of the recorded acoustic into our digs. Of course it was make belief but very convincing make belief at that. Afterwards we stayed in the classical arena and dug up the Saint Saëns Organ Symphony with Eugene Ormandy conducting the Philadelphia Orchestra. Especially the second movement was very enthralling with the merry and swift piano beginning plus syncopated orchestral rhythms. Later the four-handed piano part is repeated by large organ and full orchestra. This great 1962 CBS recording seemed tailor-made for the Vida; or vice versa perhaps? |
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