Napisal/-a kuzma2 » Sr Sep 28, 2005 8:02 am
Še nekaj citatov urednika Roy Gregorya iz 8 strani dolgega testa gramofona Kuzma Stabi XL iz zadnje številke revije HIFI plus-UK #41:
Naslov testa je BACK TO "BASICS":
" Indeed , the original Stabi is still available. Along with the Stabi Reference, which in combination with the Tri-planar tonearm has been something of a benchmark around these parts for the last few years. The budged Stabi S dispensed with the complexities of sprung assemblies to deliver an astonishing performance from a T-shaped chassis built from solid brass rod....."
" Look carefully at the sub platter and you will see an angeled slope around the base of central column. THe hole in the underside of the platter that sits over that column is oversized, making it simplicity itself to ( carefully) drop it into place. As it reaches the bottom of the column the angled face automaticly centres it perfectly around spindle axis. Having wrestled over the years with snug fitting bearing housings that featured on turntables like Clearaudio Master reference and later VPIs, this arrangement is both so simple and so sensible that it forces me to wonder why some variation on the theme has not been seen before?"
"The review deck ran at perfect pitch straight out of the box and for the duration of its extended stay. The speed never drifted one iota, even with repeated removal and replacement of the deck within the system. Putting the strobe on always an absolutely rock stable result, with no wander at all. In this respect the Stabi XL is the only deck in my experience to match the almost eerie, unwaveringf stability of the Blue Pearl."
" For two physically unconnected items, the motor unit and its tone-arm pod certanly enjoy an astonishing stable relationship."
" As to quiet, well, there is quiet and theres quiet. I have no empirical evidence regarding the noise levels from the motors and bearing on this dec, but resolution and details are exceptional, rivalled only by bi-lateral air -bearings designs like the Versa Dynamics and Rockports. But that is only one aspect of quiet. What about the sound, the voice of the deck? Some record players whisper away in the background, while others chatter and encourage. Some decks nag, quietly but insistenly, working their way into subconscious where others wears their hearts on their sleeves, making no secret of their enthuiasiasms ( the VPIs and early LPS12s spring to mind). By far the worst are those decks that mutter, a constant, tight-lipped, humourless drain on the life and joy in music: dry, clipped and matter of the fact they almost dare you to ask more, secure in knowledge that they simply can not deliver.
If the Kuzma Stabi XL has a signature it is its absence of signature."
"The absolute stability of the turntable, physically and in terms of speed, provides not only a firm foundation for rhythm, pace, and timing of music, but a solid launching pad for dynamic shifts,no matter how large or small."
"The dynamic discrimination of the Titan (op: Lyra) is very familiar, yet on the XL, mounted in the AIRLINE it exceeded even the emphatic performance it achieved in the Triplanar atop the Blue Pearl."
"The combination of Stabi XL, Airline and IO-J (op: Kondo cartridge) redefined my notion of musical assurance and artistic security."
"Just listen to Art Peppers" Smack Up"(Contemporary COP 031) to appreciate just what I am saying. Listen to the sax pairing the trumpet. Listen to the piano locking step with walking bass. If you dilute those relationship this record sounds ordinary. If it sounds ordinary to you, think about changing your player,because believe me,on Kuzma/Kondo combo it sounded truly extraordinary."
"The incredibly secure foundation delivered by this player was this further underlined by both it security through massive orchestral climaxes and its ability to encompass the range from solo voice to full orchestra in overdrive.Whats more, to do it without fuss and without apparent strain."
"Few would argue that the Overture to the RCA Soria Carmen provides a stern test, but what really impressed was the way the Stabi XL was equally at home across the whole range of scales and emotions on show throughout the first act. From the power and impact of the opening, across the swift shifts in mood that characterise the Overture, the turntable scales the performance beautifully as it spirals in on the square, the soldiers and eventually the solo voices. The over-lapping range of bass, baritone and tenor are effortlessly separated, the diction of the street urchins beautifully resolved and understood. Likewise, where many tables run the words of cigarette * together, here they are revealed in all their seductive coquettishness."
" A large part of this players sheer assurance comes from its uniform transparency.Where many turntables can deliver superb focus and separation across the mid-band and treble, only the best maintain that quality into the nether regions. The Stabi XL lets you hear not just the leading edge and placing of bass note, but its overall shape, the nature of its energy, its texture."
"What has quickly become apparent is that lack of any identifiable colourations makes the Stabi XL invaluable in pinning down the character of cartridges.... On face of it , the IO-J and Koetsu inhabit similar sonic grounds. Neither is overly explicit or obvoiusly detailed. Both are rich in tone and redolent with harmonics. But run them in the XL/Airline set-up and you soon realise that their presence and substance come from rather different treatment of musical energy."
"It is capable of taking multiple arms, including the Air line, and that in itself is a significant advantage. Its mechanical stable and totally fuss *, delivering it performance, with aplomb, day in and day out. The VPI TNT6 is arguably more enthusiastic,The BLue Pearl certanly costs more, the Clearaudio more dramatic, but no other deck I have used retreats so completly yet effectively into the musical background. Its an absence that, as you get used to it, definitely makes the heart grow fonder. Its absence that allows the music to step forwards, * of limitations. It opens the way for cartridge builders art to bloom into full flower."
FK
