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Allaerts comparisons

62.188.150.53

Posted by Mr. Walker on November 25, 2000 at 00:00:23

In Reply to: Allaerts Cartridges posted by Todd Krieger on November 24, 2000 at 00:21:23:

“Any opinions? How do they stack up to the Lyras, Clearaudios, and Transig's of the world?”

Just by coincidence, I’ve had the original Da Capo, the Clearaudio Discovery, the Transfiguration Spirit, and the Allaerts MC Boron Mk II in my rig over the past few months. Here are some brief impressions:

The Da Capo was well-balanced and easy on surface noise, but clearly lacked the transparency or immediacy of “supercartridges” like the Clearaudio or VdH Kolibri.

The Transfiguration was very correct from top to bottom, but the sound seemed trapped between the speakers and wouldn’t leap into the room. However, archived posts on the Transfiguration (the Temper Supreme in this case) make it clear that if you don’t get the VTA dead on, you are not getting your money’s worth. I tried to find the magic setting for each record that would make the Spirit spring to life, but no luck.

The Clearaudio Discovery is in another league—a bold, forward, absolutely transparent sound. Unfortunately, the upper frequencies ricochet around the room like a speeding bullet. It’s almost like the top end has a life of its own. In addition, the Discovery is downright merciless to imperfect vinyl. I usually return about one in five used records, but with the Discovery I’d say about 4 out of 5 records seemed unplayable. I even returned a stack of 20 **brand new** records because they sounded so crackly under the Discovery. This cartridge is a little tricky to set up, so it was a relief to see confirmation in a recent “Hi-Fi+” review on both the zingy high end and, like Katherine Hepburn in “The Philadelphia Story,” its general intolerance toward imperfection.

The Allaerts produces a sweet and honeyed sound, but with loads of detail, immediacy, and transparency. I own the Mark II with neodymium magnets (0.7 mV output); the less expensive Mark I has a slightly lower output and alnico magnets. Perhaps due to its high output, the Mark II gets along great with el cheapo EAR 834P. Other tangential advantages include a lifetime of retipping and refurbishment at nominal cost (Jan Allaerts calls it a “cartridge for life”); an easy way with used vinyl; and resilience to setup by the VTA impaired.

I messed around with a couple of Koetsus earlier this year, and while I love the way they project into the room and have lots of bloom, they seem a little woolly around the edges. I’d describe the Allaerts as a more incisive Koetsu, with an accent on sweetness rather than pluminess. Allaerts builds each of these cartridges himself so you may have to get in line to hear one, but I think it’s worth the wait.

This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:

Sonic Craft

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