Vinyl Asylum: REVIEW: Heed Audio Questar MM Phono Preamp by Dexter Welcome Licorice Pizza (LP) lovers! Setup guides and Vinyl FAQ.

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Model:	Questar MM
Category:	Phono Preamp
Suggested Retail Price:	$350.00
Description:	High-Quality Affordable Phono Preamp
Manufacturer URL:	Heed Audio
Model Picture:	View

Review by Dexter ( A ) on January 11, 2005 at 05:53:35 IP Address: 80.200.142.200

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I’ve never had the chance to listen to an offboard phono preamplifier and for the past year I’ve been pretty pleased with the performance of the phono stage onboard my Rega Mira 3 integrated. And why not? After all, Rega have long been famous for building high-quality phono sections into their amplifiers. But I’ve always wanted to try an offboard, having become aware of well-received preamps from the likes of Graham Slee, Dynavector, and Lehmann. But demos for any of these have proven difficult to come by here in Belgium.

My overwhelmingly positive experience with Heed Audio’s Orbit 2 PSU, however, has led me to closely follow developments in their intriguing line of products. Through the kindness of my local dealer, I’ve been able to demo their omnidirectional Enigma 3 loudspeakers and Canopus monoblock power amplifiers. So when word appeared about Heed’s newest product being an affordable phono preamp, I fairly jumped at the opportunity to audition it.

The Questar is the newest in Heed’s ever-expanding series of “little black boxes” (all having identical cute ‘n’ compact dimensions: 3.5” x 2.75” x 10.66”) and retails for €295. It is essentially a single-box distillation of their top-of-the-line, two-box Quasar MM/MC phono preamp (€750), with a wall-wart power supply replacing the Quasar’s quite substantial dedicated 2nd-box PSU (although this can later be added on as an upgrade to the Questar as well). The Questar is available, then, in two distinct versions: MM and MC. So while it may lack the all-encompassing flexibility of its flagship precursor, its specifications are effectively identical to it for a far smaller investment.

As I’ve always run moving-magnet cartridges, I opted for the Questar MM. I couldn’t help myself from popping open the wall-wart power supply for a quick peek inside. To my surprise and delight, it contains one of the same Avisor encapsulated transformers found in my Orbit, nestled neatly in between some succinctly laid-out transistors and capacitors, so it is a far cry from a Radio Shack-special.

Regarding the Questar itself, its compelling solidity suggests that it is built to go the distance. Beneath its hefty shielded steel casework (protecting the unit from electromagnetic interference and vibration) resides its delicate, all-discrete (not an IC to be found!), entirely dual-mono amplification circuitry. There is no internal wiring and all signal paths on the PCB are kept to a bare minimum. Back outside the box, there is no power switch, so when the Quester is plugged in, its single blazing-blue LED illuminates from its black acrylic fascia and appears to follow me wherever I go in the room. I’m getting’ nervous here!

But to suggest that the Questar and I got off to a slow start together would be a gross understatement. Cold out of the box, it really struggled in comparison to the phono stage onboard my Mira. To make matters worse, I had never connected anything to LINE 2 on the Mira’s preamp section before, so that obviously needed some running-in as well. So I diligently began to spin records exclusively through the Questar, resisting any temptation for further comparison. Nonetheless, I started to get concerned that differences between phono stages would be too subtle for me to get a handle on, as opposed to demoing, say, loudspeakers where they are most readily apparent.

Soon I purchased my 2nd-hand Roksan Xerxes, so my attentions were rather more focused on that and the staggering improvements it brought to my vinyl front-end as I began revisiting my record collection. And then the holidays intervened so I didn’t get down to any critical comparative listening until just a few days ago. When I finally got ‘round to it, I was scarcely aware of how well my patience had been rewarded as the Questar had burned-in and, indeed, blossomed! In short: subtle nuances began to evolve into more profound distinctions. Perhaps the greater resolving ability of my new Xerxes was better allowing me to decipher differences between the two phono stages. But, overall, I’d say that the Questar has added greater bass depth, dimension, and speed in comparison to the Mira 3’s phono stage. Following are some of my findings as they relate to a few select albums.

Spinning “Monday Morning” from Fleetwood Mac’s eponymous classic reveals Mick Fleetwood’s drumrolls in all their integral and insistent glory whereas, with the Mira, they are rendered merely polite window-dressing. I was never aware that the Mira sounded particularly “slow”, per se, but the quickness of the Questar leaves it in the shade here. On “Warm Ways”, Christine McVie’s vocals exhibit such warmth and glow that one might almost expect that she was pregnant with child when she recorded them (was she?). The Questar also manages to redress the slightly brighter trebly tendencies I’m only now beginning to notice in the Rega. When the second side commences with “Say That You Love Me”, Lindsay Buckingham’s arpeggio guitar fills feel like they’ve been grafted off of a Byrds LP, circa ‘66. The same track, heard through the Questar, brings us hurtling forward to 1975 again, evoking a feeling of balance and correctness that the Mira does not approach. Cut us another line then, Stevie…ah, now there’s a good lass!

Changing horses to Emmylou Harris’ “The Ballad Of Sally Rose” (1985), her entirely self-penned milestone and a powerhouse blend of guitars, banjo, mandolin, fiddle, dobro, and pedal steel, not to mention the rhythm section and her angelic voice. A pleasant enough listen, to be sure, but also a veritable torture-test for appreciating the intricate relationships between instruments strummed, struck, picked, plucked, bowed, and slid (slided?), while at the same time preserving the lively pace of the songs, Emmylou’s vocals, and the delicate backing harmonies of Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, and Vince Gill. Through the Mira, this album is indeed a toe-tapping melange of countrypolitan delights, but the Questar is rather less diffuse and clearly better suited to the task of sifting through its diverse attributes and making cohesive musical sense of them. Its retrieval of detail is demonstrably superior whilst conveying the immediacy, pace and presence that undoubtedly characterized these sessions. Got to scrape that shit right off my shoes!

Moving on up to Curtis Mayfield’s OST to the unheralded men-behind-prison bars (don’t drop that soap, junior!) joint “Short Eyes” (1977) poses a set of challenges to any vinyl rig. While possibly not quite as super as his earlier masterpiece, “Superfly”, but most very definitely still “fly”, the criminally underrated “Short Eyes” stiffed on the charts and has languished in the long shadows of its predecessor to this day. Curtis still brings da hard funk full-stop; slippery-phat basslines anchoring demonic metronomic hi-hat & sassy uptown horns, neckhair-raising strings & weepy wah-wah guitar with his sublime falsetto soaring overhead. But this soundtrack is also tempered by more reflective compositions underscoring Mayfield’s infinitely clever skills as an arranger of more sophisticated orchestrations. This is a brand-new 180g pressing, so surface noise should not be an issue. Or so I thought, until I dropped the needle through the Mira. Not bad, mind you, just a little more than I was expecting. Now, the Questar. Dead silent, that’s more like it! I can never quite get my head around the concept when reviewers start talkin’ ‘bout “inky-black backgrounds”, “blacker blacks”, and such as it applies to Hi-Fi kit. Sounds like genuine blaxploitation to me! But if this is what they mean, then so be it. As anticipated, the Questar tracks all the grooves here with similar aplomb and The Man is on the run once again!

And on it went, side after luscious side. Female vocals? Silky smooth, but never veiled. Sustained piano notes? Spot-on au naturel. Heavy psych? Mister, this puppy can rock! Every album is reproduced with a consummate organic ease. I can only conclude that the Questar represents a significant advancement in truly affordable sound reproduction. And I have every reason to assume that its Questar MC sibling is every bit as good. I’d love to one day hear the Graham Slee Era Gold V, Dynavector P-75, or Lehmann Black Cube that folks have been raving about on the forums and in the magazines. But for less than half the price of those distinguished options, I believe the Heed Audio Questar very probably plays in the same rarefied atmosphere and merits the serious consideration of anybody seeking to enhance their vinyl experience.

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Product Weakness:	very long run-in period
Product Strengths:	build, bass depth, dimension, detail, speed and price

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Associated Equipment for this Review:
Amplifier:	Rega Mira 3
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	None
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	Roksan Xerxes
Speakers:	M&K S-1 / M&K Volkswoofer / REL Quake
Cables/Interconnects:	Alphacore Micropurl
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	Rock Country Jazz Funk
Type of Audition/Review:	Home Audition

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