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Vinyl Asylum: REVIEW: Hagerman Technology Cornet2 Phono Preamp by tubesforever Welcome Licorice Pizza (LP) lovers! Setup guides and Vinyl FAQ. |
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Model: Cornet2 Category: Phono Preamp Suggested Retail Price: $249 Description: Tube Phono Preamp Manufacturer URL: Hagerman Technology Model Picture: View
Review by tubesforever on July 05, 2008 at 22:26:32
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for the Cornet2
I hope everyone can take a few minutes to review the archives for my posts about the Hagerman Cornet 2 phono stage DIY kit. The six posts about the project include pictures to show my original concept of the perfect Cornet 2 and the parts and pieces that make it all work.
This reconfigurement is nearly a total rebuild. While the first build was designed to hear the Cornet 2 stock, this second attempt was to wring out everything that the Cornet 2 has to offer given my budget.
Before building my own Cornet 2 kit, I had the opportunity to listen to both a modified original model Cornet and to a mostly stock Cornet 2 with the Hagerman recommended Auricap upgrade. Both stock and modified the Cornet phono sections were pure magic.
On the business end of things, the Cornet phono sections are designed as a single ended triode circuit. These are pure class A and this type of circuit typology have been described by many experts as a great way to accomplish extraordinary midrange clarity and detail. Jim Hagerman designed the Cornet circuit using no negative feedback. More importantly to me is that each B+ cap supporting the gain stages is bypassed so that it can instantaneously respond to climaxes without the soundstage collapsing while providing a superior overall sound quality than just an electrolytic capacitor alone. I found some superb bypass caps that I highly recommend for you to evaluate. The Russian FT-3 Teflon 0.10uf 600V caps give my unit unbelievable dynamics for an investment so small.
The RIAA curve is handled with passive equalization and the benefit of this feature is that tube rolling allows you to select the best overall sound in your listening room.
I was not really prepared for just how much you can accomplish with tube rolling until I spent a couple of days at Chez ScottRT. We rolled in a wide variety of tubes and really bore in on getting the sound superb in his room. More importantly, as Scott and I have upgraded and improved our systems , tube rolling allows us to keep this sonic magic just the way we want it.
The Hagerman Cornet is a superb piece. Jim sells this as a fully assembled model for $1,495.00 with lots of excellent high quality parts. The thing that sets the Cornet 2 apart from the original Cornet design is the buffered cathode follower. On the Cornet 2 this follower has a constant current circuit so you can run interconnects of any length between the phono section and your preamp. In some systems this is a huge plus.
The order sheets and build manual that come with the Cornet 2 kit are simple and easy to follow. I bought my pieces from three sources and obtained the parts in under two weeks time. Building your Cornet 2 this way, with the recommended parts and the gorgeous Lansing case work will generally cost less than 600 dollars. If you are on a tight budget, you can drill out a standard aluminum 1/8 inch top plate and build a wooden frame. That will save you 150 dollars and you can easily drop it into a Lansing case in the future.
Regarding the PCB, Jim Hagerman designs his printed circuit boards with short traces. The double board has traces on both top and back surfaces. These are perfect for the DIY crowd like myself. I have been able to safely remove, clean and re-solder some passive components over 10 times without lifting a single trace. These boards are solid.
The short traces help eliminate hum and noise that can haunt point to point projects. My Cornet 2 is so silent at listening levels that I have to check the lighted power switch to ensure it is turned on.
When you build a kit, the thing that comes into your mind is who is there to help me if I get into problems. First, Jim Hagerman has answered every one of my emails within 24 hours. There is also a dedicated group of wonderful users that post on his web forum.
I have learned so much from this user group and from the wonderful guys over in our own tube DIY asylum that I have no concern whatsoever that you will ever be left on your own. In fact I have seen Jim request units with troublesome issues to be sent to him for his personal inspection. What more can you ask of any designer?
I also want to acknowledge the help of our own Anumber1. Al is so great at getting to the point of what he loves and how he handles DIY projects. His opinions about passive parts, tubes, and upgrades are very much appreciated. Thank you Al for all those emails and phone calls.
With all the great resources available, if you are on the fence to build a Hagerman of your own I recommend you jump right in -- the water is friendly and warm.
As a summary, is the Cornet 2 perfect? No. In its stock form it is a formidable phono stage to be certain. It pretty much embarrassed a 2,000 dollar Audio Research PH-3 that I owned up until the Cornet 2. Is it better than my hot rodded Precision Fidelity C-7? Yes and no. The bass is much improved. The midrange has much better detail. However the C-7 was more relaxed in its overall presentation and had a little more air up high. Overall, I give my upgraded Hagerman Cornet 2 a 9 out of 10 performance grade.
Buy it, build it, hot rod it to your tastes – you will find that the Cornet 2 can deliver some stunning tube magic. You can expect dynamics and detail so life like that you can close your eyes and become part of the performance. Vocals are the best I have ever heard in my listening room. Bass slam and percussion are realistic and dramatic. You will hear a level of inner detail and micro level dynamics that give the music a life like sound without any trace of grit, grain, or glare.
If you own a balanced amplifier, you owe it yourself to check out Jim Hagerman’s Trumpet phono stage. This was Stereophile reviewed as a Class A device and costs approximately $3,000.00.
I have covered all the upgrades to my project in episode six. It is well worth reviewing this post to see the pictures and see the final configuration.
Product Weakness: For the price....absolutely NONE. It does music justice. Product Strengths: My Cornet 2 cost less than 1,000 dollars to build and performs as well or better than many 5,000+ phono sections on the market. It is a fun and easy project to build. I have made many new friends and learned a great deal from the process. Overall a 9 out of 10 in the "making music" arena.
Associated Equipment for this Review:
Amplifier: Bedini 150 MK II Preamplifier (or None if Integrated): Hagerman Clarinet Sources (CDP/Turntable): Pioneer Multiplayer and Rek O Kut thread drive and idler model turntables. Speakers: DIY similar to Sonus Faber Guarnari Homage speakers Cables/Interconnects: DIY silver and silver/copper wires Music Used (Genre/Selections): Everything but the kitchen sink Room Size (LxWxH): 35 ft x 13 ft x 14 ft Room Comments/Treatments: A frame living room design Time Period/Length of Audition: 7 months Other (Power Conditioner etc.): PowerVar 10.0 Type of Audition/Review: Product Owner Your System (if other than home audition): Designed to sound like you were there for the recording session.
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Topic - REVIEW: Hagerman Technology Cornet2 Phono Preamp - tubesforever 22:26:32 07/5/08 ( 29)
- Thanks - ecir38 21:04:14 07/6/08 ( 0)
RE: REVIEW: Hagerman Technology Cornet2 Phono Preamp - analog guy 11:55:27 07/6/08 ( 9)
- Shoot me a private email. - tubesforever 18:41:46 07/6/08 ( 8)
- don't want to push you into saying anything you don't want to... - analog guy 18:53:12 07/6/08 ( 7)
- Dancing can be fun.... - tubesforever 01:01:24 07/7/08 ( 6)
- as i said... - analog guy 07:00:45 07/7/08 ( 5)
- hint... look up 'T4 moment' in the archives ..........nt - J.D. 16:33:24 07/7/08 ( 4)
- The bored has asked me to ignore your posts. - tubesforever 00:25:09 07/8/08 ( 0)
- what foresight you had! - analog guy 16:54:55 07/7/08 ( 2)
- You can simply email me privately... - tubesforever 00:28:55 07/8/08 ( 1)
- what one chooses always defines who s/he is - analog guy 01:33:34 07/8/08 ( 0)
- I am perplexed, was your question important to you? - tubesforever 18:19:48 07/8/08 ( 0)
- my question was most assuredly a real one - analog guy 18:38:06 07/8/08 ( 0)
- can't take all the credit - J.D. 10:04:58 07/8/08 ( 0)
Nice Review! - amandarae 03:39:31 07/6/08 ( 17)
- what do you use now? [nt] - OMalley 08:49:00 07/6/08 ( 13)
- RE: what do you use now? [nt] - amandarae 10:51:06 07/6/08 ( 12)
- and wherefor? How is it different? - OMalley 10:59:46 07/6/08 ( 11)
- If you use those Jupiters.... - tubesforever 11:39:29 07/6/08 ( 3)
- slowly getting there - OMalley 11:52:48 07/6/08 ( 2)
- What happened to the headphone amp project you had? - texanater 13:24:52 07/6/08 ( 1)
- really great now - OMalley 17:15:02 07/6/08 ( 0)
- RE: and wherefor? How is it different? - amandarae 11:36:49 07/6/08 ( 6)
- Stop it you two.... - tubesforever 14:17:22 07/6/08 ( 1)
- Hey tubes.... - amandarae 14:42:16 07/6/08 ( 0)
- I am weeping with jealosy - OMalley 12:04:30 07/6/08 ( 3)
- RE: I am weeping with jealosy - amandarae 12:19:02 07/6/08 ( 2)
- torsional force of the bend. - OMalley 15:56:23 07/6/08 ( 1)
- RE: torsional force of the bend. - amandarae 16:20:03 07/6/08 ( 0)
I like your new project!!! - tubesforever 07:37:03 07/6/08 ( 2)
- I Bet Those Modes You Did For Me On My Technics 1800MKII Would Sound Smoking On That Cornet - Backbeat1954A 08:55:33 07/6/08 ( 1)
- The bass and slam on this thing are really in a class of their own. - tubesforever 11:10:56 07/6/08 ( 0)