2019 has been a banner year for both Audiophilia and the improvement of my reference system. Audiophilia has added two fine writers and experienced significant growth in worldwide readership and advertising sponsors. I feel we have accomplished this through timely updates and excellence and honesty in audio reportage. There are no shortcuts at the magazine. And through the generosity and kindness of some audio legacy stakeholders we have known and highly respected for a long time, a couple of us here at the magazine have received a few long-term loan components to enhance our daily listening experience. For that, we are transparently grateful.

Reading previous reviews and articles will give you a better insight as to the whys and wherefores of our choices of these wonderful components. Try my 2014 review of the Bergmann Audio Magne Turntable ($14,000 incl. tone arm) and review of Alta Audio’s FRM2 Celesta Loudspeakers ($15,000). A look at Contributing Editor Karl Sigman’s latest VPI and Grado reviews will also offer context.

Quality phono stages are all the rage. Records are now so popular with audiophiles, vinyl returners and the general population, a quality phono stage is aspirational in any fine analog set up. Dealers and vinylphiles have been shouting this from the rooftops for years. Audiophilia has reviewed five in the past twelve months. All first class, with outstanding fit and finish, varying designs, and with quality sounds unique to themselves. A wide array of prices but all significant investments. Ah, the cost, always the elephant in the listening room.

Dan Wright of Modwright Instruments took all this to heart when designing his new PH 9.0 Tube Phono Stage ($2900). Modwright is known for the beauty of its design aesthetic and the quality its parts. So, producing a quality phono stage, especially based upon the Modwright Instruments $7900 PH 150 Phono Stage may not seem too much of a stretch. But competing with excellent phono stages $4000 and up with one priced at $2900 is a more difficult proposition.

John Stratton is the hardworking owner/designer of Vancouver High End analogue start up, Pure Fidelity (PF). He made a splash last year with his very well received initial opus, the Eclipse Turntable. It takes guts to dive into audiophile waters as a start up. If you are not in for the long haul with creative ideas, solid engineering and tireless work energy, don’t bother.

Stratton had a busy winter. The Harmony Turntable is the result of eight months of research with a new design; the Harmony has a larger plinth than his Eclipse with a larger sub platter, sitting within an 18lb machined, 6061 aluminum isolation platform and retaining the exquisite finishes. The aluminum platform is a very clever, effective idea and has the same profile as the ‘table.

No sooner had the review been posted on Audiophilia of the splendid Allnic Audio H-1202 Phono Stage ($3750) when distributor David Beetles called to ask if I wanted to review Allnic’s $14,999 H-7000, the upgraded model of Allnic’s H-3000, all transformer-coupled, LCR phono stage.

Yes! Please.

After reviewing the H-1202 and ZL-5000 Power Cable, I was utterly convinced of designer Kang Su Park’s prowess and looked forward to a deep dive into his upscale analogue device.

It’s interesting to note that a $3750 phono stage is now considered, among some audiophiles, as entry level for delivering vinyl sound as it’s meant to be heard. Sure, there are relatively inexpensive examples that do a fine job—the excellent Rega Aria is priced at $1500—and some expensive models that don’t, but in my experience, higher priced analogue gear sounds better. You gotta pay to play.

My reference Sutherland Engineering DUO monoblock Phono Preamplifier was so good in review, I purchased the unit(s). The DUO is priced at $4000, slightly more than the subject of this review, the brand new Allnic Audio H-1202 Phono Stage at $3750. My DUO benefited from some serious trickle down goodies from Ron Sutherland’s $10,000 PhonoBlock Phono Stage. This new Allnic Audio ‘entry level’ phono stage benefits from the Korean company’s esteemed analogue lineage, with trickle down tech from its $39,000 H-8000.

I've been an audio acquaintance of Ron Sutherland, head of Sutherland Engineering, from my earliest days visiting audio shows. Seems, charming, friendly Ron attends them all. He's a great supporter of our industry. Although a staple in high end audio for two decades, Sutherland gear flies under the glitzy marketing radar, but is very well known to discerning and knowledgable audiophiles looking for great sound tagged with some value.

I reviewed his very popular and inexpensive entry level PH-1 phono stage many years ago (under the brand name AcousTech). It was a solid piece that bumped up the quality from the usual phono cards found in receivers and integrateds popular at the time. 

A reexamination of my Phasemation PP-300 cartridge review will be helpful in learning about Phasemation as a company, its info/philosophy, etc. I spent a few very pleasurable months listening to and writing about the gorgeous little nugget from the Japanese high end company. 

Spring has been a bumper cartridge season here at Audiophilia—I reviewed Shelter's Model 501 III MC Phono Cartridge (another Japanese gem), as well as the 300. Now, Phasemation’s top of the line, $6000 PP-2000. 

Shelter has been hand making moving coil phono cartridges in Japan since 1986. It ships two series of cartridges, the ‘Ultimate Line’ and the ‘Legendary Line’. The 501 III moving coil cartridge is mid price point in the Legendary Line, at $1295. The original 501 was produced in 1990. The Mk. III under consideration has the combination of an aluminum clad boron cantilever and an elliptical diamond stylus. 

I first heard of Shelter when my Audiophilia colleague Martin Appel purchased a 9000 moving coil (top of the Legendary Line) a few years ago. He uses it on his VPI Avenger turntable. It sounds wonderful. Detailed and vibrant. 

The 501 III arrived at the office in tandem with a few other high end pieces and the superb Phasemation PP-300 moving coil cartridge, which is roughly the same price.  

Japan’s Phasemation began life in 1970 as Kyodo Denshi System. The company name was changed to Phase Tech in 2002, morphing into Phasemation in late 2010. Much like Britain's SME and other precision analogue companies, Kyodo made its real money in more lucrative tech. In this case, developing measuring devices for the IT industry. It just so happens the company CEO is an audiophile.

I became aware of the company a decade ago after brief listens to sundry Phase Tech cartridges. The company was gaining some ground in the advance notice stakes; lots of analog buzz on the forums. In fact, they were splendid and for a reasonable cost. My local dealer went nuts for them.