But co-designer John Rogers is a
perfectionist, and he has persevered with the design. During April,
a 330 MkII XLR is to go into production. This is basically similar,
except that the top outer ring is now wider (3.2mm) and 8mm less in
diameter, while the profile of the inner ring, which sits some 16mm
away from the record label, has been lowered.
Once again, the changes in sound
quality are surprisingly apparent. But, as Rogers admits, careful
listening comparisons are needed to confirm that these are not
merely "trade-offs', when the XLR may seem to sacrifice some of
the "air" of the earlier Mkll.
The opening drum taps of "Play
of the couples" from Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra, on the
Classic Sound recut (Chicago SO/Reiner), offer an immediate
contrast: on the MkII, light and airy, with atmospheric
reverberation sounding from the other side of the soundstage, these
are firmer, deeper with the XLR and the player's position is sharper
focused I used a Well Tempered Arm/VdH MC 1S (with body casing
removed), Linn LP12 with Cirkus modifications and Naim power supply,
on RATA stands.
Some more aggressive Bartok followed:
the last two movements from the Fourth String Quartet on the
Juilliard's 1970 CBS reissue -this was chosen as I had always
disliked its "one mic to each player" character. Now,
contradictory though this may seem, one could more easily pinpoint
each instrument in space, while as a group the quartet had become
more unified. The strings snapping back on the fingerboard, as the
composer prescribed in the pizzicato (iv), were richer; the inner
detail was easier to follow.
It was evident that the XLR realised
more low register and ambient information (thus the increased focus
within textures). With Rickie Lee Jones's "Easy Money',
similarly, one could hear more about how the track was produced:
echo added to voice; the fade up of piano etc. More importantly,
there was more expression to the singing.
On the ASM/Argo recording, the
Andantino of Rossini's Second String Sonata begins with a very
powerful tutti. With the XLR a whole layer of hazy near-congestion
was removed, the acoustic was clearer and support lines more
apparent, such as quiet bass accompaniment figures. You wanted to go
on listening indefinitely; also you could still listen comfortably
at higher replay levels.
The superb (and alas no longer
available) Fennell Symphonic Winds/Telarc LP has some demanding
HoIst tracks, with added percussion. These were much cleaner; with
more perceptible depth layers in the hall; and, for the first time
in my system, the anvil in "Song of the Anvil" remained in
position, where usually it shifts inwards after its first entry.
So, an improvement in several musical
aspects occurs. An essential replacement for the 12in felt or rubber
mat for any critical listener, the MklI remains very satisfactory,
but the XLR at £47.50 (a trade-in allowance is offered against the
MkII) is even better.
Christopher Breunig,
Hi-Fi News & Record Review, April 1996
©
Hi-Fi News and Record Review
Described
in "Pot-Pourri" Sept ‘93, the original Ringmat resulted
from fresh thinking on the optimum way of supporting vinyl records
on a conventional platter: it comprised a 242mm paper/cotton disc
with two narrow concentric rings of a cork composite on the upper
surface and two near the outer edge, on the underside. Total
thicknesses of 2, 2.5 and 3mm were made to accommodate systems where
no arm height adjustment was possible. The position of the support
rings had been arrived at on the basis of both computer prediction
of vibration modes and by subjective listening tests. But shortly
after the mat was on the market, continued experimentation had led
to a MklI replacement; this had an additional underside ring and a
small paper quadrant next to the spindle cut out. The MklI offered
considerable sonic improvements. (An upgrade service is available
for Mkl owners.)