Dear Warren;
I have given my new Allnic Rose a pretty good wringing out in the last two weeks and I would like to share my impressions. Firstly, thank you for your advice, research and patience in putting together a very good deal on this delightful upgrade to my hifi’s front end.
I must say also that there was such a profound and immediate improvement over my previous cartridge that I concluded that it’s decline was insidious rather than catastrophic. It’s final failings amounted to the last straws.
I used a simple method to acquaint myself with my new partner in musical pleasure.
I played entire albums of female vocalists: Shirley Horn Trio - Lazy Afternoon, Lady Blackbird - Black Acid Soul, Kandace Springs - The Women Who Raised Me, Jacintha - Lush Life (33 1/3) and Sarah Vaughn +2.
And male vocalists: Jon Batiste - Chronology of a Dream, Jose James - No Beginnings No End, Gregory Porter - Be Good, Donald Fagen - The Nightfly Live and Kurt Elling - Super Blue.
A mixture: Brian Jackson - Jazz is Dead, Suzuki and Wada - Now’s The Time TBM 1974, Witches’ Brew - Gibson and the New London Symphony Orchestra (I got this idea from one of the published reviewers of the Rose - a dazzling demonstration of the orchestral sound stage in all its scope and might- Rose!) and Harold Maybern - Afro Blue. Noteworthy of this album, which I highly recommend, where Maybern accompanies well known vocalists is the cut with Nora Jones singing Don’t Misunderstand. At several times her “S” sounds smear and fizz out like the stylus cannot track. I thought I had made an alignment error. But this had not happened with any of the other vocalists on this album nor on any others I have played on the Rose. She had been pipping the Mike and that was what the Rose was telling me.
And the cherry on top: The Beatles - Sargeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band - MoFi Japan. Within Without Me blew my mind! The pace , depth and build of this cut came upon and overwhelmed me like it had not before.
The Allnic Rose is an honest cartridge you can bet your musical enjoyment bank on. Those of us who love instrumental and vocal music playback are captivated by the depth, breadth and detail of soundstage the Rose presents. Impeccable instrumental tone, the voice being just one of many instruments, was a quality that came to mind with every tune I played on the Rose.
The Rose Rose lays down a quiet and black floor under all of its playback. Like others I find the Rose gives little play to surface noise. It gives the music first and foremost.
The Allnic Rose gives me a reference grade cartridge for great value.
I hope this might be helpful.
Cheers,
Will
Comments