The Palladian-A step beyond

So from audiophile classics to heavily produced digital early 80s country the Palladian pulls out the best in every recording. It also makes each recording sound completely different, seems very honest to the records and imposes none of its own character. With the PC1 instruments such as Loussier’s piano were often blown out of scale, which sounds pleasant, but is actually an artifact and masks other things going on

Well observed folkfreak.....
How has the bass settled in?
I find that some cartridges over-emphasise the bass response....which can sound impressive initially but becomes tiresome eventually.....whereas the Palladian has a totally 'even' frequency response with no undue emphasis across the audio band.

I’ll confess to playing Cohen’s You Want It Darker LP during the Xmas afternoon celebration. It suited my holiday mood and, reflecting upon the profundity of his poetry, may not have been as incongruous to the occasion as one might think. Unfortunately my family strongly disagreed with his sepulchral baritone and the LP was summarily dismounted at risk of indigestion. I’ll try again this New Year’s Eve.

I know how you feel my friend.....
My wife calls it "music to slit your wrists to...." 😱

If however, you're not in the mood to 'end it all'.......his penultimate album 'Popular Problems' is a great antidote which sees Lenny in an upbeat (for him) mood with a solid 'bluesy' undercurrent.
Great sound and recording as always.....😀

@halcro "how is the bass". I've not found it to change much over time but it has consistently been very well integrated and as deep as the content on the recording. The PC1 has a lower mid bass bump that gives the impression of more bass but in reality imposes a tone that blurs the differences between instruments. Case in point on early Genesis the PC1 blurs the sound of the bass guitar and the bass pedal. With the Palladian when a bass pedal enters it is completely distinct, not only in frequency but also the tone and shape.  So in summary many will think the Palladian is a tad bass shy but the reality is it gives you what is one the recording. With very loud forward bass such as a Holly Cole "Jersey Girl" it is well defined and detailed while not impinging on the rest of the mix. This track can sound overloaded if you have bass resonances somewhere in your system

one other observation is that the Palladian doesn't sugar coat anything. If the instrument sounds rough or edgy (like much of the Tarantelle record I referenced earlier) then that is what you'll get. Finally the ability to swing sudden dynamics is top rate, take the sudden "cuckooo" in the first Tarantelle band, it'll have you jumping out of your seat

The bass pedal on "Firth of fifth" very few speakers can express the feeling.