Herron VTPH-2A / Origin Live Conqueror / Koetsu Black Goldline

E-Ticket


Ever wonder, "Yeah, but how much better is it, really?" Which, when you get down to it, comes down to, "Would the average person really care? Or even notice?"

Almost always, if we're honest, the answer is, "No."

Some years ago I upgraded from the highly praised and justifiably respected Graham 2.0 tone arm (with upgrades) to the much less well known (stateside, anyways) Origin Live Conqueror. The Graham does a lot of things right, totally earns its rep, but the Conqueror is a whole other realm. There comes a point with some components where to run down the list of attributes just seems so pointless, when its so much better across the board its a whole lot easier and more accurate to simply say, this is a whole new realm.

That's what I got from the Conqueror. The wife, not so much. Never even noticed. Not one comment, pro or con.

Few weeks ago a new Koetsu Black Goldline replaced my Benz Ruby H. Same thing, whole new realm. Everyone lauds the legendary Koetsu midrange. Deservedly so. Its just spooky real! What they almost never say though is that Koetsu magic isn't just midrange. Its everything. Its music. Its power and silence and dynamic shadings and, well the whole package wrapped up and delivered in such a way as makes you want to forget about all that stuff. With all my prior cartridges for example I would tweak VTA every record and notice, and only be happy when it was right, and even thought this constant fine tuning was one of the most important elements to good LP playback. With the Koetsu, once I got it dialed in it sounded so good I just totally lost interest in anything but relaxing into the music.

That's what I get from the Koetsu. The wife, not so much. Never even noticed. Not one comment, pro or con.

Even though, around this same time, I also got some Synergistic Research ECTs and Blue Quantum Fuse. Just one ECT is enough to get me going. One Quantum Fuse even more so. All together, while a really nice upgrade they are not to my ears game changers in the league of the Conqueror or Koetsu. I was sure all this together with the Koetsu would spark a comment. But no. My wife actually sat down and listened a while without ever saying anything one way or another.

Then the Herron came. In fairness, Keith tried to warn me. It'll sound "completely different" than my Audio Research PH3-SE, Mr. Herron had told me, and "It'll sound good right out of the box."

I'll say.
  
When of course nobody by now cares what I think. All I can add anyway is the same old same old, with maybe a new twist on realms, universes, whatever the plural of cosmos is. By now, if you are not clued in that its all about the wife, well then its back to Expository Writing 101 for me!

But first, a little about my listening room.

The result of a major remodel (some would say rebuild) my listening room is about more than having good sound in the room. Its also about no sound- getting in, or going out. So instead of the usual 1/2" sheetrock there's 5/8" sheetrock. (Stops sound almost twice as good as 1/2"!) Over 1/2" sound board. Over, because this is a remodel, exterior plywood and siding. With a solid core door. With weather-stripping. Nowhere near professional studio standards, yet well above even very good residential construction.

Okay. So I'm sitting in my listening room enthralled with the Herron, blissfully (thanks to the weather-stripped solid core door) unaware of my wife clamoring around in the kitchen. Until, that is, she opens the door, sticks her head in and says, "Dear, did you do something? It sounds completely different!"

Well, what could I do? I mean, what could I do?

"Yeah I was busy today cleaning all the connections."

And off she goes. Whew. Close one!

Until, later on that same night she catches me in the kitchen. "Dear, it sounds completely different!"

"I know. I took everything apart. Cleaned everything. Used to do this at least once a year but I let it go, been more like 10 years. Really needed it."

Keep in mind, she has not yet even been in the room. This is all through the door.

Next day she actually comes in the room. Thought for a minute she was going to sit down but then, "Dear, its like completely different system. What did you do? You bought something. What did you buy?" (Guessing.) "Did you buy a new amplifier?"

"Sort of. Phono stage. That thing down there."

And now, the coup de grace. What you all know is coming. Which. Did. Not. Come!

So now, on top of asking yourself just how good a component has to be to make your wife come and tell you how good it is- and not once, not twice, but three times, unasked!- on top of that wonder at how good it has to be to make your wife not even think about how much it cost.

Not some audiophile. Not even some average person. Your wife.

Sure I could go on and on about how great this thing is. About how dead silent and black the silence between the notes is, about how startlingly real every tonal signature is, about how it had me catching myself slack jawed mouth agape all but drooling and trying to get my mind around how a phono stage somehow made my system lose what for years I just kind of assumed was some sort of tonal signature probably coming from the speakers, only I never even knew it was there until it was gone, its frankly just guessing, all I know is its gone, its all gone, the whole enchilada just gone, just this music now somehow floating there in the room, ephemeral yet palpably real as all get-out.

But what would be the point? You heard the wife. Nuff said.