Which Allnic? H-1202 or H-1201?
Switching to the prewarmed H1202 and playing the same track I am afraid cliche number one was starkly apparent from the opening few bars. Everything was closer, more immediate, more tangible, just like those couple of bed sheets had just been pulled off the speakers. There was an instant sense that you are quite a bit closer to the actual grooves in the Vinyl. The H1202 is simply more of everything, more articulate with greater shape to all the sounds, tighter, taughter with fuller and more precise bass and the texture and timbre of instruments sounded more fully developed and expressed. Those snare hits and strident guitar chords near the end almost sounded like they each had their very own limitless amplifier as they leapt out of the mix with a huge amount of force allowing you to appreciate the dynamic power of the Etna in a whole new way.
Out of interest I switched back to the H1201 and ran the track again and sure enough, the outgoing unit now sounded dull, a little polite, a touch blurry and just less structured and dynamic overall. The sound in the room was also just smaller with less space and air in the entire performance.
Looks like H1205 supports 2 MMs and 2 MCs. It may be more like H1500. https://www.dropbox.com/s/o5gd8h9i6tf6gic/AllnicH1205.jpg?dl=0 |
I got H1202. Listened to it over the weekend. It sounds better than my $1000 SUT and $1000 Phono stage. Not by a wide margin, but still it is a recognizable improvement. Also, it is dead quiet. There is virtually no hum at low - mid high volume. The hum is noticeable only when it is turned to high volume. The phono pre in my Plinius M16P is very low on hums, but Allnic is much quieter. Overall, I like it. I think it lives up to all glowing reviews. I see there are many Allnics for sale after Allnic released new models on February. Grab one if you are on the market. |
