Hi Fi World's report of London Audio Show September 2008
22/11/08 11:48
Hi Fi World December 2008
There were loudspeakers of various shapes, sizes and operating principles on show. New to me and domestically outrageous, except to the most dedicated, were a pair of looming black Klipsch Jubilee horns.
I rushed into the room. Ralph Bagge of Artisan Audio told me they were cinema loudspeakers, needing just a few Watts to work well. Those on display had modified passive crossovers and were driven by German Valvet hybrid valve/solid-state amplifiers.
Horns have strong dynamics and a lot of impact and the Jubilees were no exception, sounding clean relaxed yet lively and entertaining.
At the front of the system was an Italian Morsiani Unipivot tone arm with carbon fibre tube and graphite headshell; I suspect the latter will well resist the dense resonant patterns that affect so many headshells.
Bolted into it was an American Soundsmith cartridge that, amazingly, uses a strain gauge generator internally. The stylus is user replaceable and costs less than an MC apparently, and moving mass is lower than that of conventional MM and MC cartridges.
The drawback is that it must be used with a special preamp, but this provides displays to show how well it is working. It was a fascinating system and we hope to be able to tell you more soon. NK
There were loudspeakers of various shapes, sizes and operating principles on show. New to me and domestically outrageous, except to the most dedicated, were a pair of looming black Klipsch Jubilee horns.
I rushed into the room. Ralph Bagge of Artisan Audio told me they were cinema loudspeakers, needing just a few Watts to work well. Those on display had modified passive crossovers and were driven by German Valvet hybrid valve/solid-state amplifiers.
Horns have strong dynamics and a lot of impact and the Jubilees were no exception, sounding clean relaxed yet lively and entertaining.
At the front of the system was an Italian Morsiani Unipivot tone arm with carbon fibre tube and graphite headshell; I suspect the latter will well resist the dense resonant patterns that affect so many headshells.
Bolted into it was an American Soundsmith cartridge that, amazingly, uses a strain gauge generator internally. The stylus is user replaceable and costs less than an MC apparently, and moving mass is lower than that of conventional MM and MC cartridges.
The drawback is that it must be used with a special preamp, but this provides displays to show how well it is working. It was a fascinating system and we hope to be able to tell you more soon. NK
Paul Messenger mentions us in Stereophile July 2008
26/06/08 11:08
Respected UK audio journalist Paul Messenger
contributes a monthly "Industry Update" column to US
magazine Stereophile. In the July 2008
report on the Heathrow Show he wrote:
"I particularly enjoyed a system put together by newcomers Artisan Audio. Their small room was dwarfed by a pair of monstrous Klipsch Jubilee speakers - Klipschorns on steroids, and intended for movie theaters - driven by tube amplification from Quicksilver Audio and fed by a Galibier turntable with Artisan tonearm. The pièce de resistance, however, was the Soundsmith strain-gauge phono cartridge, which delivered a smooth, detailed sound that was somehow cleaner than that found with regular moving-magnet and -coil cartridges. There's nothing new about strain-gauge cartridges, which were made by Euphonics in the 1960s, and in the 1970s by Panasonic and Win Labs - but maybe the concept is right for a revival, though the currently high price of the Soundsmith is something of a deterrent."
"I particularly enjoyed a system put together by newcomers Artisan Audio. Their small room was dwarfed by a pair of monstrous Klipsch Jubilee speakers - Klipschorns on steroids, and intended for movie theaters - driven by tube amplification from Quicksilver Audio and fed by a Galibier turntable with Artisan tonearm. The pièce de resistance, however, was the Soundsmith strain-gauge phono cartridge, which delivered a smooth, detailed sound that was somehow cleaner than that found with regular moving-magnet and -coil cartridges. There's nothing new about strain-gauge cartridges, which were made by Euphonics in the 1960s, and in the 1970s by Panasonic and Win Labs - but maybe the concept is right for a revival, though the currently high price of the Soundsmith is something of a deterrent."
Heathrow Show report in Hi Fi World June 2008
26/06/08 11:04
We were identified as one of nine highlights at the
show by assistant editor Adam Smith, who wrote:
"A most impressive setup from Artisan Audio included the Galibier Gavia turntable with its pretty mylar belt, Artisan Capriccio arm and the Soundsmith Strain-gauge cartridge. This uses a solid silicon beam that is deflected by the movement of the stylus to create sound - no magnets or coils! It also has blue LED illumination and is supplied with its own preamplifier. Through Quicksilver amplifiers and into the massive Klispch Jubilee loudspeakers, this was one room with serious sonic presence..."
"A most impressive setup from Artisan Audio included the Galibier Gavia turntable with its pretty mylar belt, Artisan Capriccio arm and the Soundsmith Strain-gauge cartridge. This uses a solid silicon beam that is deflected by the movement of the stylus to create sound - no magnets or coils! It also has blue LED illumination and is supplied with its own preamplifier. Through Quicksilver amplifiers and into the massive Klispch Jubilee loudspeakers, this was one room with serious sonic presence..."