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Reviewer: Paul CandySource: Cairn Fog v2.0 24/192 CD player, Pro-Ject 1 Xpression turntable w/AT95E cartridgePreamp/Integrated: Manley Labs Stingray, Audio Zone AMP-1, Pro-Ject Tube Box phono stageAmp: n/aSpeakers: Meadowlark Kestrel 2, Green Mountain Audio Callisto [in for review], Living Voice Auditorium [in forreview]Cables: DH Labs Q-10 speaker cables, Revelation and Air Matrix interconnects, Chord Odyssey biwire speakercable [on loan], Audience powerChord AC cables, GutWire Power Clef 2 AC cableStands: Premier three-tier, filled with sandPowerline conditioning: Blue Circle BC86 MkII Power Line Pillow, GutWire MaxConSundry accessories: Pro-Ject Speed Box, Gingko Audio Cloud 11 platform, Grand Prix Audio APEX footers,Walker Audio SST contact enhancer, Audience Auric Illuminator MkII, GutWire Notepads and SoundPads, DuendeCriatura Tube Rings, AudioPrism Isobearings, dedicated AC line with Isoclean ICP-002 outlet, homebrew acoustictreatmentsRoom size: 13' x 17' x 8'Review Component Retail: 2 Xperience: CDN$1299, SpeedBox SE: CDN$699, MP-30: CDN$399, Gram Amp-2SE: CDN$579, Era Gold V: CDN$1299

No sense beating about the bush here. This was by far the most fun I've had reviewing to date. And what was not toget excited about? I had the sheer pleasure of playing with several thousand dollars worth of analog playback gear forseveral months - and much to my wife's relief, it did not put so much as a dent in our family budget. But boy was myrestraint sorely tested. When Essential Audio's Kurt Martens called to arrange pickup, it was not without a sigh of relief.As Keith Richards once slurred, "Music is more addictive than smack". He oughta know.

After reviewing the Pro-Ject 1 Xpression and Speed Box last year, I was keen to work my way up through Pro-Ject'sproduct offerings, thus today's review of the 2 Xperience plus a veritable cornucopia of analog goodies to make anyvinylphiles swoon. During the last few months, Kurt (Pro-Ject's Canadian distributor) has expanded his product line toinclude Graham Slee, Nagaoka and just recently, Ortofon. It would appear that for a format long rumored to be on thewane, analog is experiencing a resurgence of late. Checking with a few Toronto dealers after Christmas, I discoveredmuch to my surprise that all reported selling more turntables and analog accessories than digital. In fact, sales ofstand-alone CD players seem to be way down. Many of these customers reportedly are not what you and I would callaudiophiles. Perhaps many are simply rediscovering their record collections? However, no one is as surprised as Kurtwhose business is growing faster than anticipated. I am happy to hear that. Kurt is one of the hardest workingdistributor chaps I have met.

With all this talk of upsampling, 24-bit DACs, DVD-A, SACD etc., analog is still the superior format as far as I amconcerned. Even on inexpensive analog gear, I hear a beguiling relaxed ease compared to even multi kilo buck digitalequipment. While I can detect an improvement going from a $1000 CD player to a $2000 one, I hear a far greaterdifference with similarly priced analog setups. Analog is a more intrinsically musical, perhaps even more naturalmedium for the storage and reproduction of music. I suspect the human brain performs far more processing andsorting with digital music, which is essentially a series of samples as opposed to the continuous experience of analog.Analog playback is also more tactile and physical as though it somehow loads a room differently than digital, which is alittle detached and two-dimensional by comparison. Instruments and voices have a fuller, more vital feel about them. Ihear or feel the difference immediately when switching from one format to the other. Moreover, that's not just in myadmittedly modest system. I remember a demonstration Lawrence Blair III, US distributor for Brinkmann, performedlast year at the Montreal show. He flipped between Sony's top-of-the-line SACD player and the same recording (Kindof Blue I think) on a Brinkmann La Grange turntable. While both formats offered startling quality of music reproduction,I had a clear preference for the vinyl. Call it a gut reaction but the vinyl sounded more natural and lifelike to me. Ofcourse I realize I am swatting at windmills here. I do indeed obtain a great deal of satisfaction from my CD collectionand digital is improving with every passing year. It's not going away. However, a part of me wishes digital neverhappened.

Upon close examination of the 2 Xperience, one gets the sense that Austria's Pro-Ject can build pretty much whateverthey want at any price point they choose. I frankly could not find any visible faults or signs of less than stellarworkmanship. The 2 Xperience is a new mid-level table in Pro-Ject's lineup featuring some unique designcharacteristics. The 2kg platter is an MDF sandwich with a 4mm flat-ground layer of vinyl. I am told this layer consistsof recycled records! I like to believe only truly horrible LPs are used for this purpose, preferably the entire Journey andStyx discographies. Throw in Jazz At The Pawnshop while we're at it. But to think Exile On Main Street or MarqueeMoon might be in there somewhere is just too unbearable to imagine. Because of this coating, conventional mats areunnecessary.

You must turn off the motor before removing LPs unlikeon tables with felt mats. The clear acrylic plinth sits onthree height-adjustable aluminum cones, which contain alayer of Sorbothane decoupling/damping material. Thesefooters are impressive and well constructed. I expect ifsold separately, they would be useful under othercomponents. The AC motor is decoupled from the plinthto reduce vibration and features a two-step acrylic pulleythat drives the outside edge of the platter via a squarebelt. The platter's chrome-plated stainless-steel axleruns on a Teflon bearing plate situated in a sinteredbronze-bearing housing. A screw-down metallic recordclamp is also provided for those who prefer tighterphysical contact between LPs and platter. The stockpower supply is a conventional 15V wall-wart. While the2 Xperience is equipped with decent quality RCAinterconnects with integral ground lead, there are gold-plated RCA jacks and an earth screw under the tonearmassembly for those who wish to experiment with othercables. I did not find anything wrong with the suppliedcables so I used them throughout the review.

The 2 Xperience is equipped with the same 9" carbonfiber tonearm used in Pro-Ject's top-of-the-line RPM 9.It features a tapered conical arm tube to reduce standingwave reflections, a fixed aluminum head shell with high-grade copper wiring, hardened stainless steel bearings insapphire cushes, a silicone-damped arm lift and easyadjustment of needle azimuth and VTA.

Also from Pro-Ject, I received a Speed Box SE, anelectronically regulated speed change unit/power supply.In my review of the standard Speed Box, I waspleasantly surprised how much this inexpensive boximproved the performance of the standard 1 Xpression.The SE version kicks it up to a completely new level.The Speed Box SE is essentially an AC filter followed byvoltage regulation and waveform regeneration stages.Think of it as your very own personal turntable powerstation. The Speed Box SE can also act as power supplyfor other turntables with a 16V AC motor. Additionally,this device SE sports a 120V AC output to drive themotor of any turntable with a 120V AC motor, providedthe motor's power consumption is no higher than 6watts.

The quartz-generated electronic speed regulation boastsa speed stability of +/- .001% as opposed to the cheaper SpeedBox's .01%. For the twitchiest of vinylphiles, the SE isequipped with a pitch control (+/- 20 steps/ .1 rpm) to fine tune table speed via two buttons on the front panel. Thecasing is identical to the Tube Box phono preamp. As with the Speed Box, the SE version eliminates adjusting the beltwhen switching between 33 and 45rpm records.

Unlike Pro-Ject's budget decks, the 2 Xperience is sold without a cartridge. The listeners this table is aimed at will

want to pick their own cartridges. My sample came with a Nagaoka MP-30 moving-magnet. Nagaoka may be familiarto some but is relatively unknown in North America since this brand suffered spotty distribution over the years.Nagaoka is a huge Japanese conglomerate that manufactures just about everything. This keiretsu also contains a tinyaudiophile division that specializes in not only their own cartridges but OEM work, specifically cantilevers for just aboutevery other cartridge firm on the planet. As a result, usually expensive components such as boron cantilevers areavailable in relatively inexpensive Nagaoka cartridges such as the MP-30. I am not aware of any boron-equippedcartridge anywhere near the MP-30's $399 retail price. The MP-30 weighs in at 9g with a .4um x .7um elliptical stylus.The output is 3mV and the recommended tracking force 1.3-1.8g.

Graham Slee's phono preamps hardly need introduction tosavvy vinyl spinners. There isn't a publication in print orweb that hasn't already positively commented on Slee'sproducts. Oh well - sometimes we're first, sometimes deadlast to report on exciting audio discoveries. Both phonostages require at least two weeks of burn-in. The specs ofthe Gram Amp 2 SE and Era Gold V are as follows:

Gram Amp 2 SE: Nominal input sensitivity 3mV | inputrange 2 to 10mV | input impedance 47k & 100pF |maximum input 44 mV rms (ref 1kHz) | gain 41.5dB |output 360mV maximum output 5.3V rms | output will drive1.6k Ohms output noise CCIR* q-pk 20Hz-20kHz) -73dB |

distortion < 0.03% | RIAA accuracy 0.5dB | bandwidth 10Hz- 150kHz reproduction curve RIAA | channel balance0.25dB | channel separation 64dB.

Era Gold V: Nominal input sensitivity 4mV | input range2mV - 10mV | input impedance 47k & 100pF | maximuminput 45mV rms (ref 1kHz) | gain 41.5dB | output 480mVmaximum output 5.3V rms | output will drive 600 ohmsoutput noise (CCIR* q-pk 20Hz-20kHz) -68dB | distortion<0.02% | RIAA accuracy 0.25dB | bandwidth 5Hz - 2.7MHzreproduction curve RIAA with 50kHz EQ | channel balance0.2dB | channel separation 64dB.