In the end I listened to all of the combinations listed above and also conducted two sets of direct comparisons using either the DS Audio Master 1 or the Lyra Etna Lambda. I also tried the different arms with cartridges specifically chosen to suit or test their particular mechanical characteristics – the very low compliance/high mass Fuuga in the 12” arm, the high-compliance/low-mass DS-001 in the 9”. The different decks also meant that the arms graced both listening rooms and multiple systems, with phono-stages including the Connoisseur 4.2PLE, CH Precision P1/X1 and the VTL TP-6.5. Out of all this, what was most remarkable was just how clearly the tonearms’ common qualities and character emerged.
So much for the nuts and bolts, how do the Alphasons sound – and how do they differ. Listen to an HR-200S – any HR-200S, irrespective of length – and its qualities quickly emerge. Listen in isolation and they insinuate themselves into your subconscious, until you simply take them for granted. But start with a direct comparison between the Alphason arm and some other tonearm, or switch to a different arm once the sound of the HR-200S is firmly embedded in your inner ear and the distinctions, those sonic and musical qualities, are starkly apparent. They are built on two complementary aspects of performance.
The first is a sense of purity. This is both tonal and textural. Grain is one those things that you generally don’t notice until it’s absent. Yet grain, filling the space within the soundstage and overlaying the tonal and textural qualities of instruments and voice, significantly undermines musical performance. It dulls colour and robs instruments of shape and volume. It lies like a veil across the performance, diminishing and compressing its life, energy and immediacy. The Alphason tonearms are wonderfully, refreshingly free of grain. Instruments have a natural smoothness and texture, a fresh immediacy full of individual identity and vitality.
The second quality, distinct but closely related to that tonal and textural purity, is an inherent sense of balance. The Alphason arms exhibit an almost self-effacing lack of exaggeration or emphasis. They soar, effortlessly and smoothly from deep bass to airy treble, with no unruly bands of exuberance, or attention grabbing, splashy fire-works. Dynamics are quick and lively, with the ability to project musical energy irrespective of frequency. The result is a natural sense of scale and perspective, spatial and rhythmic coherence. The arms are sure-footed and secure, never tripping over themselves or getting muddled. Together, the even spectral balance and tonal purity add up to poised, unflappable performances notable for their sense of clarity and musical purpose.
So much for the family DNA and common qualities: when it comes to specific musical examples, that’s where the differences in effective length start to enter the equation. Fortunately, the sound evolves from 9”, through 10.5” to 12” along a linear continuum, a sense of shifting emphasis or balance of virtues rather than three distinct products. Let’s start where the story itself started, with the 9” version…
Small AND beautiful…
Back in the day, when tonearms needed to fit on the LP12, they needed to fit under its lid too. The 9” HR-200S is typically compact, physically and when mounted on a turntable. It sits close to the platter, the curved armtube following the edge of the record. That contained elegance extends to the performance. The clarity, stability and dynamic agility all contribute to the sense of presence and musical immediacy. The HR-200S is as direct as it is communicative. It places central images solidly front and centre, lending musical emphasis and focus to the key performer. Vocals have a body, substance and presence that underlines not just their individual character, the singer’s technique and diction, but the emotional import of their words, whether it’s Suzanne Vega talking about her ‘arrival’ in New York (An Evening Of New York Songs And Stories, Cooking Vinyl COOKLP763), Joan Armatrading’s heartfelt delivery on ‘Love and Affection’ or Ezra Koenig’s jaunty, sardonic delivery on Father Of The Bride (Columbia 19075930141). The arm’s expressive range is excellent, revealing the subtleties and nuance in the sense and delivery of the different singers and their different messages.
