Back to the current round of listening and what it means for cartridge matching. In practice, The Magnifier is going to mate happily with a wide range of cartridges, with popular models from the likes of Lyra and Ortofon lining up alongside Thales own offerings – the X-quisite, Voro, Goldenberg and EMT models. You won’t be struggling for choice, while I can see The Magnifier’s sheer musical integrity bringing a welcome quality to many a system.
The Magnifier as preamplifier…
All of which begs the question, why wouldn’t you simply use The Magnifier to replace your existing line-stage too. Running The Magnifier as a full system controller or preamplifier is perfectly straightforward. The absence of network or software control and set-up, combined with the clearly disposed connections, buttons and control knobs (each top-plate rotary switch is arranged in line with the sockets it adjusts) makes for simple, logical configuration. Connecting the Thales directly to a power amp (Jadis, Levinson or TEAD) or via a line-stage was as simple as hooking or unhooking a couple of sets of cables and switching The Magnifier’s output between fixed and variable. Just as with the phono-section, my first point of comparison was the CH Precision L1, which sets the bar pretty high. The P1 is definitely a benchmark product, but the L1 is very much the class of a very small and select field. Throw in the upgradability inherent in its expandable, dual-mono option and external X1 power supply(s) and you are looking at the likes of the L10 to better its performance. It is in some ways, the most impressive product that CH makes – certainly in price/performance terms. In this instance I used the L1 in standalone form, in which guise it’s still a tough act to beat.
Connecting The Magnifier directly to the different power amps quickly reinforced its overall character and sonic signature. Its presentation remains warm, smooth, relaxed and unforced with that familiar compact and substantial sense of body to voices and instruments. The soundstage remains set back behind the plane of the speakers with a natural spread and perspective, perfectly in-line with its classically ‘mid-hall’ balance. If anything, this presentation is even more focussed on the performance as a whole, the sense of ensemble playing and coherent musical integrity. It’s tempting to suggest that it’s almost tube-like, but that would be to misunderstand its inherent sense of musical balance and proportion. The Magnifier doesn’t possess the (overly?) rich harmonic development of the best all-tube designs, their rounded and vibrant tonality. Nor does it have the sheer solidity and impact that it delivers when running fixed level into the L1. Instead, it offers the natural warmth of a reverberant acoustic combined with the top-to-bottom linearity possible with the best solid-state designs. That remarkably natural sense of perspective and proportion encourages you to sit back and let the music come to you, presenting a holistic and immersive experience.
