As I write this, I’m panicking a little. It’s Friday, July 11, and I’m starting to make little piles around the house as I pack for my flight to Europe this coming Monday. I’ll be in Europe for nearly two weeks as I visit the Pro‑Ject Audio Systems / European Audio Team and Siltech / Crystal Cable headquarters. Then I’ll be writing up factory tours of those facilities, and you’ll get to read about them on SoundStage! Global in the next few weeks.
So yes, I’m feeling somewhat stressed out. When I started this gig here at SoundStage! Ultra, Doug Schneider warned me that it can get a little tense when the equipment really starts to flow. He also warned me about how publishing deadlines can sneak up on you. Nonetheless, I felt confident in my ability to organize myself so that I wouldn’t fall behind. I’ve got decades of IT development work under my belt, and I know how to sling a Microsoft Project schedule. I’ve worked in Agile environments, where my tasks were tightly wound up with those of others. Fall behind on your sprint and there would soon be an angry sticky note on the whiteboard announcing your failure.
It was all good at first. I kept tight control of my own timelines, of gear arrivals and associated due dates. And I had Rob and Ron, my audiophile neighbors, to assist with burn-in, setup, and schlepping. My mostly careful organization meant that I’d have a couple of hours each day to write, another couple more to work on setup and gear maneuvering, and a few more to catch up on communication and research.
Somehow it all went to shit this month. Part of it was scheduling that I didn’t account for. Jonathan Gorse and Phil Gold, the two other Ultra contributors, ended up receiving equipment at roughly the same time, which meant that they wouldn’t be able to supply staggered reviews. Suddenly I was on point, responsible for a solid month and a half of content—right at the moment when I was planning to be away from my system for two solid weeks.
There’s plenty of gear here for me to write about. Doug had warned me about that also. “It’ll freak you out how much stuff is gonna arrive at your house,” he said. After 25 years of writing for SoundStage!, I’m well aware that each component to land in my listening room is a solid commitment—a commitment to both the manufacturer and to you, the reader.
So what have I got here in my room, staring me down with puppy-dog eyes, demanding my attention? Well, I just installed the Marantz Model 10 integrated amplifier after it finished burning in over at Rob’s place. You can read about that in an episode of My Audiophile Neighborhood over on SoundStage! Global. That’s the first thing. The most recent arrival, though, is the Audio Research D‑80 power amp. This chunky tube amplifier landed the day before yesterday. Since I’d be jetting off to Europe in three days, Ron and I installed it in his system so that he could run it in for me. You’ll read about both of these amplifiers in the next month or so.
Just the other week I put the finishing touches on the Goldring Ethos SE cartridge write-up, and you can read about it here. Locked into a vinyl-playback frenzy, I’ve almost finished my review of the crazy-value Ortofon MC X40 cartridge, which was introduced at High End 2025 in Munich back in May. You’ll read about the MC X40 on August 1, unless my plane goes down in the Atlantic Ocean.
Other commitments? You bet. I’m excited to tell you about the results of my experiment with building a half-price set of Bowers & Wilkins 801 D4 Signatures by coupling a pair of 805 D4 Signatures with a set of two DB2D subwoofers. I suggest you read my review of the 805 D4 Signatures, which I wrote at the beginning of July, so you can get a feel for how this all came about.
Also in the pipe is my wrap-up of the Siltech Royal Single Crown cable saga. I’ve written a detailed review of the Royal Single Crown speaker cables and followed that up with an evaluation of the results of wiring up my system with a full suite of these cables. The final piece of this puzzle is forthcoming in my For the Record column, where I’ll go one step further and connect my VPI Prime Signature turntable’s motor using a Royal Single Crown power cord, and then run a Royal Single Crown interconnect from the VPI’s teats to the EMM Labs DS-EQ1 phono stage.
Oh yeah! I can’t forget the music. Three weeks ago, I received Van Halen II (Mobile Fidelity MFSL45UD1S-033) and Women and Children First (Mobile Fidelity MFSL45UD1S-034), the next two albums in Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab’s series of Van Halen reissues. These records are pressed on SuperVinyl and cut at 45 rpm. They’re insane records—lightning captured on vinyl—and I get goosebumps each time I listen to them. You’ll get to read about these shortly, also in my For the Record column.
There’s more! I’ve also been finalizing the plans to receive Engström’s Arne integrated amplifier along with a pair of SoundSpace Systems Robin speakers. Twice now, I’ve visited Boutique Audio—located in King City, just north of Toronto—a super-swanky high-end audio retailer and distributor of a whole bunch of high-rent, Ultra-worthy brands. Jason Melman, the owner, is a stand-up guy who endeared himself to me even more when I found out he also runs a whiskey and cognac importation company. I also spent some time chatting with Michael Plessmann, the driving force behind SoundSpace Systems, as he was in Canada for the unveiling of his new speaker, the formidable Rossignol.
Anyway, like I said, I was working with Jason recently on the timing for the review of the Arne and the Robin. However, given that I was getting set to leave the country for two weeks, and Doug Schneider was also out of the country and wouldn’t be able to measure either component in a timely manner, we decided that it was best to postpone. And to tell the truth, I’m not certain I’d have the bandwidth to handle it right now. Once I’m back from Europe I’ll have some clarity, I’m sure. But as of today, I feel like one of those old-time variety-show plate spinners, running from pole to pole, trying to keep the plates spinning. Except for me it’s spinning vinyl, with cartridges following one after the other.
It’s cartridges all the way down right now, and I can’t see the bottom. I’ve heard it said that depression is caused by excessive focus on the past, while anxiety is a result of a fixation on the future. I guess that means what I’m feeling right now is anxiety. But that’s okay; it keeps me on my toes. I’m excited to see what goes on at the Siltech/Crystal and Pro‑Ject/EAT facilities—once I’m moving, it’ll all come together. Now back to that Ortofon review. It’s one heck of a cartridge, and I’m looking forward to sharing my impressions with you.
. . . Jason Thorpe
jasont@soundstagenetwork.com
