Inspire Monarch direct drive - first impressions

[dunkyboy]

A little backstory:

I’ve been having tracking issues with my Funk Vector Anni-modded Pink Triangle Export rig for years now, gradually swapping components out to try and pin down the problem… Recently came to the grudging conclusion that it’s probably the deck itself (geometry issues with the armboard mount?), so decided to try something completely different – so I bought the zebrano Inspire Monarch that Purite Audio was advertising in the Trade Sales forum.

The Monarch is Inspire’s take on the ultimate direct drive deck. It uses the drive chain out of the venerable Technics 1200 series, and swaps out pretty much everything else for higher-quality parts (bearing, electrics, PSU, platter) and sticks them in a solid aluminium plinth sandwiched between two great slabs of beautifully-veneered plywood. Rock-solid, massive, immobile, driven by a by a beefy direct-coupled motor, with plug-‘n-play push-button usability – in every way the opposite of the Pink Triangle, which is a lightweight, delicate, belt-driven, wibbly, suspended deck (lots of acrylic, carbon fiber, balsa wood)!

Last night I fitted my newly-serviced Hadcock 242SE arm, and beloved Music Maker III cart, and gave it a whirl. Setup was super-easy – plonk it down, install the arm, press “go”, instant 33.3rpm. Hooray! Blessed relief after years with the fiddly, delicate Pink.

So I’ve only had one evening to listen to it so far, and I’m not sure I’ve found the Nth degree of perfection in the settings – VTA, VTF, antiskate, etc. Also, the support it’s on isn’t quite ideal – top MDF shelf of a basic Target welded rack. (Need to investigate isolation platforms…) So this is just my first impression, based on 3-4 hours of listening, and a handful of record sides. Also, it’s been a while since I had a good long listen to the Pink, so comparisons are vague and mostly from long-term memory (unreliable!)

So, how did it sound? Some things were unsurprising: it’s rock-solid, with impeccable timing and pitch, and super-stable soundstage. Bass is big, deep, powerful, and punchy. Frequency response is even, neutral, and very well-extended at the extremes. Resolution is very high – lots of detail, especially endless inner detail.

But some things took me by surprise: it has incredible 3D depth, with the soundstage seemingly extending far past the plane of the speakers into the wall and beyond. It has a refreshing clear-eyed presentation that feels very honest, neutral, and a little up-front/lightweight. It is sweet, liquid, and completely free of grain. It has tonal colour to die for – incredible technicolour stuff, just beautiful. The best I think I’ve heard from any source component. Voices and instruments, even massed in an orchestra, sound so rich and varied and beautiful… wonderful. And lastly, it has a liquidity and expressiveness, and a taught dynamic tension, that are just spellbinding. Voices, breaths, instruments (especially strings) ebb and flow with the music...

Some highlights from my listening sesh:

- Bjork’s “Post” was a LOT of fun! That thar’s some BIG, deep, tight, slammy bass, with great velvety texture – yumm!

- Jeff Buckley’s “Grace” was mesmerizing… The “audiophile” staple Hallelujah was unsurprisingly stunning, but the dense, rockier tracks were also very well served, with difficult rhythms and swings picked out engagingly. Noticed the wonderful guitar riff in the song Grace for the first time – it had amazing texture and colour, and great groove.

- Elvis “Elvis Is Back!” was wonderful. Up-tempo songs were fun and boppy, down-tempo songs had some incredible vocals. Elvis had really rich tones, soulful, and full of body and texture.

- “Bags’ Groove” - Milt Jackson’s vibraphone sounds increhooodible! So crystalline, present and real.

So… that was a tad gushy (understatement!), but it wasn’t all good. This clear-eyed, up-front presentation has pros, but it’s also a bit unforgiving, and a bit “hifi”. Listening to it, you feel like you’re listening to a very clear window on the recording, rather than feeling like there’s musicians in your living room (which is what the Pink Triangle does). It’s a bit brutally honest, and a bit lacking in warmth and fullness. It’s even a little matter-of-fact – it doesn’t leap out and you and bloom into the room like some (and like the PT does to an extent). It’s not the kind of sound where you can forget about the audio reproduction chain and just enjoy the music, like I want to. Also, with my ATC actives, I think there’s a little too much of that lean/neutral/honest/unforgiving character – so for me, system synergy isn’t ideal.

It’s very early days yet, so I’ll do some more heavy listening before coming to any conclusions. There’s a few things I want to try too. I need to experiment with VTA and VTF to be sure everything is at its best. I want to try my Funk Achromat on the Monarch – it’s not supposed to benefit from mats, but I’m curious nonetheless. Wonder if it might skew things slightly towards the PT’s more open, forgiving character… I’ve also got a slightly knackered (but still functional) Dynavector 17D3 lying around that I want to try on it in lieu of the Music Maker. Maybe its character will gel better with the Monarch’s in my system? If nothing else, I’m curious.

Will update when I have more to report…

Cheers,

Dunc

P.S. – The bleeding tracking issue was still there! Means the PT deck is presumably OK, but the cart must be at fault… Will probably just stump up for a brand new Music Maker – had my fill of second-hand carts…

 

[dunkyboy]

Wow, a little tinkering has transformed it!

First tried lowering VTA to see if I could skew the balance "down" a little to give it a bit more body and weight. It worked - a little. Slightly raised warmth and body, but not huge. The Music Maker definitely liked this configuration better - very slightly tail-down.

Second I tried the Achromat. It's a little awkward as with the mat and a record on, the spindle barely pokes out. Definitely no room for the Puka record weight (which comes with the deck), which is a shame. But my god is the sound transformed! It sounds a *lot* closer to the Pink's character - the "clear-eyed" character (which could otherwise be called glare or sheen...) is gone, leaving a much more open, relaxed, and actually more detailed sound. Also, much more natural, less "hifi". I'm really liking it!

There seems to be a bit of a midbass lift (there's a bit of a woody "thump", which manifests with some music - presumably a property of the Achromat?) But it's a small price to pay for a much more open, natural, and listenable sound! And maybe some more VTA tinkering will help.

More tinkering (and listening) awaits...

Dunc

 

[rmsshipbroker]

Interesting stuff Duncan.

I've just got a Techie to play with so also just discovering the delights of direct drive.

As far as isolation platforms go, I've had good experiences with BobC's Hush platforms.

Cheers

Steve

P.S. Getting on very nicely with the 2.1x :^

 

[dunkyboy]

Good to hear it.

Am definitely interested in Hush. I seem to have noticed them proliferating - in magazines, and also at Cornflake in Tottenham Court Road the other day. Not cheap are they?

Dunc

 

[rmsshipbroker]

True, however they do seem to do the business.

I've one under the Oto.

Worth an audition if and when. :^

 

[dunkyboy]

An update, with several items to report.

Music Maker:

So I gave up on my long-suffering second-hand Music Maker and took it to Len Gregory in South Croydon to trade it in for a brand new one. Len is a consummate gentleman – generous, friendly and helpful, it’s always a pleasure dealing with him. I consider myself fortunate to live nearby. The trade-in deal is very generous on the Music Makers, so I felt like I wasn’t too hard done by – I think given the £300 or so I paid for the used cart, my total expenditure hasn’t exceeded the £750 price of a new one. Len fitted the cart to my Hadcock there and then too – much appreciated as my fat fingers do not suit cartridge installation!

It worked! The new Music Maker has no sign of the previous distortion! I’m over the moon that I’ve finally cracked this issue, as it’s been driving me nuts for aeons… Other than the distortion, the new cart sounds much like the old one, except a touch sweeter and more refined in the treble and upper mids. It also sounds a little uneven in frequency response – I’m guessing it needs a little time to break in?

Mats:

My 5mm Funk Achromat is so thick as to make use of the Inspire puck impossible, and worse, with some 180gm records, the disc doesn’t actually sit snugly, with enough lateral play to cause wow distortion during play. So I thought I’d try something thinner. First thought was a 3mm Achromat, though I’m not sure 2mm would be quite enough. Then I read about the Origin Live mat, which is allegedly comparable to the Achromat, but much thinner at 1mm. So I stumped for one of these.

I’ve had a couple listening sessions with it, but haven’t yet done a head-to-head with the Achromat. First impression is that it has a similar effect as the Achromat, but less so, with more of the deck’s innate “sheen” coming through, and less of the Achromat’s warm, neutral naturalness. I think the Achromat robs it of some of its crystalline tonal colours, so I’m not 100% sold on either mat yet. More experimentation needed. The good news is the OL mat definitely leaves plenty of spindle poking above the record – enough for fat records and the puck every time.

Speakers:

On a bit of a tangent, but following on from my comments about system synergy – that the Monarch’s lightweight, unforgiving sound is maybe overemphasized by the similar-sounding ATC actives – I’ve taken a punt on a pair of Audio Note AN-J/D speakers! I’ve always loved AN speakers when I’ve heard them at hifi shows, and I love the AN sound generally (my DAC and preamp are both from that stable), and this model is an entry-level one, so not expensive. Maybe the AN sound will complement the Monarch better than the ATCs? In any case, I’ve always wanted to try some AN speakers, so I’m quite excited.

Still need to sort an amp, but I’ve got a couple cheap ones lying around from my bedroom and office systems, which will get me started (a Fatman iTube valve hybrid, and a tiny Chinese T-amp – good variety!) Plus Keith at Purite Audio has generously lent me the very interesting Bakoon 11R power amp. Much more high-end, and very well-regarded, though not necessarily the sort of amp ANs are typically paired with… Should be interesting!

 

[dunkyboy]

Another quick update. I've done some more experimenting and I'm pretty sure I don't like the OL mat. It definitely robs the deck of its magical tonal colours and crystalline highs. It also softens its punch and snap - dynamics are softer and PRaT less foot-tappingly satisfying. So for now I'm back to the bare platter. I've lowered the VTA some more, which puts some flesh on the bones, so to speak, and takes some of the zing out of the treble - I've got it to the point where the sound is very natural and relaxed, without a mat, and with all of the deck's best qualities. The only downside is the low VTA is - I think - worsening the cart's tracking abilities. Not completely sure, but I think there's a bit more break-up during crescendos and big peaks. More listening needed - hooray for bank holiday weekends!

At some point I'll go back and whack the Achromat back on. And eventually I want to stick the Hadcock/MM back onto the Pink Triangle deck, to compare. But for now I've got it sounding very good indeed. The OL mat will stay on the shelf (and perhaps appear in the classifieds...), and the Monarch will bare its beautiful naked platter for visitors to admire.

Dunc

- - - Updated - - -

P.S. - The AN-Js have fallen through, so I'm on the lookout for another pair. And for now, it's all sounding rather glorious with the ATCs.

 

[dunkyboy]

Yup, Achromat wins it. All of the qualities of the bare platter, but without the overly zingy treble (busy, lively recordings became fatiguing pretty fast), but with none of the flaws of the OL mat. Punch and PRaT are all still there in spades. Tonal colours are rich and beautiful. But overall balance is more neutral, and more natural. Love it.

Have ordered a 3mm Achromat, as the 5mm is too tall for the short spindle. Hoping the extra 2mm clearance will be enough. Also hoping the thinner mat won't sacrifice sound quality...

Dunc