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MANUFACTURERS’COMMENTS Kuzma Stabi XL and Airline Editor: We at Elite AudioVideo Distribution would like to thank Michael Fremer for his informative and detailed review of the Kuzma Stabi XL turntable and Airline tonearm [April 2007]. The fact that it performed as well as it did against his reference Continuum ’table and arm, at almost four times the price for the Kuzma combination, makes us quite pleased. We feel that readers will get a reasonable idea of how the XL-Airline sounds from his writeup. However, there are a few areas where we would like to comment specifically. First, the type of stand used to support the XL is rather critical, in that it must be, as Fremer points out, decidedly rigid and nonresonant, as well as finely adjustable for level, so that the Airline arm can be brought to the precise point where it needs to be for correct balance and tracking ability—this is common to all straight-tracking arms. Also, the current Finite Elemente wall platform Fremer mentions will not take the weight of the XL, so that one is unfortunately not suitable. Any wallmounted platform used with the XL should have a load capability of at least 250 lbs, to ensure that there is no question of strength, especially if a granite slab or other massive shelf is to be used. Also, Finite Elemente will soon release a special, heavyduty version of its floorstanding equipment stand specifically for the Stabi XL. The temptation to launch into further discussion/debate over the merits of microporous air bearings vs groove-compensated ones is strong, but we will avoid it here, as we feel that the Kuzma design is very well optimized for playing records, and literally “speaks for itself” in terms of resolution of detail, transparency, transient attack behavior, and lack of commonly accepted resonant interactions with phono cartridges. As for cartridge performance in the Airline arm, we feel, as does the manufacturer, that because of the extremely low level of any bass coloration when interacting with a given cartridge, the Airline is so utterly revealing of the true natures of cartridges that it occasionally will find one that is not well suited to it. In the glory days of analog it was widely accepted that, because of known resonant interactions between arms and cartridges of different designs, mainly in the bass region, one had to take reasonable care in matching these components. It is no different today, and the bottom line is that the Airline is simply not the right vehicle for some cartridges, including, it seems, some of the latest Lyra designs. On the other hand, Fremer reports that the combination of the Airline and the newest Air Tight PC-1 was “stunning,” suggesting that the PC-1’s design is exceptionally well thought out and essentially devoid of interactive resonant colorations with the Airline. May I also suggest Koetsu, ZYX, and the newest London, Cardas Heart, and Benz Ruby cartridges, as well as various models from Transfiguration, Dynavector, Miyabi, Clearaudio, and vdH, all excellent matches with the Airline? In conjunction with this, it must be firmly noted that the intrinsically low level of any kind of conventional groove signal-tracking distortion that is realized when using a high-pressure, extremely rigid, air-bearing, straight-line-tracking tonearm such as the Airline is a substantial improvement in almost every way over any kind of fixed-pivot arm. It is an inescapable fact that, even if the tracing radius of a given pivoted arm is increased hugely, well past the point of being practical for use on a modern turntable, it is still an arc rather than a line, and will have some level of measurable distortion over most of the side of a given LP; whereas a properly configured straight-line arm will never deviate from the geometry of how the original master lacquer was originally engraved, thus providing an exceptionally high level of fidelity to the groove’s signals. We would like to close by once again thanking Mr. Fremer and Stereophile magazine for the review of the Kuzma Stabi XL turntable and Airline tonearm. Scot Markwell, Peder Beckman, Mike Hobson Elite AudioVideo Distribution Franc Kuzma Kuzma Ltd. Luminance KST-150 Editor: On behalf of my business partners, Rick Schultz and Mike Tseng, I would like to thank Sam Tellig for his observationally insightful review of the KST-150 amplifier. There are a couple of elaborations I would like to make at this time. Sam correctly points out the KST- 150’s output-current limitation, and that the user should be careful to avoid loudspeaker loads in which the nominal impedance is rated below 3 ohms, as stated in our literature. It is permissible for the high-frequency load impedance to drop to as low as 1.5 ohms, since the power demand at higher frequencies, where electrostatic speakers have significantly lower impedance ratings, is within the rated maximum current tolerance for the Hitachi MOSFET output devices that we incorporate. It is our desire at Luminance to help foster on our website an opportunity for communicative dialog that includes audiophiles, designers, and reviewers, as well as anyone else who wishes to freely and openly investigate techniques of measurement and their correspondent effects on the listening experience. We plan on releasing a number of technical articles by a variety of sources who wish to contribute to the ongoing knowledge and awareness of various design-philosophy etiologies, and provide a constructive medium in which individuals of widely diverse backgrounds can freely disperse the results of their experience in the design and evaluation of different approaches as may become evident as the industry moves forward. Please check Luminance’s website for the scheduling of upcoming forum “chat sites” that will facilitate these offerings. Steve Keiser Design Engineer, Luminance Audio VPI HW-27 Typhoon Editor: I would like to thank Michael Fremer for being a loyal HW-17 record-cleaner owner and for reviewing our latest and best record cleaner, the Typhoon. The Typhoon was designed to be the most powerful record-cleaning machine on the planet, and we have the specs to back that up. The vacuum motor used in the Typhoon can lift a column of mercury over 110", yet it is 6dB quieter (the motor maker’s spec, not ours) than the HW-17’s vacuum motor. In my own system, I have heard information pulled from records cleaned on the Typhoon that I have never heard before, even from records that are 40 years old and have been cleaned many, many times. I’m sorry Michael was unable to reproduce this, as the customer needs to know how these machines compare. Bottom line is, American workers who are paid real wages and get healthcare make the Typhoon in the USA. You get $2000 worth of cleaning machine without importers, distributors, shipping costs, etc., blowing the cost of the product totally out of proportion to what you are really getting. Harry Weisfeld VPI Joule Electra VZN-80 Editor: At Joule Electra, we really enjoyed Art [Dudley]’s column on OTLs. It brought www.Stereophile.com, May 2007 129
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home entertainment 2007

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