PureAudio Pure Vinyl Phono Preamplifier Review at AudioEnz

This review from AudioEnz of the PureAudio Pure Vinyl Phono Preamplifier is cool for two reasons. First, we know Gary Morrison of PureAudio and he's already told us all about his new New Zealand-based company. Gary was the head of Plinius for many years and was responsible for some of their most celebrated designs, such as the 8150 and 8200 integrated amplifiers. PureAudio will be featuring more ambitious designs than Plinius; the phono preamplifier will probably cost around $4500 or so when it reaches the US. PureAudio also features monoblock amplifiers (running in class A) and a preamplifier. As you can see, the casework on these products is simply stunning.

Second, the review appeared in the New Zealand audio mag AudioEnz. For those of you who have followed the Vinyl Anachronist over the years, you'll know I wrote for AudioEnz for a couple of years. Michael Jones was a great boss, and I enjoyed working for him. It's funny, but people started assuming that I was from New Zealand for a while. Nope, I was an American who happened to write for a New Zealand magazine. I knew Michael from a couple of audio discussion groups, and we bonded over our shared befuddlement over the popularity of the Technics SL-1200.

Perfect Sound Forever, who has published my Vinyl Anachronist column since 1998, was going through some turbulent times including a temporary format switch and a new editor. For a couple of months, PSF disappeared and I assumed it was gone forever. I didn't want the column to die, so I approached Michael. He happily kept it going, but there were a couple of changes--I had to write about products that were available in New Zealand. That became a challenge over the ensuing months, since not everything I wanted to talk about was available in New Zealand. While the New Zealand audio scene was very active and represented by such well-known brands as Perraux, Plinius and a few others, this American was constantly searching for relevant things to write about.

When PSF reappeared in its original format, I started writing two separate Vinyl Anachronist columns for each publication. I found that I was quickly running out of content for columns. When AudioEnz went on hiatus after Michael had eye surgery, we let the association quietly dissolve. But I'm very glad to see the new, refreshed AudioEnz back online. It's also great to see them give such a rave review to Gary's phono preamplifier as well. Or, as reviewer Michael Wong concludes, "The Vinyl squarely hits all its design targets and in my experience is the finest phono stage ever made in New Zealand (and given the directions taken by other local manufacturers, is likely to hold the top spot for a long time to come)."

Congratulations, Gary! Great review.