T.H.E. Show 2019--A Reunion with Gene Rubin

My latest show report from T.H.E. Show 2019 in Long Beach is now live at Part-Time Audiophile. This one's about meeting up with Gene Rubin, my original high-end audio dealer. You can read it here.

Palmer turntables...now at Gene Rubin Audio!

A few months ago I blogged about the Palmer turntables from the UK, calling them "audio porn." These turntables are beautiful and the buzz has been strong. Well, I just got an email from my friend Gene Rubin of Gene Rubin Audio in Ventura, California, and he's quite smitten with these analog rigs and has decided to carry them. Gene, who has always had GREAT taste in turntables (he's the one who steered me toward both Regas and Michells), feels that these are the best he's heard--which is high praise indeed.

I'll let Gene take it from here:

"After 32 years of selling, enjoying and hearing practically all of the very best LP turntables, I have finally found a turntable that is so remarkable, it is like entering another world."

"The Palmer 2.5, as you see it here, comes with the Scottish Audio Origami tonearm. I am using it with the Dynavector 20X2 cartridge. I had been hearing incredible reviews about the Palmer from my sources in the UK. Jon Palmer sent this table for me to use at Stereophile Show in Newport Beach. Within minutes after I set this turntable up, I was listening with my jaw dropped. I practically can't describe how incredible it is. Pure silent background, music that is so real you just can't tear yourself away from it. I played nothing but LP's the entire show. Visitors to the room would sigh a breath of relief at finally being able to relax in a room with real music. Some listeners spents hours and came back over and over to revel in the sound of this table with the LFD amp and Harbeth speakers."

Price for the Palmer 2.5 is $5995, and the Audio Origami arm is $3495. You can check them out on Gene's site at www.generubinaudio.com.

Roksan Xerxes turntable at Echo Audio

"I'm getting a lot of Linn Sondek LP12s in for trade lately," Gene Rubin once told me many years ago. I had just finished telling him how much I wanted to audition a Linn and hear what this legendary TT sounded like. I was also incredulous that people would trade these in--wasn't the Linn the best-sounding turntable ever made (a sentiment that had quite a lot of support back in the '90s)?

"What are they trading them in on?" I asked, slightly astounded.

"The Roksan Xerxes, of course."

Back when I first met Gene, probably 1991 or so, he basically sold two brands of turntables--Rega and Roksan. (Now he sells quite a few including Clearaudio, J. A. Michell and VPI). His reference rig was the original Roksan TT, a Naim ARO arm and an Audio-Technica OC9 cartridge. I heard this combo many times, and if I could afford the approximately $4400 back then, I would have splurged. I wound up getting a Rega P3. Later, I traded it in on a Rega P25, then a J.A. Michell Orbe SE. But I always had a lot of respect for the first Roksan Xerxes.

Well, Echo Audio in Portland currently has a beautiful rosewood veneered Roksan fitted with a classic Zeta arm and a Shure M97 cartridge. (I'd ditch the Shure for something more worthy of the Roksan.) He's selling this combo for just $825. This is a great 'table for less than a grand. Echo isn't offering shipping on this item, so some lucky Portland audiophile will probably wind up with this gorgeous analog rig.

To see the Roksan, just check out Echo Audio at http://echohifi.com/just_arrived.php.

You snooze you lose...look at this beautiful vintage Thorens TD-147!

I think we all missed out on this one. This beautifully restored Thorens TD-147 from Vinyl Nirvana sold within days. The cost was only $625 shipped. For those who don't know the TD-147, it's the version of the famed TD-160 with the auto shut-off function. This particular model has a stunning plinth, and the entire TT had only one minor scratch.

This just proves that the market for first-rate vintage turntables is still thriving. For future reference, just bookmark the Vintage Turntable page on Vinyl Nirvana at http://www.vinylnirvana.com/vintage-turntables-for-sale/ and you'll be able to monitor these offerings before they sell.

Oh, and for the record, I receive nothing from Audio Nirvana, Echo Audio or anyone else for spotting these TTs. In fact, I don't even think that Kurt Doslu or David Archimbault know about my blog. I just think about something that Gene Rubin of Gene Rubin Audio once told me: "Finding homes for used audio gear is good karma. All of these pieces can bring musical joy to SOMEONE..."

Just Say No to Bad Customer Service

I had to fire someone today.

No, it wasn't an employee, but a vendor. We've had trouble dealing with this particular company; we've made five purchases from them, and four of those purchases required a return visit because the product was defective. Today, when we complained about screw-up #4, the representative argued with us. His argument was this: if we had been doing OUR jobs right, we would have seen their screw-up in advance. I replied by severing our business relationship with them.

Yesterday, I picked up my car from the mechanic. It was a job that should have taken a day to fix, but thanks to a screw-up on their end (the part they bought didn't work), they had my car for almost a week while they sorted everything out. When the bill came, it was full price. When I left the shop, which was out in the boondocks, I was told, "You're kind of low on gas...you should fill it up right away." I got a mile down the road--a country road--when the car ran out of gas. Stranded, I had to walk a mile to get some gas. I severed that business relationship as well.

Over the last few weeks, bad customer service seems to be a growing trend in my life. The problem is, these same people I've dealt with are complaining about how tough times are and that business is not good. Think there's a connection? I do.

Maybe it's because I worked in management for 18 years for companies that always stressed the importance of good customer service. If I didn't make the customer happy, my boss would. Then I'd spend the rest of the day in my boss's office being asked why I didn't take care of the customer. Funny thing was that NONE of these companies complained about business being slow or times being tough. That's because they knew how to deliver GREAT customer service.

My brother Mat, who has been successful in the computer sales/repair business for 14 years, said this to me: "I always insist on giving the best customer service to my clients. I only expect about half as much customer service in return. Everyone's standards are way too low." I've worked with companies who, in tough times, have replaced their "The customer is always right" mantra with sayings such as "Sometimes you have to fire some customers." While the customer may NOT be always right, the trick is never letting them know they aren't right. That's good business, plain and simple.

This idea, of course, translates with uncommon relevance to the high-end audio industry. I've always railed against high-end dealers who cultivate a snobbish attitude toward customers. My famous story is of one audio dealer who once told me not to breathe on one of their turntables. All I wanted to do was get a closer look to see what model it was. I severed that business relationship before it started.

There are plenty of high-end audio dealers who get it. I've always championed dealers such as Gene Rubin of Gene Rubin Audio, Dan Muzquiz of Blackbird Audio Gallery, Brian DiFrank of Whetstone Audio and Peter Selesnick of Venice Audio. These gentlemen ALWAYS bend over backwards to treat their customers with respect, kindness and gratitude. Gene, for example, states on his website that he has been in business since 1979, and he has yet to have a customer service complaint. These are the people who have earned your business.

It comes down to this: just say no to bad customer service. Once you receive bad customer service, sever that business relationship at once. The hi-fi shop proprietor who told me not to breathe on his turntable is no longer in business. Good. He doesn't deserve customers.

In this crappy economy, everyone has low and competitive prices. So give your money to those who deserve it...those who distinguish themselves from their competitors by offering GREAT customer service.

Lookie what Gene Rubin has...

Yep...it's a Naim NAIT 2 and a NAT 02 tuner. He just got it from a customer who bought them new from him back in the day. (I joked that the NAIT was probably my old one, but no.)

Man, they're beautiful.

LFD LE IV Signature Integrated Amplifier AND LE Phono Stage

To round out LFD Week here at the Vinyl Anachronist, I found this picture of the new LFD integrated amplifier and its matching outboard phono stage on Gene Rubin's website (http://www.generubinaudio.com/). The amp is officially called the LE IV Signature and it retails for $3495. The phono stage is called the LE and it retails for $1200.

When I get back from Portland early next week, I'm going to try to hook up with Brian of Whetstone Audio to hear these babies. Advance word is that the LE IV is nearly as good as the $6000 NCSE, which is VERY high praise indeed. LFD makes amazing gear that looks modest and kicks major butt.

By the way, my sojourn to PDX is audio-related, and I should have a ton of crappy cell phone pics to share...and maybe a scoop or two.

The One That Got Away: The LFD Mistral integrated amplifier

"That's a lovely pastel-sounding amp you have there."

That was Grover Huffman, maker of Grover cables and interconnects, upon hearing my system back when I lived in the San Fernando Valley. Grover was a semi-mysterious guy who made cables and interconnects in his spare time and sold them on the Steve Hoffman forum. I ordered a pair of the interconnects just to check them out. They were relatively affordable, and everyone on the forum including Steve Hoffman himself raved about them. Well, it turned out that Grover lived just a mile or two away from me, and he couldn't resist saving the shipping and handling costs by delivering them in person.

After swapping out a pair of Chord Company interconnects for the Grovers, we settled in for a listen. Back then (it was probably 2004 or so), I had my reference analog rig which consisted of a J. A. Michell Orbe SE turntable, an SME V tonearm and a Koetsu Rosewood cartridge. Speakers were my Spendor SP100s (which are still being used by the ex). And driving this $12,000 analog rig and a pair of $5000 speakers was the simple yet elegant LFD Mistral integrated amp, which retailed for a relatively low price of $1095.

I'm still a little confused about Grover's "pastel" reference. It's one of those audio descriptions that you kind of understand, but not quite, like a chocolate-y midrange or a citrus-y treble. (Yes, I've seen both of those terms used in audio reviews.) I think he meant that the LFD's sound was light, airy and almost see-through. It was sunny, like an Easter weekend in Phoenix. It was the opposite of chocolate-y--it was as transparent as a cold glass of 7-Up in a pink champagne glass. Or something like that.

Anyway, I had no problem using $1100 of amplification with $5000 speakers and a $12,000 analog rig. (Actually, I used LFD's outboard phono stage with the Mistral, so it was technically $1800 worth of amplification.) The LFD was that good. For most of the time I owned the LFD (probably from 2000 to about 2005 or so), I was always looking for a "better" (aka more expensive) integrated to take its place. When I bought the LFD, it was an interim solution after I sold my Naim NAIT 2/NAP 140 combination. I tried a few different amplifiers such as Quad Classic monoblocks, a vintage Scott 299B and a few others and I never quite felt compelled to replace the LFD. When I sold it on Audiogon for $500, I knew it was a mistake. The guy I sold it to wound up re-selling it, and he got more than $500 for it by advertising that "This is the unit owned personally by Marc Phillips, the Vinyl Anachronist!" It wasn't until I bought my very expensive and very low-powered Yamamoto Sound Craft SET amplification that I felt I was on the right road again.

I still remember buying the LFD Mistral from Gene Rubin. I invited myself over one day because I hadn't seen Gene for a while, and I wanted to hear some of the newer gear he was selling. He showed me the LFD Mistral because he was excited about it; LFD was a new line that he had just started carrying. He asked me if I would stick around and help him compare it to the Naim NAIT 5, his current reference at that price point. Actually, the NAIT 5 was roughly $1600 back then, $500 more than the Mistral. After about an hour of A/B comparisons, I was undecided. They both sounded very, very close. Gene, however, was leaning toward the LFD, feeling that more of the music was coming through.

After I left, I started thinking about the LFD. Having owned the Naim NAIT 2 for so long, I was eager to get the new NAIT 5 as a more powerful replacement. But a little voice kept telling me to save $500 and get the Mistral. A couple of weeks later, I called Gene and told him I had to have one. I asked him, while he was at it, to throw in the cool outboard phono stage. And I was happy for the next five years.

I've used a lot of amps since then, and I often think of my favorites from brands such as Nagra, BAT, conrad-johnson and SimAudio. I even think of the Mistral's successors, the $2995 Zero Integrated LE III and the $6000 NCSE, and how I loved both of them. But something tells me that I'd still be very, very happy if I still owned that original Mistral amplifier. I think it would be better than my current Rega Brio 3. I think it would be better than a Naim NAIT 2, too. And I probably wouldn't have to pay such inflated prices for a used model like I would with the NAIT...at least until the word gets out.

Naim NAIT 2...getting more expensive all the time!

The legend of the Naim NAIT 2 continues to grow, and I continue to lament selling mine oh so many years ago. Case in point: this NAIT 2, which sports the older-style cosmetics, just sold on Audiogon for $925. I'm not sure what the first generation 2s sold for back in the day, but the newer version sold for $995. I bought mine as a demo unit from Gene Rubin at Gene Rubin Audio for just $695--and it had only been out of its box for six weeks. $925 seems like an awful lot of money for an older unit that has some cosmetic defects on the top of its case.

As I've mentioned before, the Naim NAIT 2 could be found used on eBay or Audiogon for $300 to $400. Then audiophiles such as me started to sing its praises, and the last time I checked they were going for around $700. Now it's such a collectible that sellers are getting close to its original retail price for them. I'm not saying the Naim NAIT 2 isn't worth a grand, but it's no longer the outstanding bargain it used to be.

After all, you can get a brand new Naim NAIT 5i for just $500 more than its twenty-year-old predecessor. For $500 more, you get much better cosmetics, more versatility (you won't have to buy Naim-approved speaker cables or interconnects) and--most importantly--a lot more power. The NAIT 2 only had 15 to 21 watts per channel, while the new 5i has 50 watts per channel, which means you can mate the newer model with just about every speaker on the market. With the NAIT 2, you needed a speaker than had a sensitivity of about 90 dB with an impedence of 8 ohms before you could approach realistic listening levels.

That said, many people (including me) feel that the NAIT 2 is the best-sounding NAIT of all time. I owned a NAIT 5i (note that this was the "i" model and not the current "i" which is supposedly a little better), and I have to admit that it was a slight disappointment...especially since it replaced an LFD Mistral which was another spectacular little integrated amp that I wish I still had. The NAIT 5i was a bit grainy through the treble and sounded a little rough around the edges. The 5i (again note the italics) is supposed to be much better in this regard. My NAIT 2 never sounded grainy. Aside from its relative lack of oomph, it was resolving and detailed and very, very musical. It also had an excellent MM phono section, something its successors lack.

So do I still want to own a NAIT 2? Absolutely, but I have no intention of paying these kind of prices for one. Honestly, I would get the new NAIT instead. I even saw a Naim NAIT 3R for sale at Echo Audio in Portland a few months ago and Kurt Doslu only wanted $600 for it. For that price, you even get a remote!

LFD Zero LE III integrated amplifier

Since I've definitely upped the ante in my system with the Cardas Audio cabling and the Trenner & Friedl ART monitors, it's time to start thinking about my next upgrade. Basically, all I have left is the CD player and the amplifier, since I'm probably going to hold onto the Rega P3-24 turntable, the Zu Audio DL-103 cartridge and the Lehmann Audio Black Cube SE phono preamp for a few more years at least. (I am, however, starting to fall in love with that Funk Firm turntable, so who knows what I'll do in the coming year.)

I'm using a Denon DVD player as a CD player right now. I sold my nearly $6000 Naim CDX2 last year because I thought I was going to transfer my CD collection to a McIntosh music server, but that didn't quite pan out as expected. Since I've been focusing mostly on LPs this year, and because my brother and I have been building music servers, I just haven't thought about buying a decent CD player yet to replace the extraordinary Naim. Up until recently I thought I would just buy another Naim, because they are my favorite players by far. But I may just get something reasonable like the Oppo BDP-83SE universal player for $800 and be done with it. If I want something better, I'll just send the Oppo to Dan Wright at ModWright Instruments and let him stick some tubes in it. I just don't want to spend big bucks on digital these days.

The amp, however, is a different story. I thought I would get a Naim NAIT XS but with all of the Cardas cabling in my system, it may or may not be the best choice. Up until a few years ago, you could only use Naim amps with Naim-approved cabling. The latest generation of Naim gear works with most cable brands, but in my experience Naim stuff works best with other Naim stuff, so I may have to think this through. Still, the NAIT XS, which is basically the SuperNAIT without the DAC, is a hell of a piece, and it's only about $2500...a real bargain. In fact, the only real competition is the LFD Zero LE III integrated which has retailed between $2495 and $2995 over the last few years, depending upon the exchange rates. It doesn't have the features of the Naim, but I like the sound quality just a tad better.

Here's the deal, though...the LFD Zero LE III integrated is about to be replaced by the LE IV. That means a lot of used LE IIIs are going to flood the market as people try to upgrade. I think I'm going to start looking at one of those used units to replace my modest but still outstanding Rega Brio 3. I know that Gene Rubin of Gene Rubin Audio is offering $1600 as a trade-in allowance for customers that want to go from the III to the IV. So if he's re-selling them for anywhere near the $1600 price, that will be another fantastic bargain. Peter Selesnick of Venice Audio also told me he has a couple of demos he wants to sell.

The LE III is perhaps my favorite sounding integrated of all time. I was able to review one for TONEAudio and I didn't want to give it back! So I think that's the plan for now...stay tuned!