Vinylphile Magazine : Equipment Reviews

Clearaudio • Virtuoso Wood MM Cartridge

By Rich Teer | December 24th, 2010

Imported into North America by Musical Surroundings, Clearaudio is a German company specialising in analogue audio. They design and make turntables, tonearms, MM and MC cartridges, phono stages, record cleaning machines, and other accessories. It is one of their MM cartridges that we’re taking a listen to in this review.

Technical Description

The Virtuoso Wood is the top-but-one model in Clearaudio’s range of MM cartridges. It has a body made from wood (hence the “Wood” in the model name), an aluminum cantilever, and an elliptical diamond stylus. The packaging contains mounting hardware (aluminum and nylon bolts), and a screw driver.

As is typical with MM cartridges, the recommended loading is 47K Ohms and its output is high enough to be usable with any MM phono stage.

Setup and Listening

Installing the Virtuoso Wood into my Forsell Air Reference’s air bearing tonearm had good points and bad. A good point was the fact that the Virtuoso Wood has holes that are tapped to accept the mounting bolts (something I wish all cartridges manufacturers would do!). One quibble I have with the Virtuoso Wood is its connection pins: they seem to be rather thicker than usual, making attaching the delicate tonearm leads more tricky than it already is. Admittedly, this will be a one-off issue for most people, but spare a thought for habitual cartridge swappers and us reviewers!

After using the cartridge for a couple of dozen hours, I double checked the alignment and tracking weight (I used the recommended 2.2 g), and started my critical listening.

As usual, the first record I listened to was Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells [Virgin Records V2001]. My first impression was that although there was some grain and grit which ultimately limited the resolution of the information that could be extracted from the record’s groove, low level details were fine.

Bass reproduction is good. It has the right amount of warmth, without being over bloated or “one note”, and is reasonably deep and tuneful. That said, the bass dynamics are mildly compressed, so certain sounds (like, for example, the bass drum in the first and third movements (Kije’s Birth and Kije’s Wedding respectively) from Fritz Reiner’s reading of Prokofiev’s Lt. Kije [Classic Records/RCA Victor LSC- 2150]) don’t have quite the weight they should. Similarly, the foot stomping part in Ladysmith Black Mambazo’s Who Were You Talking to (from their 1987 album, Shaka Zulu [WEA 925 582-1]) has a bit less intensity than is on the recording.

The midrange is also very satisfactory. Male voices, like those of the members of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, are well reproduced (Rain, Rain, Beautiful Rain and Who Were You Talking to (both on the previously cited Shaka Zulu) are good examples of this). Instruments also have the right tone colour, something which (to me) is critical in an audio component. Although not completely convincing, the Virtuoso Wood’s midrange reproduction does a reasonable job of transporting the listener to the recording venue.

That said, the mids do seem to be down just a touch. This is most apparent on brass instruments, like those on Lt. Kije, but I don’t think it is a very serious shortcoming.

As for the reproduction of the higher frequencies—i.e., the treble—the Virtuoso Wood does well here too. One can hear some of the air surrounding the instruments as they play, although not all of the air is apparent: with the same test tracks, I can hear more air around instruments with my reference Lyra Parnassus, for example. Still, some air is better than none, so perhaps I’m being too harsh.

Instruments like bells and triangles don’t quite have enough sparkle, but again this is a pretty minor short coming. It’s not as if the Virtuoso Wood sounds like a cloth has been placed over one’s speakers; the effect I’m describing is much less insidious than that!

The sound stage presented by the Virtuoso Wood is wide and deep. Imaging within the sound stage is good, even with multiple simultaneous sources. For example, the positions of the individual singers in Ladysmith Black Mambazo and the members of the Nasal Chorus in Tubular Bells can be determined, albeit with a little concentration. (In other words, the information is there, but one has to go looking for it.)

Another positive attribute the Virtuoso Wood has is its ability to maintain its composure through big, complex musical passages. Weaker cartridges tend to coalesce busy passages into one congealed aural blob, making it harder—if not impossible—to hear the individual instruments in their own place.

Verdict

I must admit that at this price point and above, I wouldn’t usually consider an MM cartridge, opting instead for an MC cartridge. That being said, I think the Virtuoso Wood does an admirable job and performs well, and, being an MM cartridge, allows the potential purchaser to keep their current phono stage, which is especially important if it is MM-only. No, it isn’t perfect (what component is?), but its reasonably strong performance makes the Virtuoso Wood worthy of serious consideration if you are in the market for a cartridge at or around the $875 price point.

Specifications

Description Moving magnet cartridge.
Frequency response 20-20,000 Hz.
Output voltage 3.6 mV.
Channel separartion > 30 dB.
Channel balance ≤ 0.2 dB.
Compliance 15 (x 10-6 cm/dyne).
Stylus size 5 x 80 micrometres.
Recommended loading 47K Ohms.
Tracking force 2.0-2.5 g.
Recommended tracking force 2.2 g.
Weight 10.0 g.
Serial number of unit reviewed N/A.
Price $875.
Warranty Two years non-transferable.

North American Distributor

Musical Surroundings
5662 Shattuck Avenue
Oakland, CA 94609 USA
(510) 547-5006
www.musicalsurroundings.com

Associated Equipment