Alexx V arrive in NJ

[Ron Resnick]

What a wonderful report, Marty! Congratulations to you and congratulations to Mark!

 

[KeithR]

Super cool write up Marty, glad the reasonable upgrade was worth it.

 

[XV-1]

Mark Dohmann Arrives in NJ.

The latest enhancement of my system was delivered from Australia by a personal visit from Mark Dohmann about 4 weeks ago. As described previously, I sold my much beloved Goldmund Studio with the T3F arm (that I owned for 30 years) a few years ago and acquired Mark’s Helix Mk2 turntable which has served me well. However, Mark has recently updated his Helix line with a MK3 update that promised some major advances at a reasonable cost. (The 3 dots under the Helix One logo signifies the Mk3 version)

View attachment 121410

In October 2022, Dohmann Audio introduced the new Mk3 version of the Helix One which has the following improvements over the previous Mk2 version:

New Advanced Composite Bearing
New DC Power Supply
New Drive System
Improved Platter Design
New RSA resonance control technology
New Advanced Composite Armboard (ACA)
New Record Clamp with RSA Resonance Control

More features and detailed comments can be found on the Dohmann website https://dohmannaudio.com/helix-one/ and thus will not be repeated here. It was a genuine pleasure to get to know Mark a little better although we have spoken by phone several times. We spend the first evening listening to my system through the Mk2. The second day found me mesmerized watching Mark disassemble the table and basically rebuild it from the ground up.

View attachment 121412

Essentially the only thing he didn’t change was the ingenious Minus K suspension system.


View attachment 121413

Watching him work was a treat. It was like watching a great surgeon who took great pride and infinite attention to detail in completing the surgery which he made look easy but was quite detailed. Here are 2 examples of Mark’s obsessiveness.

• He had to drill two holes in the chassis to install a speed regulating buttons, He drilled the holes and the buttons (and shrouds) fit perfectly. But that wasn’t good enough for Mark. Even though it would never be seen due to the button shroud, he then took the time to countersink the holes he drilled! To be clear, that’s for holes that nobody would ever see. Only a perfectionist with a bit of OCD does things like that. My kind of guy!
• He must have spent 15 minutes adjusting the platter so that it’s out-of-round spec was within 1/1000 of an inch. There was no way he would have quit until he achieved what is the limit of what was possible. I was genuinely impressed (I’ve seen a lot of eye surgery by fine surgeons and wonder if they would have done the same.)

Make no mistake, this upgrade was not a trivial effort. It took about 6 hours of work to complete the task. When all was said and done, there was a pile of innards and metal destined for the trash.

View attachment 121414

And that’s when the fun began as our listening session began with the latest Mk3 version of Mark’s masterpiece. I’m not sure who was the most slack-jawed at the difference between the Mk2 and Mk3 version. The Mk2 is indeed very good but the Mk3 is an enhancement that was more rewarding than I thought a mere upgrade could have delivered. The results were exceptional which may have been why it was tough to call it a night a 2 am. I for one, could have danced all night!

What is important to note is that prior to the upgrade, we removed the Reed 5T/ZYX Uni II and replaced it on the new armboard without changing any arm/cartridge set-up parameters at all (arm height within 1/1000 of an inch; no change in VTA/VTF or azimuth). In other words, by changing only the table, it was essentially as close as possible to a single variable experiment, which is the kind I favor for direct audio comparisons.

Although we often talk about comparing digital to analog sources, it is not often that I have read about comparisons that do this in the most rigorous manner possible which in this case, was the following. We used the famed RCA Royal Ballet and compared the LP to the Qobuz FLAC 176.4/24 bit digital version (through the Extreme with switch and LPS using Roon with Taiko’s the latest upgrade). We hit play in Roon when the needle dropped at the beginning of the LP. The digital and analog outputs were balanced (easy to do on the Soulution 725) and we used to remote to switch inputs (which were blinded) from the listening position. The instantaneous comparison afforded the best opportunity to hear the obvious differences in a very meaningful way. Simply put, and not surprisingly, the SQ of the LP exceeded that of the digital source. Put another way, by the middle of the side, Mark and I both had no desire to continue the comparison. The digital rig (Extreme/Lampi Horizon) was excellent but the LP via the analog rig (Helix One Mk3/Reed 5T/ZYX/ Zanden 1200 MkIV phono) was easily superior. I’ll naturally do this comparison with the new router/DCD and every future advance such as NSM and possibly the BPS. Perhaps the day will come that the comparison yields fewer differences in SQ. We shall see. But for now, the differences are clear and favor the analog source and not by a miniscule difference that is hard to perceive.

My last comment is subjective and the topic is value. There is hardly a week that goes by that one learns that yet another uber TT comes to the market at prices that exceed 100K. New TTs that retail for 250K and 500K TT’s are always fun to read about but the only chance most of us will have to hear them is at audio show where they generate a lot of oohs and aahs more so because they are audio jewelry than because of the sound one hears at most shows. But back on earth, spending even tens of thousands of dollars for a TT is a boatload of money and therefore out of reach for most of us. Although I believe the Helix One Mk3 is capable of upper echelon performance, its retail price is ~75k (also not exactly chump change). While this may look like a bargain compared to the latest record spinners that costs 250k, the real bargain in the Dohmann line is its little brother, the Helix Two Mk3 which is basically identical to the the Mk3 but can only accommodate one tonearm and cost about 55K. I use a Mk3 but have zero desire to add another arm so this would have been perfect for my needs. Had I not picked up the Hellix One Mk2 used, I surely would be looking at a Helix One Mk3 instead. Hell, rather than spend 250K for a TT, once could buy a Helix Two Mk3, a great arm, cartridge, electronics, speakers and enough cables to hang yourself for the same price and still have money left over for a great bottle of wine to celebrate your purchase.

In these parts (NJ/PA/NY) I’d like to give a shout out to my venerable dealer Doug White at the The Voice that Is (in Philly) for coordinating my upgrade and Mark’s visit.

Over the last 4 weeks, I’ve gotten to appreciate the merits of the Mk3 in great detail with a wide assortment of LPs. In conclusion, all I can say is that I know I won’t be around in 30 years, but I have every confidence that the Mk3 will still be delivering the goods to a listener who I hope will appreciate the wonderful music it makes with this antiquated yet constantly improving music reproduction technology!

Congrats.

But seriously, this deserves to have its own thread in Turntables.

 

[Walnut Horns]

Mark Dohmann Arrives in NJ.

The latest enhancement of my system was delivered from Australia by a personal visit from Mark Dohmann about 4 weeks ago. As described previously, I sold my much beloved Goldmund Studio with the T3F arm (that I owned for 30 years) a few years ago and acquired Mark’s Helix Mk2 turntable which has served me well. However, Mark has recently updated his Helix line with a MK3 update that promised some major advances at a reasonable cost. (The 3 dots under the Helix One logo signifies the Mk3 version)

View attachment 121410

In October 2022, Dohmann Audio introduced the new Mk3 version of the Helix One which has the following improvements over the previous Mk2 version:

New Advanced Composite Bearing
New DC Power Supply
New Drive System
Improved Platter Design
New RSA resonance control technology
New Advanced Composite Armboard (ACA)
New Record Clamp with RSA Resonance Control

More features and detailed comments can be found on the Dohmann website https://dohmannaudio.com/helix-one/ and thus will not be repeated here. It was a genuine pleasure to get to know Mark a little better although we have spoken by phone several times. We spend the first evening listening to my system through the Mk2. The second day found me mesmerized watching Mark disassemble the table and basically rebuild it from the ground up.

View attachment 121412

Essentially the only thing he didn’t change was the ingenious Minus K suspension system.


View attachment 121413

Watching him work was a treat. It was like watching a great surgeon who took great pride and infinite attention to detail in completing the surgery which he made look easy but was quite detailed. Here are 2 examples of Mark’s obsessiveness.

• He had to drill two holes in the chassis to install a speed regulating buttons, He drilled the holes and the buttons (and shrouds) fit perfectly. But that wasn’t good enough for Mark. Even though it would never be seen due to the button shroud, he then took the time to countersink the holes he drilled! To be clear, that’s for holes that nobody would ever see. Only a perfectionist with a bit of OCD does things like that. My kind of guy!
• He must have spent 15 minutes adjusting the platter so that it’s out-of-round spec was within 1/1000 of an inch. There was no way he would have quit until he achieved what is the limit of what was possible. I was genuinely impressed (I’ve seen a lot of eye surgery by fine surgeons and wonder if they would have done the same.)

Make no mistake, this upgrade was not a trivial effort. It took about 6 hours of work to complete the task. When all was said and done, there was a pile of innards and metal destined for the trash.

View attachment 121414

And that’s when the fun began as our listening session began with the latest Mk3 version of Mark’s masterpiece. I’m not sure who was the most slack-jawed at the difference between the Mk2 and Mk3 version. The Mk2 is indeed very good but the Mk3 is an enhancement that was more rewarding than I thought a mere upgrade could have delivered. The results were exceptional which may have been why it was tough to call it a night a 2 am. I for one, could have danced all night!

What is important to note is that prior to the upgrade, we removed the Reed 5T/ZYX Uni II and replaced it on the new armboard without changing any arm/cartridge set-up parameters at all (arm height within 1/1000 of an inch; no change in VTA/VTF or azimuth). In other words, by changing only the table, it was essentially as close as possible to a single variable experiment, which is the kind I favor for direct audio comparisons.

Although we often talk about comparing digital to analog sources, it is not often that I have read about comparisons that do this in the most rigorous manner possible which in this case, was the following. We used the famed RCA Royal Ballet and compared the LP to the Qobuz FLAC 176.4/24 bit digital version (through the Extreme with switch and LPS using Roon with Taiko’s the latest upgrade). We hit play in Roon when the needle dropped at the beginning of the LP. The digital and analog outputs were balanced (easy to do on the Soulution 725) and we used to remote to switch inputs (which were blinded) from the listening position. The instantaneous comparison afforded the best opportunity to hear the obvious differences in a very meaningful way. Simply put, and not surprisingly, the SQ of the LP exceeded that of the digital source. Put another way, by the middle of the side, Mark and I both had no desire to continue the comparison. The digital rig (Extreme/Lampi Horizon) was excellent but the LP via the analog rig (Helix One Mk3/Reed 5T/ZYX/ Zanden 1200 MkIV phono) was easily superior. I’ll naturally do this comparison with the new router/DCD and every future advance such as NSM and possibly the BPS. Perhaps the day will come that the comparison yields fewer differences in SQ. We shall see. But for now, the differences are clear and favor the analog source and not by a miniscule difference that is hard to perceive.

My last comment is subjective and the topic is value. There is hardly a week that goes by that one learns that yet another uber TT comes to the market at prices that exceed 100K. New TTs that retail for 250K and 500K TT’s are always fun to read about but the only chance most of us will have to hear them is at audio show where they generate a lot of oohs and aahs more so because they are audio jewelry than because of the sound one hears at most shows. But back on earth, spending even tens of thousands of dollars for a TT is a boatload of money and therefore out of reach for most of us. Although I believe the Helix One Mk3 is capable of upper echelon performance, its retail price is ~75k (also not exactly chump change). While this may look like a bargain compared to the latest record spinners that costs 250k, the real bargain in the Dohmann line is its little brother, the Helix Two Mk3 which is basically identical to the the Mk3 but can only accommodate one tonearm and cost about 55K. I use a Mk3 but have zero desire to add another arm so this would have been perfect for my needs. Had I not picked up the Hellix One Mk2 used, I surely would be looking at a Helix One Mk3 instead. Hell, rather than spend 250K for a TT, once could buy a Helix Two Mk3, a great arm, cartridge, electronics, speakers and enough cables to hang yourself for the same price and still have money left over for a great bottle of wine to celebrate your purchase.

In these parts (NJ/PA/NY) I’d like to give a shout out to my venerable dealer Doug White at the The Voice that Is (in Philly) for coordinating my upgrade and Mark’s visit.

Over the last 4 weeks, I’ve gotten to appreciate the merits of the Mk3 in great detail with a wide assortment of LPs. In conclusion, all I can say is that I know I won’t be around in 30 years, but I have every confidence that the Mk3 will still be delivering the goods to a listener who I hope will appreciate the wonderful music it makes with this antiquated yet constantly improving music reproduction technology!

I’d like to add to Marty’s post having also all too briefly hosting Mark at my home during his US visit. First, however, I’d like to thank Marty and his lovely wife Lisa for inviting me to their home for an incredibly delicious meal and listening session of the newly upgraded Helix. Having never been a huge fan of Wilson speakers, I was most impressed with Marty’s system. It was effortless and musical.

I had owned a very early version of the Dohmann Helix that I purchased second hand, but Mark had always been unfailingly supportive of my ownership. I had considered upgrading mine to a MkII, but my life circumstances have changed so I decided instead to part with it. Not only did Mark arrange for a buyer, but he went above and beyond to ensure the table was in top nick before it was shipped out. In addition to being fascinated by the level of engineering that has gone into a Helix, like Marty, I found Mark’s attention to detail and commitment to his product to be unflinching. The upgrade to the MKII not only required a couple of visits to an electronics supply house, but Mark also found a family owned machine shop about twenty minutes from my house where he had a part drilled because he wanted it to be perfect. Fortunately for Mark, I was able to introduce him to a NJ favorite of Taylor ham (pork roll), egg and cheese on a bagel while we waited for the work to be finished. Mark’s final reassembly of the table and packing in its flight case was meticulous. Just watching Mark do his thing made me question my decision to sell the Helix the entire time he was here.

Lastly, Mark also helped me reposition my speakers and counterintuitively remove the room treatments from my room, which completely transformed the abilities of my system in the most positive ways. All the while, we talked about life, music, spun records and just enjoyed each other’s company.

In sum, if you’re looking for an end game table with a state of the art suspension that isn’t stupid money (I can only say this on WBF forum) and want a genuine and incredible human in your corner, I can highly recommend Mark and his Helix. One day, I will own a MkIII (or IV).

Best,

Evan

 

[ashandger]

Many thanks for sharing your experience with Mark. This type of feedback is extremely helpful.

 

[jmhenrie]

Just discovered this wonderful thread and it is a must read for Wilson Audio owners. Having just bought the Alexx V's I have been wondering what impact a new power amp might have. I currently run the Classe Delta Mono's that John Atkinson said in his review slightly beats his JC+ in bass response. I have not heard the JC+ but can say I have never heard better bass that I currently have in my system. Am looking for a sweeter mid but just don't know how to get there in the $60K price range? I live in TN and the idea of the heat from pure Class A is not appealing. My Delta's are biased 35watts per channel into Class A. Oh the joys of this hobby!

hi Scott im impatiently waiting for my Alex v to show up next month and am currently running 10 year Classe m600s just curious if you've stuck with Classe or changed and what to.

 

[marty]

Mundorf Angelique Copper Solid-Core 15awg DC cable​

We've all seen reports about how DC cables can have major sonic consequences. This has been popularized most recently with the new Wadax Akasa DC cables. These are of course intended for Wadax users only due to their special design. They are also 20K each. Well, back in the real world of ordinary DC cables, I've been on the Taiko train for a while and currently use the Extreme (awaiting Olympus), Router, Switch and DCD. DC cables have always been a bit of a frustration as I've tried many and have been happy with none. However, I recently tried a new DC cable that I'm pleased to report has been a delightful surprise; namely the Mundorf Angelique Copper Solid-Core 15awg DC cable.

Everyone knows that Mundorf has specialized in using various alloys using silver and gold to make their highly rated DC cables and wires. However, they recently developed a new series of cables using a proprietary alloy formulation they call "Angelique". According to Mundorf, it offers some unique advantages as outlined below:

"Indeed, Mundorf is a bit proud that in countless elaborate listening sessions with different alloy ratios, they eventually succeeded in uniting the outstanding musical talents of Silver (structure, analytics, transparency) and Gold (multi-faceted tonality and brilliance) with the energy and liveliness of Copper in this one perfect alloy."

I've been pressuring Ghent to construct a DC cable from Mundorf Angelique for many months, and I'm thrilled that they finally added this to their product line. And the best news is- it's only $148 (shipped, for 0.5m length)!

DC-ACW115 (Solid-core) --- Mundorf Angelique Copper Solid-Core 15awg DC cable

Mundorf Angelique Copper Solid, 2 x 15awg wires PTFE Insulation --- Option: JSSG360 dual-shielding; --- Non-Direction cable: "Source/destination" just to identify connectors

www.ghentaudio.com

I was using the standard Mundorf silver/gold DC cable prior to the Angelique but always felt there was a slight "edge" in the 4K range that has been effectively remedied with Angelique. There is no down side I can hear and overall musicality (not too shabby to begin with) has been further improved as a result. Thus it was $148 very well spent in the bargain basement of Hi-Fi enhancements. YMMV of course but in my system it was a most worthy addition.

 

[Ron Resnick]

I don't understand the whole DC cable thing myself. But I have not done any comparison, let alone a proper comparison.

But if there is a great sonic solution at that price level, I'm all for it!

 

[HiJeffFi]

This update may cause the computer screen you are reading to spontaneously burst into flames. About a week ago, Elliot G drove to my home in NJ immediately following the CAP Audio Fest at my request and picked up the CH M10 Amps I purchased not that long ago. Yes, that is correct. I decided I simply could not live with them any longer. Their limitations have been detailed previously and there was nothing that I could do, conjure, or pray for that changed my opinion of these amplifiers. I simply found the bass wholly unsatisfactory with the important caveat that I could not justifying turning up the feedback setting to a level whereby the midrange and top end was not significantly penalized. I simply could not accept that as the price to pay for decent bass performance. To make things even more incredulous, Elliot brought me the Parasound JC1+ amps that he used the show, which will now serve again as an interim amplifier while I await the arrival of yet another amplifier that I hope will ultimately be satisfactory (and more!). After Elliot and his team of NFL linebackers removed, packed and loaded the M10s onto his van, we unpacked. and hooked up the JC1+. OMG. The bass was back in spades and I was smiling for the first time in a long time. It's worth repeating two things. First, want to know how good the JC1+ is? Read Heillbrun's excellent review which is spot on. I cannot improve upon it in a meaningful way except to say that the JC1+ bass is superior to the Soulution 701as well as the M10 (not even close). Second, this does not mean that the JC1+ is a better amplifier than the M10. There is no question that the magic of the M10 midrange and top end that I was able to achieve with 14% feedback was somewhat decreased with the JC1+. Thus the net overall effect is that while the M10 may be considered the "better amp" in some important ways, the JC1+ was the far more satisfying and preferred amp for overall music listening in my system. It may have been possible to increase the feedback of the M10 to improve the bass further, but that would only result in further diminished midrange and treble performance thereby making it impossible for me to justify their expense over the JC1+ which costs 90% less than the M10. Read that again. 90% less!!

I was amused by some reports which said that Elliot's sound at the show was excellent, yet would have been significantly improved had he only used better amplifiers than the paltry JC1+. And you wonder why audiophiles are nuts? To be honest, after this fiasco, I'm wondering if the amount of money I will spend on the next amp is worth it at all, or is this yet another stupid audiophile move. I guess we shall see.....

I'll conclude by saying that surprisingly, for the moment, I will miss some of that magic midrange the M10's provided at low feedback. But as far as their bass performance, it might just be, as some have already mentioned, that this could simply be a mismatch with the Alexx V, which is capable of excellent bass performance with the right amplifier. However, the counter argument is that it may have nothing to do with the speaker at all since by CH's own admission as stated in their user manual, that one should increase the feedback if you seek "greater bass grip". There's a legitimate reason they say that, and this clearly suggests it is a speaker independent phenomenon.

Hello, I am starting my search for amplifier replacement and came across your thread. You recommend reading Heillbrun‘s review of JC1+, but when I search that name it comes back empty in WBF search engine. Is there another name or way to find his review? I have Vandersteen model 7mkii w/sub nines, Rowland corus preamp+psu (weak dac ps audio, which will be replaced as well). I am aware of RV’s amps, but the smaller lacks power/current to wake it up and I do not want to get into the $80k level. I feel like the pricing of “old” technology amps has just gotten out of control. I must be able to find exceptional quality at much lower price points. I get CH-Precision, but I also know how the Swiss build their pricing as I used to work for Swiss Semiconductor supplier… ;o). Thanks for any assistance! Note: also looking at the new PS Audio bhk600, maybe used Jeff Rowland 725ii or 735, … . Thanks Jeff

 

[marty]

Here's the JC1+ review:

Parasound JC 1+ Monoblock Power Amplifier - The Absolute Sound

Parasound JC 1+ Monoblock Power Amplifier - For years, the John-Curl-designed JC 1 has been a go-to bargain in big monoblock amps. Former JC 1 owner Jacob Heilbrunn puts Parasound’s new, greatly improved version of his old standby through its paces.

www.theabsolutesound.com

I have no experience with the bhk600 but my guess is that it is a superb sounding amplifier.
Good luck!
Marty

 

[Apex0]

Wonderful post！Thanks for your sharing，Marty.

 

[redandgold]

Seems after Wilson has rolled out all V series of their loudspeakers, Alexx gets a new round:

Wilson Audio Introduces Alexx Vfx – M & S | Ultimate High-Fidelity

www.monoandstereo.com