Vinyl Asylum: REVIEW: Jeff Rowland Cadence Phono Preamp by Stitch

Model:	Cadence
Category:	Phono Preamp
Suggested Retail Price:	$ 4300.--
Description:	Phonopreamp
Manufacturer URL:	Jeff Rowland
Model Picture:	View

Review by Stitch on December 25, 2012 at 04:33:39
IP Address: 84.152.235.228 Add Your Review
for the Cadence

In a way it is a trip back into the time of my beginning of High end Audio ... In the 90‘s I got an invitation from an Audiophile to listen to his System, mainly to his digital Equipment, it was among the best you could buy for money at that time...you know, the days where the darkness (Digital) covered the sun and everyone, specially our beloved reviewers didn‘t stop dancing in front of the dark Lords (Importers)....anyway, after a while of listening we came to the end and I asked ,Hey what is that for a unit?‘ and he answered ,Oracle, SME 5 and Dynavector cartridge...‘ I asked him for a demo, he grabbed a disc (DECCA SXL 2313 La Fille mal de Gardee), adjusted his System ( Rowland Consummate with the matching external Phonoamp, Model 8 Amp, Logan speakers ...) and when the needle touched the groove, the time stopped for me, I was shifted to another place ... Anyway, I never forgot that Demo and Performance, it was burned into my memory until today, it was so unbelievably good...

.... Back to the Future (2012)
The Cadence Phono Stage is designed to be used with all low to medium output moving coil phono cartridges. Use with high output moving coil cartridges (output level > 1.0 mV) is not recommended. Moving magnet cartridges cannot be used with this product.

The Cadence can be used with an external AC Power Supply ($950,--) or when you own a Coherence II Preamp it can be connected to its Battery Power Supply. There is also a seperate Battery Power Supply for it available (BPS-1) but it is quite rare ($3200,--). I used it with my Coherence II Series 2 Preamp and the Battery Mode shows here the same interesting improvements (deeper soundstage, better detail ...) comparable to Coherence II in AC/Battery mode, or Model 2 Amp with /without BPS-2.

I used some carts, Denon 103R, Lyra Olympos, Ikeda 9, FR-1mk3F, mainly in combination with Graham Phantom Supreme, never a problem (±0.20mV), always first class drive.

Very important is the right connection:
PHONO INPUT (Female XLR): XLR fully balanced or single-ended inputs (via supplied XLR/RCA adapters) are provided for phono level signals only. Each INPUT connector conforms to a Pin #1 ground, Pin #2 negative, Pin # 3 positive standard. Both positive and negative terminals of each INPUT connector are isolated from ground by several megohms which eliminates the possibility of ground loops and restores maximum common mode rejection ratio.
An RCA connector terminated phono interconnect cable can be reterminated to achieve a fully balanced interface. Remove existing RCA plugs. Most phono interconnects utilize an internal twisted conductor pair enclosed within the cable shield, for a total of three conductors. (For unbalanced RCA use, the negative conductor is soldered to the RCA shell along with the cable shield.)
For each cable (left and right), separate the three conductors and solder the shield to Pin #1 (ground) of the respective XLR connectors.
Determine which conductor within each cable is connected to the positive output from the cartridge and solder to Pin #3 of the respective XLR connectors. The cartridge positive outputs are red (right) and white (left).
For each cable, solder the remaining conductor to Pin #2 of the respective XLR con- nectors. This connects the cartridge negative outputs, green (right) and blue (left).

LO-GAIN AMP/HI-LOAD
This setting will be used for the majority of moving coil cartridges available in the market. Use this position for cartridges whose output ranges from 0.3 mV to 0.8 mV and DC coil resistance ranging from 30 ohms to 80 ohms. The Cadence will load the cartridge at 400 ohms and provide an overall gain of 64 dB.
HI-GAIN AMP/LO-LOAD
This setting will be used only with cartridges having a known DC coil resistance of 2 to 3 ohms. These cartridges will usually have a very low output (less than 0.2 mV).
The Cadence will load the cartridge at 30 ohms and provide an overall gain of 74 dB without an increase in noise, despite the increase in gain. Note: Use of cartridges other than those specified above in this position will result in a significant decrease in high-frequency response.
HI-GAIN AMP/HI-LOAD
This setting will be used only with cartridges having a known DC coil resistance of 4 to 6 ohms. These cartridges will usually have a very low output (less than 0.2 mV). The Cadence will load the cartridge at 50 ohms and provide an overall gain of 74 dB without an increase in noise, despite the increase in gain. Note: Use of cartridges other than those specified above in this position will result in a significant decrease in high-frequency response.
LO- GAIN AMP/LO-LOAD
This setting will be used only with cartridges having a known DC coil resistance of 7 to 30 ohms. The Cadence will load the cartridge at 250 ohms and provide an overall gain of 64 dB.
High frequency damping, which compensates for mechanical and reactive resonances common to all moving coil cartridges, is extremely important at the input circuitry of all phono preamplifiers. In conventional phono Preamplifiers, damping is provided by load resistors. As a result, a significant amount of signal energy is wasted when converted to heat within the loading resistors. Conversely, the Cadence input transformer has been carefully engineered to effectively damp resonant energy occurring at high frequencies while transferring the maximum amount of useful lower frequency energy to the active input stage. This results in significant increases in dynamic range with no penalties of increasing noise.
Traditional step-up transformers fall short in many performance areas such as frequency response, phase linearity (group delay), distortion, susceptibility to external hum fields, and poor common mode noise rejection. This is largely due to design and manufacturing limitations of the past as well as the need for high step-up voltage ratios to meet the requirements of a high input impedance (47K ohms) input stage. The Cadence input transformer, co- designed in conjunction with an innovative low noise input stage which, in itself, provides a noise figure approaching that of a 50 ohm resistor, over- comes all of the aforementioned problems. A reduced step-up ratio and use of high permeability transformer core material allow dramatic improvements in frequency response (4 Hz to 180 KHz), phase linearity (deviation from linear phase less than +3 ̊, 50 Hz to 20 KHz), and distortion (less than 0.001% at 1 KHz). Multiple layer MU-metal electro-magnetic shielding and modern, computer controlled coil winding techniques offer a noise immunity of 60 dB and common mode rejection ratio of 145 dB at 60 Hz. The transformer also provides excellent rejection of radio frequency interference (above 200 kHz), thus preventing contamination of the audio band by RF inter-modulation products.
Following the transformer, a split active/passive RIAA equalizer, composed of 1% tolerance parts, assures RIAA accuracy within 0.05 dB from 20 Hz to 20 KHz with distortion and noise components -110 dB below nominal operating levels.
High End Audio actually used to have a goal: perfect reproduction of the sound of real music performed in a real space. That was found difficult to achieve, and it was abandoned when most music lovers, who almost never heard anything except amplified music anyway, forgot what "the real thing" had sounded like. I compared the Cadence with some other Phonostages and it wasn‘t a big problem to hear the differences.

Boulder 2008, Pass Xono ... expensive units, some think, they are a sonic statement, but at the end of day, they miss the sonic target by a mile. Music in real life definetly sounds better, no so dead and boring [good specs are not enough, those you can get also from $299,-- Sony units...]. Vitus, Ypsilon, Kondo M7, Allnic 3000... aren‘t so awful but I never was able to hear their price. Sometimes I thought, you can get the same sonic results with 3-5K units, Lamm LP2 was probably the best from all of them, the Vendetta from J. Curl was close but no match in the huge soundstage the Cadence can deliver wrapped in beefy dynamics. A lot of Designers are able to split the incoming signal into pieces but they are unable to connect it in a way in the output-stage that it has something in common with real music, the imagination for the listener has to be part of the performance. Sounds tough, but that‘s the way it is.

The soundstage from the Cadence isn‘t really a soundstage, you are part of the recording session, the music is not between the speakers, the speakers simply don‘t exist. Some write about a kind of ,blackness‘ in the soundstage. All I can say about, there is a kind of total silence and then the amplificated signal comes with such force and speed, you need a few seconds to realize that there is something totally different going on ...it sounds like neither tube nor solid state; but has the best magical qualities of both. The Cadence has spectacular resolution and detail in combination with an incredibly musical and seamless soundstage. It is musical without being romantic. It is ruthlessly revealing of your equipment and the recordings. But to be honest, every recording sounds better through the Cadence. It is lightening fast, and ultra quiet with the ,blackest‘ backgrounds imaginable. There is absolutely no grain or texture. The extreme high end is finely detailed and precise without excess brightness. It is a magnanimous performer, with the ability to wrench fine detail from source material and with great attention to purity of tone, clarity and focus. Recording after recording, Both cartridges, the Olympos / Ikeda are kings of the hill in this area, but the better the equipment is, the more they will offer their kind of magic. The detail and information flowing from this preamp is extraordinary.
It will move you to rediscover you vinyl collection. Even when you own more than 15 records...

The Sound of Battery Power Supply
You can hear immediately a much deeper Soundstage, a better detail separation and something really amazing: to colors of tones get more real, the instruments simply sound more lifelike. The ,cleanness‘ of signals are responsible for these abilities. The music grabs your attention in a way you don‘t notice in the first seconds, you automatically sit straight and your brain focus on it. In a way, like listening to a CD versus LP... For me, there is no way back, the whole Rowland System runs in Battery Mode and it is a - unique - sonic step ahead.
I listened to a lot of Transistor Preamps in the last 10 years, but none was able to get these tonal colors right. The Brain normally cheats the majority of Listeners, because he knows from reading the info that there is a „trumpet“, there is a „Violin“ ... but between hearing and „hearing“ can be a huge difference. I wanted units with exactly these kind of Power Supplies, not Switch Mode units, they sound different, not so dead and cold ...
Re-charge is about 16h continous playing, even the Model 2 Amp with the BPS-2 doesn‘t get weak earlier. A Design done right.

The Divinity

Decca SXL 2136 La Boite a Jou Joux Printemps
Not the typical sonic blockbuster but it is the type of subtle and delicate music that is perfect for a quiet night. The subtle details have their own, unique kind of magic. Ultra-Transparent. One of the great recordings.

London CS 6006 Espana
From the very first moment you can hear a Performance which is spectacular with the Cadence, with stunning mid and low bass. There is a clarity and impact which is outstanding. Imaging is unusually good, the soundstage is wide linked with appropriate depth.

London CS 6046 Nights in the Garden of Spain
The better the units are the more you can hear the subtle interplay between guitar and orchestra. The Solist is not wrapped into the orchestra, his playing has its own volume and strength.
Clarity, warmth, dynamics are keywords for these records

London CS 6205
short description: SOUNDSTAGE / AMBIENCE / PRESENCE

Lyrita SRCS 109 Arnold - English Dances
Very problematic record, with Phono- / Linestages which miss the sonic target by a mile it is simply awful, really horrible, when the System is really done right, it is a killer Performance. The first time when my cup of tea went cold while listening was with a Lamm chain (LL2.1, LP2, M1.2R) and the Cadence / Coherence II pass with flying colors...

RCA LSC 2400 - Ballet Music from the Opera
The Verdi selections continue with the Triumphal March, also from Aida. It receives a spectacular performance that almost convinces me of its musical worth. The antiphonal trumpets are recorded very well, especially their boulevard-wide vibrato. Its flavour is magnificent in its gaudiness and emphasizes the grand nature of the opera. The string tone is vibrant, the tactile sense of bow on string sounding rich and very sensual. Macro and micro dynamics are represented truthfully, with percussion instruments adding to the wonderful overall effect. Placement of instruments is pinpoint within the large soundstage, and unison woodwinds and upper strings are separated easily by space and timbre.

Mercury SR 90212 Chabrier Espana
That was the first session in their new recording hall in Detroit. The abilities from Paray shine here at his best. There is an „easy going“ through the complex Performance which is very hard to find. The first notes of Espana, the opening, is among the most impressive moments you can get from a record. When we talk about the Golden Era of Analog, that one is a part of it.

RCA LDS-6065 Royal Ballet
Record No. 2, Side 2/3 ... Well, what can I say... One of the real great recods...the listener is breathing in the rhythm of the orchestra...the tonal colors in combination with the powerful dynamics are unique... Sonically it is like coming home after a long, long journey
... it sounds so unbelievably good.

Specs
Overall Gain (@ 1 kHz)
Lo-Gain 64dB
Hi-Gain 74dB
RIAA Accuracy ± .03 dB, 20 Hz to 20 kHz Frequency Respoanse - 3 dB @ 0.5 Hz and 180 kHz
Common Mode Rejection Ratio 130 dB (@ 60 Hz) Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) < .015, 20 Hz to 20 kHz, 5 V output level
Output Noise (IEC A Weighted)
Lo-Gain < 59 Microvolts
Hi-Gain < 60 Microvolts
Cartridge Loading
Equivalent Resistance
Lo-Gain, Lo-Impedance 250 Ω
Lo-Gain, Hi-Impedance 400 Ω
Hi-Gain, Lo-Impedance 30 Ω
Hi-Gain, Hi-Impedance 50 Ω
Power Requirements ± 12-14 Volts DC, 40 Milliamps
Input/Output Connections
Balanced 1 per channel (XLR)
Unbalanced 1 Pair XLR to RCA adapters included
Dimensions 17.5 in (W) x 5.1 in (D) x 3.15 in (H)
44.5 cm (W) x 13.0 cm (D) x 8.0 cm (H)
Weight 27 lbs. (12 kg)

Product Weakness:	Phono cable needs different termination
Product Strengths:	The total lack of any mechanical artifact present in almost every other phono stage

Associated Equipment for this Review:

Amplifier: Rowland Model 2 & BPS-2
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated): Rowland Coherence II Series 2
Sources (CDP/Turntable): Basis Debut vac.
Speakers: Reference 3A
Cables/Interconnects: SignalCable 'Silver Resolution'
Music Used (Genre/Selections): RCA LSC/Decca SXL
Room Comments/Treatments: done
Time Period/Length of Audition: 2 years
Type of Audition/Review: Product Owner

Amplifier:	Rowland Model 2 & BPS-2
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	Rowland Coherence II Series 2
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	Basis Debut vac.
Speakers:	Reference 3A
Cables/Interconnects:	SignalCable 'Silver Resolution'
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	RCA LSC/Decca SXL
Room Comments/Treatments:	done
Time Period/Length of Audition:	2 years
Type of Audition/Review:	Product Owner