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ertere Acoustics’ Phono-1 MKII may not look particularly special, but if you’re after a phono stage at anywhere near the £1000 mark, it simply has to be heard. This plain-looking box turns out to be a carefully considered product with a wide range of settings that ensures compatibility with most price-compatible cartridges.

Look underneath…

That clean front with its solo power switch isn’t the panel to focus on. With its initially dizzying collection of dipswitches, the underside of the case is far more interesting.

Take a careful look and it all starts to make sense with adjustments for gain – from 45.4 to 61.4db in 12 steps – as well as a multitude of settings for capacitance and resistance.

Get these adjustments right (check your cartridge’s technical specifications for the values required, but feel free to experiment) and we think you’ll be able to optimise the Vertere’s performance for most cartridges on the market.

…and round the back

Take a look at the back panel and it’s all pretty straightforward. There’s the input and output in standard stereo RCA form and a grounding terminal with a generously sized nut with which to clamp down.

Unusually, there’s also a Ground switch with three positions, to give the user options should hum be an issue 30

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switches all work with precision. This is an expensive unit – and it feels it.

The EQ-500 is hefty for a phono stage, weighing in at just under 13kg, which is around the same as a decent integrated amplifier. At 44cm, it’s a touch wider than the standard full-size width too, something to keep in mind when choosing a place for it to sit.

Give it time

f you’re after the best phono stage money can buy, this Burmester is a good place to start. There are plenty of choices at ‘money no object’ levels, but few that can match the 100 Phono’s modular nature, feature list and sumptuous build.

The base version of this unit comes in at the price we’ve quoted. This can support a single turntable (with either a moving-magnet or moving-coil module) and pass the amplified signal through single-ended or balanced XLR outputs.

If you’re lucky enough to run two turntables, the 100 can be equipped with a second phono module – available both for MM and MC cartridges.

A digital option

There is also the option to add an analogue-to-digital converter into the mix. Why would you want to add that? It lets you digitise and archive your vinyl, which is handy.

The 100’s front panel is pretty busy, but the signal-level meter grabs our attention. This can be selected to show the output of each channel individually or mixed together – handy for setting levels for the digital recordings (if you have the AD module fitted).

Elsewhere there are more (rather lovely) toggle switches for most of the settings. There’s pretty much every feature we can reasonably ask for here, including load impedance, a dedicated gain level for each input (37-52db for MM and 57-72db for MC), a subsonic filter (to take out unwanted low-end rumble) and output level (variable or fixed). The only thing missing is the 32

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system, copper phase plug and glass fibre cone. It’s tuned by a forward-firing port and is claimed to reach down to a pretty impressive 30Hz, though Proac’s specifications don’t list the output level limits for that measurement.

Traditionally, Proac has made its speakers compatible with a wide range of amplifiers and the D2RS are no different. While a sensitivity of 88db/w/m and nominal impedance of 8 ohms is par for the course, these speakers are an easier electrical load to drive than most rivals.

The Response D2RS feel solid and well built. There’s a choice of six real wood veneers – mahogany, black ash, cherry, walnut, oak or white silk. For an extra £200, you can have rosewood or ebony.

Careful partnering

To get the best out of these speakers, you’ll need to put a bit of work into installation. With the D2R’S transparency, it pays to partner them with equally capable sources and amplification.

These Proacs aren’t as unfussy about positioning as the standard D2s. That ribbon tweeter has many positives, but is more demanding about optimum set-up. Make sure you keep the speakers away from rear and sidewalls and get the toe-in angle towards the listening position right. Finally, make sure your stands raise the speaker sufficiently to put your ears in line with the tweeter.

We plumb these Proacs into our reference system – Naim ND 555/555 PS DR music streamer and Burmester 088/911 Mk3 amp – and sit back waiting to be entertained. We’re big fans of the D2s, so we’re expecting greatness. Thankfully, that’s exactly what we get.

The Response D2RS are expressive speakers, even at low volume levels. We play Melody Gardot’s Mira and they respond with an agile and lively performance that mixes information with entertainment as well anything else we’ve heard at this price. The midrange is a highlight, delivering Gardot’s rich, playful tones with considerable skill. The D2RS convey the nuances of her voice superbly, making it sound alive.

We’re pleased with the way these speakers deliver the song’s complex rhythms åtoo. There’s precision, coupled with a good sense of drive, and the ability to sound fluid while doing it.

We switch to Stravinsky’s The Rite Of Spring and these Proacs continue to impress with their large-scale dynamics and authority. These aren’t particularly big speakers, so really deep bass isn’t on the menu, but for their size, the low-end is impressive deep and authoritative.

Shining detail

That ribbon tweeter shines in the amount of detail it resolves and avoids sounding a little sterile and tonally grey. The integration with the mid/bass is handled seamlessly and there’s a consistency of character from the lowest frequency upward that’s impressive.

Stereo imaging is nicely layered and pleasingly precise. When we close our eyes it’s hard to pinpoint the positions of the D2RS, which speaks well for the quietness of those cabinets.

Neutral isn’t the first word to come to mind when we think of the Proac’s tonal balance. Similarly priced models from the likes of Spendor or ATC excel in this area, but the D2RS don’t obviously come up short. They have a stronger character than some rivals, but it’s likeable and works well across a wide range of music.

These boxes have a natural warmth to the midrange that helps to make voices sound more convincing, but perhaps they need a little more enthusiasm in the upper frequencies to be truly accurate. However, none of these things detracts from their considerable strengths.

Despite their obvious transparency, these Proacs never strike us as particularly analytical tools. With suitably talented partners, the D2RS excel at giving the music the limelight. We can’t ask for more than that.

of the sledgehammer approach we were expecting, we get class-leading agility. The L100s render deep bass frequencies with the kind of ease and finesse that smaller rivals struggle to do.

Move up the frequency range and you’ll find a crisp midrange and clear treble. At these higher frequencies, the L100s don’t sound as sophisticated as those more conventional alternatives, but they’re still insightful enough to reveal production differences between Miles Davis’s Kind Of Blue and Ólafur Arnalds’ more modern Broadchurch OST.

An expansive soundstage

Stereo imaging is also pretty good. The L100 Classics paint a decently expansive soundstage with precisely located instruments. There’s not quite the space around those sounds we’d like, nor the same impression of outright depth, but it’s not a damaging shortfall.

Timing is good enough for the L100s to convey the changing momentum of the music well. Surprisingly, they remain engaging at lower volume levels where rivals start to sound lifeless, so late night listening remains firmly on the menu.

But to get this kind of performance you need to take care with positioning. In our test room, we place the JBLS just over a metre from the rear walls and well clear of the side. We also angle them in slightly towards the listening position to solidify the stereo imaging.

The JBLS aren’t flawless, but none of their shortcomings is a deal-breaker. While the JBLS cede to rivals in some respects, their blend of engineering choices – big cabinet, three-way configuration with large paper-coned bass driver and high sensitivity – yields results that rivals can’t match.

If you judge hi-fi on the ability to entertain rather than to analyse, these are an appealing pair of speakers at the price. You’d have to be soulless not to be just a little pleased that products with this much charm and character still exist.