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Clearaudio Maestro V2 Ebony Cartridge

Clearaudio Maestro V2 Ebony Cartridge

I’ve never forgotten the sonic appeal of the Clearaudio Maestro Wood cartridge, which I reviewed back in 2008 (Issue 185). It appeared at a moment when I was still mourning the collapse of my final Shure V15 VxMR moving magnet and the announcement that its production run was over. The Maestro Wood stepped in and filled the void left by the iconic V15 and in many ways bettered that venerable cartridge’s performance. Although it was a step up in price, I concluded that the Wood was a sweet-talking, addictively balanced performer that “kept its eye on the big picture.”

But time marches on, and recently the aging Maestro was upgraded to V2 Ebony status, joining Clearaudio’s completely rebooted series of moving-magnet cartridges—the entry-level Performer V2 Ebony ($400 output, 3.6mV), the Artist V2 Ebony ($600, 3.8mV), and the Virtuoso V2 Ebony ($900, 4.0mV). These three models are outfitted with aluminum cantilevers and elliptical styli. Nothing so prosaic for the Maestro V2 Ebony, however. Clearaudio has served up something special for its top-tier moving magnet.

The V2 Ebony swaps the earlier Trygon P2 stylus of the Maestro Wood with Clearaudio’s Micro HD stylus. Mounted to a solid boron cantilever, the Micro HD is ultra-low-mass, while the overall assembly is identical to the one used on all of the upper-crust Clearaudio moving-coil cartridges, including the Goldfinger Statement. In comparison to the older Maestro Wood, the Maestro V2 Ebony has a higher 4.2mV output (versus 3.6mV) and offers improved channel separation over the less expensive new models—up from >30dB to >32dB. All of this is courtesy of the improved and more powerful generator, as well as the tighter-tolerance magnets. The Maestro V2 utilizes a tonewood (i.e., ebony) chassis in an enlarged design, where the earlier Maestro used a lower-density Fernambuk wood body. Ebony, well regarded in the musical-instrument world for its extremely high density, also delivers resonance characteristics in keeping with Clearaudio’s best. Like the Wood before it, the Maestro Ebony’s wood body fully encloses the motor assembly, but the cantilever assembly is forward of the cartridge body and precariously exposed.

In the interests of full disclosure, my own LP playback system hasn’t remained untouched since I reviewed the Maestro Wood five years ago. The Sota Cosmos vacuum turntable went back to the factory for a much-needed tune-up and upgrade to series IV status. Also I’m currently using the superb John Curl-designed Parasound JC 3 phonostage as my reference and Audience Au24e impedance-matched phono cabling. The totality of these changes has made significant differences in overall neutrality and resolution.

Even so, the Maestro has also made considerable strides over its forbear particularly in the area of responsiveness. There’s a light- ness and speed in the way it resolves transients. Not that its predecessor was sluggish, but the Maestro Ebony has shed some of that cartridge’s extra warmth, resulting in a more faithful and quicker sound. Like its predecessor it retains a fluidity of character that makes it sound as if the grooves of every record were pre-oiled. Throughout my listening sessions the Maestro tracked very cleanly.

Tonally it travels straight down the rich and wide middle of the sonic spectrum. Its inherent midrange energy and overall balance bring symphonic recordings to life, unifying each section of the orchestra into the greater whole of the ensemble. It never favors a particular tonal range that might, for example, embellish strings or gild the brass section or add string section glitter to Vaughan- Williams’ Wasps Overture. At times it conveys a hint of shadowing on top, yet (and this is personal) it’s a forgiving characteristic that’s far easier on the ears than the false buoyancy created by cartridges that add detail by juicing up the treble. We’ve all heard this for ourselves when we hear a female vocalist that we’re familiar with (I like using Jennifer Warnes or early Joni Mitchell) and suddenly, with the latest and improved “it” cartridge, the vocal image appears with a sonic halo encircling the sung note, as if the mastering engineer has twisted a 5–10kHz knob a couple dB.

 

Low-level detail is elegantly resolved. The Maestro especially captured my heart in the way it reproduced Joni Mitchell’s dulcimer throughout “California” from Blue [Reprise]. It portrayed the small four-string fretted instrument with a clear sense of its delicate drone, its light tonal balance, and distinctive buzziness. The spread of images during Norah Jones’ “Wish I Could” from Not Too Late [Blue Note] was excellent. Dynamic gradations were also quite good on the quirky track “sinkin soon,” where instruments, including trombone and mandolin plus an occasional pot and pan (really), slip in and out of the performance at oddball moments.

Returning to the Wasps Overture for a moment, I listened carefully for the harp lines that lilt throughout this piece. Easily buried in the mix, the harp’s lower- level information, micro-dynamic string

Energy, and resonances live deep within the interior of this music. They were as articulately and artfully resolved as I’ve heard them. At the other extreme, the larger dynamic orchestral swings were convincing, although the most violent crescendos, impressive as they were, seemed modestly tempered compared to one of my references, the Air Tight PC-3, a moving coil.

The Maestro is very close to some of the best I’ve heard at commensurately much higher prices, but it can’t quite resolve the double-tracked vocal during Norah Jones’ “Sinkin Soon” or the soft interplay of strings during Stravinsky’s Pulcinella [Argo] as cleanly as a moving coil. sure if a recent tax refund starts whispering in your ear, you’ll be able to capture a little more speed and inner detail from an mc like the Air Tight, a Benz Ebony, or the lusher and more romantic Sumiko Palo Santos Presentation. In general the inner life of a recording is where the mc’s still seem to shine a little brighter. They measure soundstage depth cues and instrumental layering down to the millimeter, and dynamic gradations are more finely reproduced. But with that resolution, you’ll also need to consider whether the entire LP playback system—’table, tonearm, cabling, phono preamp—is capable of the same level of insight.

Clearaudio has crafted a better cartridge from every sonic perspective. And considering it’s been five years between models, the cost increase is very modest indeed. As musical as they come, the Maestro V2 Ebony should be required listening for moving-magnet and moving-coil fans alike.

SPECS & PRICING

Output voltage: 4.2mV
Channel separation: >32dB
Tracking force: 2.0–2.6g
Cantilever: Boron/MHD diamond
Weight: 8.5 grams
Price: $1200

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

Neil Gader

By Neil Gader

My love of music largely predates my enthusiasm for audio. I grew up Los Angeles in a house where music was constantly playing on the stereo (Altecs, if you’re interested). It ranged from my mom listening to hit Broadway musicals to my sister’s early Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Beatles, and Stones LPs, and dad’s constant companions, Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett. With the British Invasion, I immediately picked up a guitar and took piano lessons and have been playing ever since. Following graduation from UCLA I became a writing member of the Lehman Engel’s BMI Musical Theater Workshops in New York–working in advertising to pay the bills. I’ve co-written bunches of songs, some published, some recorded. In 1995 I co-produced an award-winning short fiction movie that did well on the international film-festival circuit. I was introduced to Harry Pearson in the early 70s by a mutual friend. At that time Harry was still working full-time for Long Island’s Newsday even as he was writing Issue 1 of TAS during his off hours. We struck up a decades-long friendship that ultimately turned into a writing gig that has proved both stimulating and rewarding. In terms of music reproduction, I find myself listening more than ever for the “little” things. Low-level resolving power, dynamic gradients, shadings, timbral color and contrasts. Listening to a lot of vocals and solo piano has always helped me recalibrate and nail down what I’m hearing. Tonal neutrality and presence are important to me but small deviations are not disqualifying. But I am quite sensitive to treble over-reach, and find dry, hyper-detailed systems intriguing but inauthentic compared with the concert-going experience. For me, true musicality conveys the cozy warmth of a room with a fireplace not the icy cold of an igloo. Currently I split my time between Santa Fe, New Mexico and Studio City, California with my wife Judi Dickerson, an acting, voice, and dialect coach, along with border collies Ivy and Alfie.

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