HiFi Guru are the exclusive Alphason dealer for Adelaide contact us for a demonstration
In 1985, Alphason set new standards for vinyl replay with the highly successful HR-100S tonearm. It is respected as an exceptionally well-conceived design and well-executed product. In an unusually thorough review, published in the Absolute Sound Vol 9 No 36, the HR-100S was recognised as setting the Reference Standard against the world’s top tone arms.
Since it’s conception the HR-100S has built an almost cult following, highly regarded and sought after by audiophiles worldwide. Now, as analogue vinyl has made a resurgence, Mike Knowles, the founder of Alphason and the architect behind the HR-100S has taken that knowledge, furthering it to create the HR-200S tonearm, with the following features :
- One-piece, composite head shell and arm-tube with internal damping, the only one of its kind which sets the industry standards for tonal purity, clarity and resolution of fine detail.
- Unique ceramic bearings are far superior to bearings used by other tone arms. These have been refined to set new levels for sound staging, definition, focus together with resolution of detail.
- Bespoke pin-jacks and highest quality, single piece wiring provide the ultimate signal integrity.
Remarkable Tonal Purity and Resolution
“Remarkable, too, is the sense of tonal purity. Listen to any good piano recording and revel in the pure, tightly defined timbre of each note. There is no fuzziness around the edges of the images – the focus is laser-like. Each image is just there.”
The one-piece head shell and arm tube are carefully designed to optimise frequency response and provide new standards of tonal neutrality. The selection of titanium provides outstanding transient response.
The HR-200S makes a massive leap forward by utilising the industry’s first composite head shell. The composite construction significantly increases rigidity and is impervious to vibrational energy. The structure provides the perfect, neutral platform for a high-performance cartridge.
The internal arm tube damping of the HR-200S is significantly improved. The result is remarkable resolution of fine detail and high order harmonics. Violins are rich and soar. The demanding harmonics of cymbals are faithfully reproduced. Vocals have a remarkable presence.
“The Alphason is unmatched by other pivoted arms in delineating the spatial relationships (especially in the dimension of depth) between images on the outside edges of the soundstage.”
Alphason Specialist Audio design and make bespoke bearings which have zero clearance, enabling the ultimate in clarity and sound staging. The bearings for the HR-200S are improved, over the HR-100S, to give even lower levels of friction enabling higher pre-loads and higher rigidity.
“The Alphason’s hallmark is a clarity so pure it is almost prescient. This clarity extends from the lowest octave right on up to the highest frequencies. I really cannot even focus upon any area that seems clearer than any other area. The highs are as clean as the mid-bass, and so on… the ultimate performance is the best sound I have heard in my system”
“Each record was a revelation. Soundstage presentation is the best I have heard … with awesome clarity and maintenance of proper phase relationships”
The Alphason Specialist Audio pin jack sets new standards of excellence and signal integrity. It embodies a six fingered receptacle which provides consistent and repeatable contact force on every insertion of the cartridge pin for well over 100 insertions. The optimised insertion force reduces the risk of damage to delicate wires.
