ClearAudio have been producing moving-coil phono cartridges for more than 20 years, and throughout that period they have stuck to their patented symmetrical generator design. This arranges the coils and magnets about the pivot point in such a way that the generator is mechanically magnetically and electrically balanced. Every cartridge they've produced has been a development or refinement of this basic electrical layout. Until now.

The new Victory Gold cartridge employs both an entirely new body design, and an evolutionary development of the symmetrical generator. Whilst it retains the gold coils of the other cartridges, the moving mass has been reduced to 0.009 grams. The familiar ClearAudio hammerhead is still in evidence, but it is now virtually enclosed by a handsome new MgAlSi alloy body. This has been shaped to eliminate parallel surfaces, whilst at the same time reducing the overall mass of the cartridge to 8 grams, where it fits neatly between the 'too light for comfort' wooden bodied designs, and the 'too heavy to handle' lead alloy models. This makes it far more compatible with the majority of medium-mass tonearms, like the Naim Aro or Linn Ekos.

The other big change is output level. Historically ClearAudios have enjoyed healthier than average outputs, up around the 0.6mV mark. Partly as a result of the quest for reduced moving mass, the Victory puts out a mere 0.2mV. And that is low, placing it below the notional 0.25mV point at which a lot of moving coil stages start to run into trouble with noise levels.

Installation is a breeze, largely due to the eradication of the hideously fiddly recessed circular nuts, replaced by tapped holes in the cartridge body The downside is that the multi-faceted bodywork makes fitting a stylus guard impossible (at least they haven't come up with one yet). This doesn't worry me, but if you are of a nervous disposition.... The clearly visible cantilever makes optimum alignment a doddle, helped by the threaded body which makes minute adjustments far simpler. The hammerhead retains its traditional white vertical, which makes setting correct VTA considerably easier. Work around the vertical setting, and I'll be very surprised if you need much by way of adjustment. Bear in mind that with the correct VTA, the cartridge sits noticeably tail down, which might produce problems with wide bodied arms (Wilson-Benesch, SME) as they approach the inner grooves. I haven't tried it, so I can't be sure. Tracking force needs to he set towards the higher end of the recommended range, for sonic rather than security reasons. I settled on 2.7g as optimum (and you will need to be precise), although the cartridge tracked just fine as low as 2.0g.

Experimentation with loading showed a marked preference for the 100 ohm mark (slightly less if you can manage it). And when I say marked, I mean marked. Load the Victory too high, say 200 ohms, and the sound becomes insubstantial and thin. So much so that unless you can load it properly I'd have serious reservations about recommending this cartridge. Playing 'Someday' (Steve Earle Guitar Town MCA MCF3335) at the higher setting produced a waffly bass performance and left the song to meander. Reducing the loading tightened the bass, as well as giving substance and attack to the guitar barks that drive the stabbed rhythm, restoring the song's insistent, yearning quality. Given that the low output could easily result in a thinning of the sound if the phono stage is teetering on the edge, you need to get this right.

Once you've got the cartridge installed and torqued down, what should you expect? I'm tempted to say "a shock", but that's too flippant to be helpful. Correctly aligned and loaded, the Victory is a bit of a surprise package. I was immediately struck by its large and precisely defined sound stage. Images extended well beyond the boundaries of the speakers without losing their correct proportions or body. But it's the combination of that transparency and focus with a wealth of really well integrated information that makes this new ClearAudio so exciting. Images are beautifully focused and scaled, but they also have the correct character and colour. When Martin Stephenson sings 'Coleen' to his sister (Boat To Bolivia Kitchenware KWLP5) the poignant combination of sadness and hope is palpable. The pacing of the electric piano is spot on, as is the fuzzy roundness of its notes. The delicacy of the brushed cymbal work is astonishingly good, for its definition and tonal shade, and for the way its locked in both space and time. It accents the rhythm perfectly. I ran on through 'Little Red Bottle' and before I knew it I was marvelling at the guitar sat between the speakers on 'Tribute..'. The Victory got the size spot on, and also the wooden raps on its body the squeak of fingers on strings. But it was the way it showed the difference between a single string exciting the body and the richer weight and complexity of a strummed chord that was really impressive. This detail makes the tune so much easier to engage, and disbelief so much easier to suspend.

Bass is light but sure footed. Unusually it also occurs on a height with the other instruments, rather than being exaggerated, and pushed forward and down to drag its sorry ass along the floor. If you value accuracy and a natural spectral balance this won't be a problem. If you have the (entirely understandable) desire to feel your bass, any bass, regardless of the music, then this is where you and the Victory may part company For me, it was a joy to hear double basses reproduced at the correct height and position in the soundstage. The cellos' drone that underpins the woodwind themes at the opening of the Second Movement of Scheherezade (Reiner / Chicago RCA LSC 2446) is full of texture, and hangs, separate in the air. The soundstage is cavernous but full of presence. Again, you can feel the tension in the performance.

In many respects, the Victory marks another step in ClearAudio's pursuit of neutrality It has something of the same character (or lack of it) that the Reference turntable possesses. In fact, experience shows that its sonic character tends to be dictated by the matching phono stage rather than inherent colourations within the cartridge itself, a remarkable observation about a mechanical transducer. Its intimacy and natural sense of expression is enticing, pulling you in and holding you there.

No it doesn't have the low frequency extension and dynamics of the (three times the price) Accurate. Nor does it have its vivid tonal colours, drawing from a more muted palette. And it lacks the more expensive cartridges' uncanny ability to distinguish individual voices in a choir, be they human or instrumental. But at its price its performance is revelatory. Play the Vivaldi Gloria (Argo ZRG 505) and marvel at its light and air, the different, layered elements of the choir weaving their complex patterns without ever swamping the small Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields orchestra. Even the harpsichord survives intact - and is especially effective in the Laudamus. The whole feel of the piece is a vivid evocation and celebration of God, its combination of pathos and welling joy perfectly captured by the new ClearAudio.

The middleweight champ is ageing, and while the analogue world bides its time and awaits the new Clavis replacement from Lyra, the Victory with its ability to cut straight to the heart and soul of a performance, is a considerable threat to the crown. Its low output and loading requirements might prevent its universal application, but it still represents one hell of a pre-emptive strike.

As this Issue is put to bed, what should arrive, hot foot from the fatherland, but a huge box containing but a single cartridge. (My neighbour who signed for it refused to believe that it was only a stylus'.) Inside was the first sample of a new design, the Victory-Gold H, and you guessed it, the H stands for higher as in output. A far more healthy 0.6mV to be precise - and enough to drive even valve MC stages. Initial results are interesting, but whether the extra moving mass of the larger coils is off-set by the increased output depends on the phono stage, and how happily it tolerates meagre rations. Let me investigate further, and I'll produce some conclusions in the next issue (4).

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Revel Ultima Gem
Design Principle: Low output moving-coil
Weight: 8g
Cantilever: Boron
Stylus Tip: Ingot II
Compliance; 15cu
Tracking Force: 2.0 - 2.8g
Recommended Loading: 80 -100 Ohms
Output Level: 0.2 mV

Price: £960

Manufacturer:
ClearAudio Electronic Gmbh
E-mail. Clearaudio "at" t-online.de

Distributor:
Audio Reference
Tel. (44)(0)1252-702705
Fax. (44)(0)1483-301412

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