More Listening with PU-7
The BORON possesses a beautifully-dosed balance between precision and body. There is absolutely no fat or overhang but neither is there a feeling of the bass lacking propulsion, conviction, or incisiveness. And, trust me, timbrally, the BORON is absolutely spot on. There’s no added bloom but neither does it subtract it when it is present in the recording. It does not make instruments sound richer or more saturated, but it most certainly also does not subtract anything, nor does it overlay any character of its own. In fact, it always sounds convincingly natural. Wood sounds like wood and strings or steel also sound precisely as they should. That’s the beauty of true neutrality: the sound can bend along in all directions.
Importantly, the BORON excels in pacing and has a powerful drive which makes it not only smack-in-the-center-neutral but also rhythmically engaging and musically satisfying.
When streaming or playing CDs, my musical diet is quite wide but when it concerns LPs, I tend to focus on the late 70’s, ’80’s, and 90’s Soul, Jazz, Disco, Electro-Funk, and early R&B. As it happens, the Sequel SP and BORON work absolute wonders for this kind of music. As mentioned, the cartridge is not a smooth maker, nor is it particularly romantic, but it also does not hinder soul and emotion pouring out when it is in the recording. What it does arguably best is to portray the music’s gestalt, its rhythmic composure, and dynamic contrasts. Additionally, it is blissfully unrestrained and has lightning-fast transient behavior, and is marvelously revealing of instrumental texture.
BORON with Sorane SA 1.2
Next, I tried the BORON in a Sorane SA 1.2 tonearm, mounted on a GEM Dandy turntable as well as on the AVIDHIFI Sequel SP. The Sorane SA 1.2 tonearm’s effective mass is not specified, but like the Audio Origami PU-7, it is considered to inhabit the “medium” class for effective tonearm mass. Even so, the SA 1.2 feels considerably heavier and the higher mass was also evident from the amount of adjustment needed in the Sequel’s sub-chassis springs to horizontally re-align the turntable platter.
I would expect this relatively heavy tonearm to work more stably with low-compliance cartridges and in a way, this is true. The SA 1.2 extracts a fuller and fatter bass from the BORON than the Audio Origami arm with a richer and creamier midrange. I was kind of expecting the SA 1.2 to outperform the PU-7 in terms of robustness, solidity, and perhaps dynamics, but I can’t say that it outperforms the PU-7 in these areas. It sounds warmer and weightier, but rounder, less pure, linear, and precise. While the SA 1.2’s treble sounds in line with the arm’s overall smooth character, it also sounds a little rough and brash, compared to the super-refined PU-7. This is where the PU-7’s superiority is evident as it manages ultra-high resolution and a spritely delivery, combined with superb delicacy and finesse. At 2000 euros, versus the PU-7’s 3900 euros, that’s only fair enough, of course.
As with the PU-7, the BORON can occasionally skate inward if the stylus is lowered on a warped record at the beginning of the lead-in groove but if one is careful to cue the stylus such that it lands just before the music starts, then it usually works smoothly and with flat records, there’s no problem at all.
There was one occasion when playing a more seriously warped record using the SA 1.2 arm on the GEM Dandy turntable, where the cartridge momentarily jumped out of the groove. In fairness, I’ve only encountered this once during my months of testing and only with this tonearm but it should be mentioned that this particular warp, while larger than desirable, is not normally problematic. I have a few records with worse warps, even newly purchased records from audiophile labels, yet even those never incurred a stylus jump with other cartridges and turntables. I double-checked the aforementioned record with the Thorens TD-1601 with the ZYX R50 Bloom3 cartridge in the other room, and there it did indeed play just fine.
It’s possible that this particular cartridge-arm combination is less than ideal. But as mentioned further up, the cartridge’s stiff suspension is a deliberate design consideration made to extract the maximum sound quality from the cartridge. And I can confirm that it does indeed sound fantastic. It can be argued that its direct, communicative, and spritely character is worth maybe not playing that one warped record in the collection. At least, where it concerns this particular cartridge-arm combination.
At this point, I should reiterate that the cartridges are intended to be universally applicable but nevertheless have been developed with AVIDHIFI’s own tonearms in mind. Having said that, as it happened, this review was about to take an exciting new turn!
AVIDHIFI Tonearms
As I approached the finish line for this review, Marco of Hexagon Audio contacted me to ask if I was home so that he could drop off the brand new AVIDHIFI Tonearms! The ALTUS and NEXUS tonearms will be the subject of an upcoming separate review, but of course, I could not refrain myself from forming a first impression. And given the results, I couldn’t very well keep the reader in the dark for an extended period while writing the next review.
The entry-level ALTUS tonearm on the AVIDHIFI Sequel SP turntable
The top-level NEXUS tonearm on the AVIDHIFI Sequel SP turntable
Robust sound and robust tracking
Both AVIDHIFI tonearms are designed with an ideal balance between rigidity and tracking performance in mind. They are very stable and this results in a sound characteristic that perfectly exemplifies AVIDHIFI’s focus on rigidity. The tonearms sound decidedly planted with solid, tight, and tuneful bass, a neutral, natural, and full-bodied midrange, and accurate yet smooth and refined treble.
Perhaps most importantly, the AVIDHIFI tonearms are designed such that they very effectively eliminate the potential for skating when cueing the stylus, even with badly warped records!
Stay posted for an in-depth description of these arms in an upcoming review!
Bonus content: AVIDHIFI REFERENCE RUBY
As a nice extra, I was sent the top-model REFERENCE RUBY phono cartridge. Not intended for review but supplied just so that I could experience it. But having heard it, I cannot very well refrain from commenting on it, can I?
In brief: the REFERENCE RUBY has all the characteristics of the BORON. The same exemplary tracking, refinement, neutrality, precision, transparency, excitement, PRaT, and the exact same communication skills. It retains all this and adds fuller and more solid bass, a subtly richer tonality, and more physical-feeling imaging, which renders performers and instruments even more realistically. Compared one to one, I do indeed consider the RUBY to be better, and if the budget stretches to 7.500 euros then I highly recommend it. For 2200 euros less, the BORON offers very nearly all of the top model’s performance at a very nice saving.
So there you have it: the mid-tier BORON does indeed represent the sweet spot of the range.
Conclusion
The beauty of the AVIDHIFI BORON is that it delivers all the refinement, resolution, and air that I could wish for, along with utter confidence and absolutely perfect neutrality. Whilst undeservedly an often undervalued trait, neutrality is hard to achieve and should be coveted when obtained.
It craftily avoids leaning over either to the fulsome, rich, smooth, or voluptuous side or to the lean, threadbare, clinical side. It simply remains blissfully neutral. It’s got a crisp and confident and highly energetic presentation, for sure not romanticizing or flattering, but because it is so thoroughly expressive, it manages to make even so-so recordings sound engaging.
The biggest compliment that I can give the BORON is that it not only performs in an admirably neutral and transparent manner, but it also does not add any polish or polite restraint. There’s a refreshing complete absence of synthesis, and the cartridge simply always sounds utterly realistic.
Read Also
AVIDHIFI ALTUS and NEXUS Tonearms In-Depth Review
External Links
Distributor for the Benelux: Hexagon Audio
Manufacturer’s website: AVIDHIFI
