34 MAGAZine Son & Image 126 REVIEW Reviewer for the Magazine Son&Image Bérard Michel 35 Years in the Making The Merrill•Williams Turntable R.E.A.L. 101

Photo: François Desaulniers Photo: François Desaulniers G 16,200 titles are available on-line as of August 2011. startedBestBuyselling theformat 2008,andin more than could come to the rescue of independent record stores. Even vinyl recordsmedium “cool”, the find whoteens to format clientele,fied ranging customers thefrom with brought up sold,the best year since 1991. With an increasingly diversi growthanyofmillionunitsmusic2.8 with 2010, format in most theexperienced recordsvinyl SoundScan, to cording upsurgeaninterest in for theirproduction andreissue. Ac Fry,Johnto president Ardentof Studios, currentlythere is Vinylrecords have survived the testof time, and, according mind. in criteria listening with designedwas productnew technology,withdings.partnersobsessed areBoth the yet alsoinvolved thein development and revival of vinyl recor Zeppelin, , and . Ardent is theheartof Memphis, where recordedit suchartists Led as Ardentas Records 1966,the1959.Incompanyin moved to founder of Ardent Studios (ardentstudios.com), first created In2009, George Merrill associated with Robert Williams, co- MERRILL-3 R.E.A.L.101 Stereophile magazine. A”in rating“Class a and publications specialized in praise widespread MS21 the gained which resonance,and energy on, the two men were primarily concerned with controlling Early used. materials of terms in measured be wouldrence diffe- The MS21. the as mechanism and sub-chassis,parts, inner same the feature and $8,000 cost would which MS2, a more affordable turntable, Mr. Scillia began designing the tagprice made largelyit inaccessible. effortan In to create $24,000 its althoughexpectations, Mr.Scillia’s and Merrill rance, the limit in the aerospace industry. The MS21 met Mr. of its two designers. The turntable is machined to a “T” tole - MS21 was born, combining the experience and Researchthe expertise Merrill-Scillia the later years two and Heirloom, Merrill the reissuing suggested eventually Merrill George work. the all this with him by entrusted Merrill Mr.achievement Impressed parts. original designing started and modificationsturntableover Subsequently, took Mr.Scillia of tools and parts for the aeronautic and medical industries. Scillia, a mechanical Anthony structure engineer and a manufacturer with collaborating began Merrill George tables, turn- AR 5000 than more modified having after 2001, In MERRILL-2 S2-S21 ving interest inARturntable modifications. distributorscontributedtheit in but States toUnited revi - priceyproductnotcatchThis the attentionofdid 1978. in launchedHeirloomwasMerrill research. Theyears ofthese turntableTheon nextoriginal wastobased designan step MERRILL-1-HEIRL gly. These “Merrill Mods” made alegend of George Merrill. accordin- them modified and turntables Research Acoustic ofversions the all with experimentto out set another,he one from soundedturntables different how realizing After years old. In 1974, he created UnderGround Sound. UnderGround created he 1974, In old. years theaudiocareerbusinessin his whenhewas just 14 began native, Tennessee Memphis, a Merrill, eorge OOM - - - square wave oscillator. pulse short a by driven light strobe on-board an with ked that power the motor, and the turntable speed can be chec- amplifiers low-distortion high-power two drive oscillators The drive. cosine and sine for oscillators dual adjustable crystal-controlled employs which microprocessor a to red ride withvirtuallyno friction. to ball thrust shaft the allows bearing this of bottom the at surface hardened A nylon. impregnated graphite from manufacturedbearingwell oil an by supported is theand end, at placed ball thrust hardened a with steel stainless inch ground¾ precisionmadeof is shaft platter Thecord. re- the tracing is stylus the as vinyl the within vibrations eliminate toserves that mat compound rubber-cork a with covered then is platter The material. stable and sonance re- low density, high a resin, and cellulose bakelite ning listening environment. the in encountered energy air-born by contamination to impervious virtually turntable the make platter and feet laminate, the ab- of combination highly the Finally,rubber. sorbent special a of composed hemispheres inverted the tonearm mounting platform. of design the into integrated is platter,the with platform dissipation. Furthermore, the ability to azimuth align to the tothedampeningelastomermeans alsoactsa ofenergy as energy. electromagneticdeter to as so planeground a as acts nate trusssystem.support Thealuminumplinthlami- toforma the within locations calculated in placed solidly are struts can contaminate the energy release from the tonearm. parts.For example, the motor energy beforedissipated is it other of performance the affect and intrude can it before gy developed by operating parts are absorbed and dissipated only within the core elastomer, which means that the ener- occur dissipation and isolation Energy material. laminate aluminum the through energytransmitting from tonearm) preventto (motor,operatingparts spindle/bearing,platter order in laminate) the in (breaches Valleys” Isolation gy Mr.what areaswith areCertain isolated Merrillcalls “Ener - aluminum. with faced elastomer compound rubber pound rill in 1979. The laminated base consists of one piece of a 14 “EnergyManagementdeveloped technique MerDesign” by- ble wins points for style incomparisonto its predecessors. However,firstat said be can what sight turnta this that is - versions. earlier to listen to opportunity the have not did performance,I impressivealthough an expecting then was I onset,the From design. productoriginal outperformsthe energy dissipation. According to the manufacturer, managingthe of final concept the on different based still though approach, radically a Rubber- (for uses 101 Elastomer-Acoustic-Laminate) R.E.A.L. the Heirloom, the of version improved an was which MS21 the to Contrary turntables. The motor drive uses a regulated DC power supply wi- supply power DC regulated a uses drive motor The contai- compound a from manufactured is platter The three has 101 R.E.A.L. the intrusion, energy thwart To Coupling the energy transfer tonearm mounting platform sevenintact,integrity rigidity the maintain toorder In The R.E.A.L. 101 has a semi-rigid suspension. It uses the Merrill of generation third the to now getting are We 35 MAGAZine Son & Image 126 REVIEW

Two optional accessories complete the turntable: a pe- It is important to keep in mind that the RS1 tonearm riphery clamping ring and a center weight. Unfortunately, is very unusual and that it goes against many audio prin- I had neither of these at the time of my tests, but I will be ciples. First, it is not fixed, but rather placed directly onto able to relate the results in the next issue. the turntable. Second, the cartridge carrier is articulated and third, its placement is not particularly critical. REVIEW INSTALLATION Once the first step was completed, I removed the Orto- Setting up the turntable is relatively easy, and begins by fon tonearm and support ring, and meticulously replaced it arranging the platform on its three feet. Next, one must with the RS1. The only problem was that I had to place a connect the cable to the motor underneath the platform, 2” x 3” Symposium plates between the base of the tonearm and place the platter on the base. The final and most deli- and the turntable in order to adjust the height of the arm, cate step is to install the drive belt on the motor disk with which could potentially impact the sound produced. I then the tool provided. No adjustments are needed as there are proceeded to relay the cartridge to a Nagra phono preamp. no springs in the suspension, and all that remains to do is simply to plug in the power supply. LISTENING From the very first notes it was clear that I was faced with a truly great turntable. Considering Mr. Merrill’s 35 years of research and experimentation, and the enviable reputation of his products, this should come as no surprise. I began my listening session as I often do, with George Gershwin’s Concerto in F, recorded in 1981 by the Monte Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Lawrence Foster, with Gabriel Tacchino on the Steinway piano (Erato, NUM 75024). I immediately noticed the absence of background noise and an ease of listening, with a clear and spacious presentation devoid of excesses in the high medium. The piano rang luxuriously and naturally upon the energetic attack of the notes, and faded amid rich harmonics. On the whole, everything about the Merrill surpassed the sound of my own reference turntable, bitterly revealing its limits. Never before with my system had I encountered such three- dimensional breadth and depth in this recording. Then followed Purcell’s O Solitude Chants et Anthems, di- The turntable that I was provided came with a custom base rected by Alfred Deller (Harmonia Mundi France HM 247, for the Ortofon AS-212S tonearm, the most basic of Ortofon’s 1979 Winner of the Charles Cros Academy Award). The Mer- tonearms. Its installation is very simple, and Merrill even of- rill’s most remarkable feature is the ability to free and se- fers the possibility of creating custom bases for any tonearm. parate the choir voices, as well as to eliminate distortion The tonearm was adequate, but it did not reveal all the and excessive brilliance. The violins, baroque violas, and turntable’s qualities, in my opinion. For the first tests I deci- bass violas de gamba sounded more polished, and the whole ded to attach a Grado cartridge to the ensemble. was noticeably less “harsh” than on my reference turntable. 36 The turntable was placed on a Symposium platform sitting I confirmed this phenomenon while listening to theBWV on a SolidTech unit. The motor’s external power supply is 140 Cantata with the Henrich Schütz Choir from Heilbronn 6 contained within a metal casing with two power switches for accompanied by the Pforzheim Chamber Orchestra, and both 33 and 45-RPM speeds. Each speed can be individually conducted by Fritz Werner (Erato, EPR 15540). Once again, adjusted with the help of the strobe light wired to the casing. a veil was seemingly lifted from the music and the presen- For my installation, I would have liked to have a longer cable tation became much more lively. between the casing and the turntable in order to place the Next I listened to Margaret Argerich’s piano in Bach’s casing farther aside. I would also have preferred the light to English Suites (Deutsche Grammophon 2531 088, recorded be attached to the casing with a flexible arm, much like a 1980), a good choice for comparison as I have already lis- reading light, since the relay cable forces one to either place tened to it on such turntables as the Linn, Avid, Oracle and the light on the supporting unit or to let it hang. A flexible my own Goldmund. This record once again demonstrates the arm would allow a constant reading of the rotation speed. Merrill’s ability to excel in fluidity and presentation due to a I was careful to break in the unit for a good fifty hours background devoid of noise, and a capacity to viscerally carve before starting my first sound tests, using the Ortofon/Gra- out bass tones. Upon remembering the Oracle MkV’s presen- do combination, but the cartridge seemed to be the weakest tation, I perceived how well the Merrill wraps notes in their link in the system and I did not feel that it was doing justi- own air and space and I noticed the utter absence of mecha- ce to the turntable’s qualities. For the sake of comparison, I nical noise from the cartridge running along the grooves. installed my 47 Labs RS1 tonearm with its Clearaudio Signa- Vivaldi’s Four Seasons by the Saint-Martin-in-the-Fields ture cartridge, and despite having set the tonearm without Orchestra, directed by Neville Marriner, with violinist Alan

e 12 Son & Imag MAGAZine much precision, the Merrill immediately began to sing. Loveday, revealed another surprise. The Merrill has an

exemplary ability to free the instruments from each other, After all my tests, I moved on to a live recording of Paolo decongest the sound, present large and deep orchestral Conte’s Concerti, curious to hear what the “room” where masses without aggressive crescendos, and to give ample Paolo plays sounds like, since this is where all the beauty room to the first violin in this recording. The Merrill enhan- of this live recording lies. One is given the impression of ces all details in the music with subtlety and care. being transported to the performance, of really being there REVIEW During my tests I was fortunate to receive a visit from a in person. Listening to the audience clapping makes one musician friend of mine, a trumpet player and the head li- truly realize how accurate and natural the Merrill is. Thanks brarian at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City, though to the Merrill, this was among the best musical experiences his title does no justice to his real role. He is in fact in I have ever known. charge of ensuring that musicians are provided with the right scores for every performance, adapted to the speci- CONSIDERATIONS fications of the singers. In that role, he has collaborated I must mention that the first tests of the Merrill were made with the world’s most talented artists. With his indispensa- without the optional periphery clamping weight or the cen- ble musical knowledge and the Merrill on, we proceeded to ter ring, which I did not have at the time. However, I quickly review a whole series of albums well into the early morning. substituted my Goldmund center ring for the manufacturer’s, Of course, his comments on the system and the turntable the result of which was a far better sound. I’m certain that were highly positive, but I especially took advantage of his these two accessories will further improve the sound produ- presence to measure the Merrill’s ability to justly reproduce ced, and once I have received them I will be sure to impart certain characteristics of vinyl records. We listened again to the results of my tests in the magazine’s next issue. some of my favorite albums (mentioned previously), and his comments were full of praise for the Merrill’s ability to scour CONCLUSION information from the deepest recesses of the music and re- The Merrill R.E.A.L. 101 is an undeniable success. Then veal hidden details. He guaranteed to me that he had never again, one could not expect any less considering the before heard such tonal accuracy from a stereo system. amount of experience and research that went into this pro- I then presented Monique Pagé and Marc Hervieux’s ren- duct. This turntable has the ability to transport the liste- dition of Théodore Dubois Seven Last Words of Christ, from ner into the recording, and presents an accurate, natural the Fidelio label. My guest was impressed by the singers’ and vibrant performance. Thanks to Mr. Merrill’s ingenuity, presence, and I have to admit that I had never heard Mo- the R.E.A.L. 101 far surpasses my reference turntable and nique Pagé so present and real. When the Radio Ville-Marie reveals a wealth of details without any deficiencies in the Choir took over it seemed as if the room was overflowing musical presentation. It opens up and delicately reveals with sound, and we could visualize each row and every sin- mediums and high mediums like very few turntables do, ger. At a high point in the album on the last notes of the and it delivers accurate, unfettered and unexaggerated bass first track, the Merrill flawlessly revealed the depth of the frequencies. organ going down to 16 Hz. In a rare occurrence, we de- It is easy to handle and does not require any complicated parted from classical music towards, amongst others, old adjustments. The Merrill•Williams deserves a tonearm-car- Georges Moustaki recordings. My friend, though originally tridge pairing worthy of its excellence in order to reach its from Ontario, lived in Montreal for a long time and had true and full potential. many French speaking friends. And to my surprise he knew practically all the lyrics to Moustaki’s songs. It was an emo- tional evening reinforced by the Merrill, and when the song 37 « Le Métèque » came on, we could feel George Moustaki’s 6 warm voice present and solidly anchored between the two speakers. It was an unforgettable musical experience and an unanticipated lesson: I expected a technical opinion and instead experienced a moment of pure joy. In the following days I continued my tests with Mozart’s Horn Concerto KV 412-417, interpreted by Gerd Seifert with the Berlin Symphonic Orchestra, directed by Herbert von Karajan. This album has been with me for decades and it is a perfect test for tones. The horn at its peak rang true and, R.E.A.L. 101 Turntable shining , clearly detached itself from the orchestra. Merril•Williams Audio, LLC All this certainly gives a rest to my reference turntable! (901) 209-0796 – www.realturntable.com All along the tests, the Merrill clearly distinguished itself in reproducing bass frequencies. This was especially salient Taiga Distribution – (781) 341-1234 when listening to « The Rapids » and « Beacon », two of my favorite test pieces, on the Oregon album. The bass tones Magazine Son & Image were among the best that I have ever heard on my system; Vol. 12 No 6 unfettered, without artificial inflation and masking none www.son-et-image.com of the surrounding details. Surely an unequivocal success. e 12 Son & Imag MAGAZine