Pure Fidelity Joins the Upscale Audio Family
One of the most exciting new audio brands out there
The Pure Fidelity Horizon in the Quilted Maple finish. Note the aluminum sub-plinth. Not visible are the IsoAcoustics Gaia IV feet between the Ultra MDF plinth and the base.
Made up the road from us (map it, you'll see) in Vancouver, Canada, we are excited to bring on this celebrated analog startup.
First-time novelists are often advised to write the book they want to read rather than pandering to an audience. When designing his turntables, John Stratton followed the same principle, explaining once to a reviewer, "I am the typical Pure Fidelity customer."
Over his years as a hi-fi enthusiast, John has owned and studied some of the best turntables in high-end audio. He's examined all the different design philosophies and brought the best of each together in what he calls a hybrid design.
High-mass turntables enjoy the advantage of being immune to small vibrations and can be made very non-resonant, with deep bass response. But, says John, high-mass designs can sound "sleepy."
Low-mass designs have the advantage of being able to dissipate vibrations very quickly or avoid picking them up in the first place. They have a fast, engaging presentation but can also sound thin and bass-light.
With his hybrid approach, John settled on an intermediate-mass design using an exceptionally high-density engineered wood product, Ultra MDF. John believes this offers the solidity of high-mass designs with the light-footedness of the low-mass approach.
He also focussed on effectively isolating the plinth, offering a base and isolation feet as standard with the turntable. In addition to being non-resonant and delivering the right mass, Ultra MDF is highly machinable, allowing complex CNC designs with sharp edges and tight tolerances.
Outside of his own, one of John's favorite turntables is the Rega P9. "I'm not saying this was my inspiration," he says, "but it did make me realize that a high-end turntable did not have to be overly complicated."
Understanding the Range
Pure Fidelity makes four turntable models, but you can think of them as two models with different shapes. The rectangular Encore and curved Eclipse each cost $6,495 for the turntable alone.
The rectangular Harmony and curved Horizon are $7,995 for the turntable alone.
Looking at the bottom of the Horizon, you'll see that this more expensive table employs a separate aluminum sub-plinth. Fitted to the underside of the Ultra MDF plinth are four IsoAcoustics feet, a custom low-profile model called the Gaia IV. This offers excellent isolation even when the table isn't on an audio shelf.
The more inexpensive Eclipse doesn't have the sub-plinth. Instead, the Ultra MDF plinth rests on three machined aluminum feet and sits directly on your audio shelf.
In addition, the Horizon comes with a 48 mm platter and the more advanced Pure Fidelity SS-10 record weight, while the Eclipse sports a 36 mm platter and the SS-1 record weight.
All models ship with the Pure Fidelity Conductor outboard speed control with a quartz lock with a rotational accuracy of ±0.003%. The speed control isolates the motor drive voltage from the noise, spikes, and distortions in your household AC mains, generating a pure sine wave of uncommon speed stability.
At each model level, there is no sonic difference between the two shapes of plinth; it is purely an aesthetic choice. Both models are available in Walnut, Santos Rosewood, Quilted Maple, and Piano Black. Custom finishes are available, but contact us for lead times on those.
Kat Ourlian, our analog manager, says, "I wanted to bring on a brand like Pure Fidelity for a few reasons. Not only are the tables gorgeous and made by our neighbors in Canada, but they offer a modern take on an established technology while still holding to a nostalgic feel. These tables combine really nice technologies from other table builds into one."
The Pure Fidelity Eclipse in the Santos Rosewood finish. This model uses machined aluminum feet under the Ultra MDF plinth.
Stellar Reviews
Steve Huff, the camera and hi-fi reviewer, recently reviewed the Pure Fidelity Harmony calling it "heirloom quality analog," and asks on the video thumbnail: "Ready for your last turntable?"
In his written review, he calls the Harmony "the finest turntable I have ever experienced," "without question the finest analog playback I have ever heard," and "by far the nicest analog vinyl spinner I have ever had in my possession."
Noted audio journalist Ken Micallef also reviewed Pure Fidelity, and in Stereophile, Dec 2022, said of the Harmony that it was "one of the finest analog playback machines I’ve heard."
Stereophile has just rated the Pure Fidelity Harmony a Class A product in their 2023 Recommended Components issue, a category it shares with tables in the $30k–$50k range. (Note, the Harmony is the rectangular version of the Horizon, they are sonically identical.)
John Stratton told us that Steve Huff and Stereophile's Jim Austin bought their review units, really the highest compliment a busy reviewer can pay to a product.
New Video: Kevin Joins Charles Kirmuss to Review the Kirmuss Record Restorer
Founder and designer of the famed Kirmuss "In the Groove," Charles Kirmuss, rightly calls this machine a record restoration device because its patented cleaning procedure goes deep into the record groove, removing mold release agent, residue from previous cleaning machines, and other unwanted layers and grit that have been baked into the vinyl.
The result? Lower noise, improved detail, and an impressive 1.3 to 4 dB gain in volume with new records and vintage crate finds.
We're Open on Saturdays
The Upscale Audio store at 2058 Wright Avenue in La Verne is open on Saturdays from 9 to 5. We will be running with a smaller crew, and there are a couple of important things to note:
1) As with all other days, you'll need to call ahead and set up an appointment for a specific demo. If you decide to drop by, you won't be turned away, but your auditions will be limited to our headphone station and—only if the rooms are free—whatever systems we already have set up.
2) The warehouse will be closed, so if you need to pick up something, please call ahead, and we'll ensure we bring it over by Friday. If you buy something while you're here, it might be cheaper to ship it! After all, shipping is free above $49, and you'll save a little on La Verne city tax. Unless you live in La Verne...
Please call 909.931.9686 to make a demo appointment.