Transfiguration Phoenix Moving -Coil Cartridge and Hannl Mera Record Cleaning Machine

A Pair of Analog Goodies

The Transfiguration Phoenix doesn’t stand out for its detail, speed, rhythmic precision, dynamic range, top- or bottomend extension, or because its tonal balance is either warm or cool. Instead it stands out because it seems to blend all these things into a highly coherent, beautifully balanced package that, once you lower the stylus into the groove, pretty much dares you to lift it out until the side is over.

Hannl Mera Record Cleaning Machine

For me, cleaning LPs is a pain. I want to listen to my records, not fuss with fluids and big, noisy machines, and perform yet another ritual of the recordplaying process. That said, the damn things work, and there is no doubt that— be it an oldy-moldy or a freshly minted platter—the fuss is worth the effort.

If you simply want to get the job done, the $500 VPI 16.5, which has been in production for a quarter-century, is pretty tough to argue with. On the other hand, if you want something less noisy than a jet awaiting takeoff, that looks pretty, and has a few trick (if not essential) features, there are options. But they’ll cost you.

One worthy contender is the Germanmade Hannl Mera. It’s expensive ($2499), but as record cleaners go it is unusually quiet, has a relatively compact 15" x 15" footprint, is pretty cool looking, and has a few unusual gimmicks. For starters, the platter has an infinitely variable speed, which allows you to choose, say, a faster speed for fluid application and scrubbing, and a very slow speed for the vacuum process. In addition, the platter rotates both clockwise and counterclockwise, which I found useful during the scrubbing stage, especially with funky used LPs, where I was able to really dive into the grooves. The vacuum itself is likewise infinitely variable, but I found this less useful and tended to leave it at the maximum setting. There’s also a handy built-in container for spent fluid. One slight bummer, though, the Mera does not come with a dustcover. You can purchase an aftermarket acrylic unit made by Gingko, but that will set you back an additional $325.

Hannl makes its own record-cleaning solution, but Scot Markwell of U.S. distributor Elite AV (and once a colleague on this magazine), recommended that I use the L’Art du Son solution (which you simply dilute in distilled water), instead. Having better things to do with my time than obsess over record-cleaning fluids, I used the L’Art du Son for all my evaluations.

And what is there to say at this point about the sonic results of a well-cleaned LP that hasn’t already been said? The evidence is pretty dramatic. In addition to quieter surfaces, the sound is far more transparent, dynamic, and simply less “hifi- ish.” This is true of new records, and especially critical if you tend to purchase used LPs from a variety of sources. To paraphrase: You don’t know where that record’s been.