By Michael Miguest
I have always had a penchant for the "Arts" because of the positive aesthetic, intellectual, and emotional impact it has on my very existence. A Work Of Art is defined as: (1) the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power. (2) the various branches of creative activity, such as painting, music, literature, and dance. A work of art is a creative product with strong imaginative and/or aesthetic appeal.
I am going to start my review of the Reference Lenco MKIII by Jean Nantais with a question: How does one improve on Perfection? Jean Nantais' answer is simple: you make your perfection more perfect. A collaboration between Jean, myself, one of Jean's clients, and a 45 minute drive afforded me the opportunity to view and audition Jean's latest "Work of Art"- The Reference Lenco MKIII with his updated platter. As with most of his parts (except for the Classic-level main bearing and TJN Mod), he only sells his new platters to his clients, as they are too difficult to have made, and they are done in small runs.
Jean's new Reference platter, which is a result of his testing materials and techniques for his forth-coming "Ultimate Lenco", has two main features: extreme accuracy in machining so as to improve speed stability - which always leads to across-the board sonic improvements - and the sound of the alloy chosen.The speed stability issue is NOT an increase of mass, but a "perfection of balance", as the stock Lenco platter is already an extremely well-designed flywheel-platter, with much of its mass out on the rim which contributes to its sonically superior musical presentation.
Since he could not find the alloy he wanted to experiment with in slab form (which would have been convenient, cheaper and quicker) he was forced to first track down and then buy ingots, then arrange to have them cast into a solid disc of the correct size for rough and fine machining. Since the ingots are of irregular shape, he uses water displacement to calculate the amount of alloy ingots needed to create a disc of the correct dimensions to yield a platter identical in dimensions to the stock Lenco platter, because he was using the Reference Lenco MKIII to test the finished product sonically. The correct mass of ingots are then cast into a mold, slightly oversized. From this step, the disc is delivered to his machinist, who first rough machines it, then allows it to de-stress over a period of weeks to allow for movement and final settling. Once this phase is done, it is slow turned for highest accuracy. There is no original surface of the casting remaining, it is machined completely from solid on all surfaces. Finally, it is sent to be painted, then the mat bonded to it.
As a result of this process, the increased speed stability is audible across the board in the form of more bass control, greater detail, finer high frequencies, better imaging, and a greater sense of timing, relaxation, and an even greater sense of naturalness. The alloy he uses contributes to all of these enhancements and combined with speed stability produces a synergistic match made in Heaven.
THE LENCO REFERENCE MKIII
The Lenco Reference MKIII was fitted with the Kuzma 4point tonearm with Koetsu Corralstone cartridge.
THE SYSTEM
· Calix Technologies Phoenix Grand loudspeakers (circa 2003)
· Silnote Poisiden bi-wired speaker cables
· Bag End E-Traps (2) to smooth out bass room aberrations at about 30-35 hz
· Concert Fidelity ZL-200 mono blocks
· Concert Fidelity CF-080 XLS2 line stage
· Concert Fidelity SPA-4C phono stage
· Concert Fidelity DAC – 040 (non-battery version)
· MG Audio Silver interconnects – 2 pair – 1 set between phono stage and pre-amp, 1 set between DAC and pre-amp
· Kondo KSL LP Silver interconnects – 1 pair between pre-amp and amplifiers
· Esoteric P-01 Transport with power supply
· Esoteric G-0Rb clock
Listening to the Lenco Reference MKIII idler drive turntable is a very different experience than listening to a belt drive turntable. The Lenco Idler drive turntable lets the music come first as it presents the recorded event with incredible musicality and energy.The Lenco Reference MKIII is quieter than the proverbial church mouse which allows you to hear far deeper into the recording itself. Instruments are clearly separated with superb focus and clarity that extends to the time domain. When a note starts and how it decays is preserved with an ineffable beauty.
Even more remarkable is the fidelity with which the Lenco Reference MKIII approaches the organic textural liquidity and purity of a live performance. The Lenco's ability to ignite the music’s emotional content is unequivocally phenomenal. I am convinced that Jean's proprietary combinations of woods for the plinth and his choices for material upgrades of the original Lenco mechanisms and now the platter, contribute inexorably to the higher level of immediacy, palpability, and a fundamental rightness of the musical presentation this work of art delivers to the listener.
CONCLUSION
The Jean Nantais Lenco Reference MKIII with his new reference platter, in my humble opinion, represents the most realistic analog source I have heard from a turntable to date. It represents the expression of Jean's creative skill and imagination. It is an Art form that delivers an amalgam of all the qualities high-end audio embraces that qualifies a turntable for having the best vinyl playback possible. The Jean Nantais Lenco Reference MKIII is not just a work of art - it is a "Masterpiece".
I am going to start my review of the Reference Lenco MKIII by Jean Nantais with a question: How does one improve on Perfection? Jean Nantais' answer is simple: you make your perfection more perfect. A collaboration between Jean, myself, one of Jean's clients, and a 45 minute drive afforded me the opportunity to view and audition Jean's latest "Work of Art"- The Reference Lenco MKIII with his updated platter. As with most of his parts (except for the Classic-level main bearing and TJN Mod), he only sells his new platters to his clients, as they are too difficult to have made, and they are done in small runs.
Jean's new Reference platter, which is a result of his testing materials and techniques for his forth-coming "Ultimate Lenco", has two main features: extreme accuracy in machining so as to improve speed stability - which always leads to across-the board sonic improvements - and the sound of the alloy chosen.The speed stability issue is NOT an increase of mass, but a "perfection of balance", as the stock Lenco platter is already an extremely well-designed flywheel-platter, with much of its mass out on the rim which contributes to its sonically superior musical presentation.
Since he could not find the alloy he wanted to experiment with in slab form (which would have been convenient, cheaper and quicker) he was forced to first track down and then buy ingots, then arrange to have them cast into a solid disc of the correct size for rough and fine machining. Since the ingots are of irregular shape, he uses water displacement to calculate the amount of alloy ingots needed to create a disc of the correct dimensions to yield a platter identical in dimensions to the stock Lenco platter, because he was using the Reference Lenco MKIII to test the finished product sonically. The correct mass of ingots are then cast into a mold, slightly oversized. From this step, the disc is delivered to his machinist, who first rough machines it, then allows it to de-stress over a period of weeks to allow for movement and final settling. Once this phase is done, it is slow turned for highest accuracy. There is no original surface of the casting remaining, it is machined completely from solid on all surfaces. Finally, it is sent to be painted, then the mat bonded to it.
As a result of this process, the increased speed stability is audible across the board in the form of more bass control, greater detail, finer high frequencies, better imaging, and a greater sense of timing, relaxation, and an even greater sense of naturalness. The alloy he uses contributes to all of these enhancements and combined with speed stability produces a synergistic match made in Heaven.
THE LENCO REFERENCE MKIII
The Lenco Reference MKIII was fitted with the Kuzma 4point tonearm with Koetsu Corralstone cartridge.
THE SYSTEM
· Calix Technologies Phoenix Grand loudspeakers (circa 2003)
· Silnote Poisiden bi-wired speaker cables
· Bag End E-Traps (2) to smooth out bass room aberrations at about 30-35 hz
· Concert Fidelity ZL-200 mono blocks
· Concert Fidelity CF-080 XLS2 line stage
· Concert Fidelity SPA-4C phono stage
· Concert Fidelity DAC – 040 (non-battery version)
· MG Audio Silver interconnects – 2 pair – 1 set between phono stage and pre-amp, 1 set between DAC and pre-amp
· Kondo KSL LP Silver interconnects – 1 pair between pre-amp and amplifiers
· Esoteric P-01 Transport with power supply
· Esoteric G-0Rb clock
Listening to the Lenco Reference MKIII idler drive turntable is a very different experience than listening to a belt drive turntable. The Lenco Idler drive turntable lets the music come first as it presents the recorded event with incredible musicality and energy.The Lenco Reference MKIII is quieter than the proverbial church mouse which allows you to hear far deeper into the recording itself. Instruments are clearly separated with superb focus and clarity that extends to the time domain. When a note starts and how it decays is preserved with an ineffable beauty.
Even more remarkable is the fidelity with which the Lenco Reference MKIII approaches the organic textural liquidity and purity of a live performance. The Lenco's ability to ignite the music’s emotional content is unequivocally phenomenal. I am convinced that Jean's proprietary combinations of woods for the plinth and his choices for material upgrades of the original Lenco mechanisms and now the platter, contribute inexorably to the higher level of immediacy, palpability, and a fundamental rightness of the musical presentation this work of art delivers to the listener.
CONCLUSION
The Jean Nantais Lenco Reference MKIII with his new reference platter, in my humble opinion, represents the most realistic analog source I have heard from a turntable to date. It represents the expression of Jean's creative skill and imagination. It is an Art form that delivers an amalgam of all the qualities high-end audio embraces that qualifies a turntable for having the best vinyl playback possible. The Jean Nantais Lenco Reference MKIII is not just a work of art - it is a "Masterpiece".
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