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Hagerman Cornet.....first impressions

Just received a Hagerman Cornet today, plugged it in, and hit the power. Before listening, I let the unit idle for about 30 minutes to warm up. I'll make this brief, because it's late and I'm off to bed...but had to post some comments here first:

Part 1, Tube Rolling:

I started tonight with sets(2 x 12AX7, 1 x 12AU7) of Amperex Bugle Boy, Mullard, and Telefunken. Tomorrow I'll do RCA and some exotics. The 5Y3GT rectifiers I had on hand were a US made Zenith(RCA?), a US Granco, and a Sovtek. Played with the rectifier a bit...and settled on the Granco, though the Sovtek didn't sound bad at all. The Zenith seemed a little thin, though I found it hard to tell if I was really hearing a significant difference between these three.

Out of the three sets I tried tonight, I prefer the Bugle Boys. They are the least bright, with a creamy and full sound. The Mullards were the brightest, and the Telefunkens seemed to have a pleasant midrange emphasis...but were also thin and a tad top heavy. I find that these experiments vary piece by piece, for example...I have amps wherein Bugle Boys sound bright and not so hot and Mullards sound warm and smooth. I would love suggestions of other tubes I might try(RCA clear top 12AU7? 12AX7 black plates? 5751? 7025? CBS? Tung Sol?)

Part Two, The Sound:

First, few words about the Bottlehead Seduction...which I also have here. The Bottlehead may be slightly sweeter overall...but also leans toward sounding thin, bright, and like cheap transistors. In terms of dynamics, bass, weight, and bold presentation...the Hagerman is LIGHT YEARS ahead of the Seduction, leaving the latter sounding toy-like in comparison. HOWEVER, at the same time I feel certain aspects of the Seduction are more true than the Cornet. The Seduction has more air, seems to have a deeper soundstage, and imaging is more precise. The Bottlehead also seems to have a more natural tonality...though the gross lack of punch and depth make it intolerable. I'd be curious to add the C4 upgrade and compare the two. I think as-is, the Bottlehead may have the edge in terms of overall musicality...but it is so fundamentally deficient in most areas when compared to the Hagerman...it's out of the race.

More about the sound of the Cornet:

Pros:
1) BIG, full, dynamic, powerful, muscular, explosive sound.
2) Here is the bass I've been craving all this time!
3) Fairly quiet.
4) Tube rectified.
5) Seems to have non-agressive highs, but not 100% sure yet.
6) High fun factor, very American.

Cons:
1) Very American, lacks sophistication in some key areas...not very graceful...I find myself craving air, elegance, and delicacy. Seems dynamic, but without being particularly open and light on it's feet.
2) There seems to be a hardness to the sound that I don't like at all. Why does my brain tell me that the Cornet is better than the Bottlehead, yet my soul has the urge to put the Bottlehead back in the system? Despite it's SERIOUS faults, the Seduction seems to draw the listener in while the Cornet reaches out and demands your attention...not necessarily in a good way.
3) Not very engaging.
4) Perhaps my primary complaint with the Cornet is the bass. While VERY extended and satisfying, it has a slow, boomy, and thwacky house sound/signature that seems to bear it's ugly head regardless of program material.
5) Magic mids? Nice mid-bass? I don't think so....not here.
6) I've read comments wherein users claim that this unit is great with surface noise. I'm not sure I agree...but still need to run this for a while to be sure of what I'm hearing.


Conclusion:

The Hagerman Cornet is definitely the best phono preamp I've heard thus far, all things considered...though I've not heard many(just the phono stages in my vintage tube amps, the Bottlehead Seduction, and the wretched Jolida JD9). The Cornet reeks of quality and is a fine piece, it just may be that personally I'm looking for something a bit more refined/romantic. I'd very much like to call Jim Hagerman, discuss, and hear his suggestions for tubes and possible modifications. I get the impression that there is a lot that could be done with this preamp...and I'm by no means done yet.

Programme material:

Graham Nash-"Songs For Beginners"
Tyrone Davis-"Turn Back The Hands Of Time"
Barry White-"I've Got So Much To Give"
James Brown-"It's A Mother"
Prince and the Revolution-"Parade"
Albert King-"Born Under A Bad Sign"
The Who-"Happy Jack"

Reference system:

J A Michell Hydraulic Reference w/ SME 3009 Improved
Shure V15 III
deHavilland Mercury 2 preamplifier
Heathkit UA-1 mono amplifiers(6BQ5)
KEF 105.2 loudspeakers(modified with Vifa 10" woofer)
Placette interconnects
CAT 5 speaker cable

Disclaimers, take my review for what it's worth:

1) I'm using a vintage Shure V15 cartridge/NOS stylus. I'm sure that some of my complaints(particularly the lack of mid-bass) would disappear if I were to purchase a decent new cartridge....which I plan to do asap...perhaps a Garrott P77, Dynavector 10x5, or Benz Ace.
2) I have no idea what caps/parts are inside this particular Cornet or who built it. Have not had the hood off yet.
3) The crossovers in my speakers may be tired...will be rebuilding them soon. This could be affecting the neutrality of my reference system at the moment, though I'm not sure.


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Topic - Hagerman Cornet.....first impressions - Mr Blue Sky 04:07:23 12/20/05 (33)


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