10 Oct 2011

Launch Of Bergmann Turntable

Place: Modular Audio (Singapore) showroom
Date: 1st October 2011
Event: Bergmann Audio Launch

Mr. Johnnie Bergmann, owner/designer of extreme technique air-bearing turntables and tonearms was in Modular Audio (Singapore) to launch the Bergmann Audio brand of high-end turntables. Bergmann Audio, a company from Denmark, has created huge buzz in the high-end turntable markets since its launch of the high-end Sindre model. Winner of numerous Turntable of The Year awards from both sides of the Atlantic, it generated a lot of interest in the vinylphiles communities since its introduction.

In the Beginning

Johnnie has always been fascinated by turntable since he was a kid. His love for music and experiencing good playback systems since young set the tone in his growing years. He paid special attention to “air” based design turntable (polypush vacuum suction) which he was most curious in. Years later, when he got his first pay cheque, he splurged his own savings together with his pay cheque to buy himself a Micro Seiki vacuum turntable. For most of us, a Technics DJ turntable as a first machine would have been a luxury but not Johnnie. He has firmly set his mind to it since the beginning.



First Model

With a mechanical engineering background, Johnnie revealed that the first Bergmann prototype turntable was conceived some 20 years ago. It was a cost-no-object project which much later finished to become the current flagship model (Sleipner). In the process of developing the prototype, Johnnie realized that his first model needs to meet a more commercial price point but yet incorporating all the techniques and design concepts/objectives that would make airbearing work, reliable and yet fuss free. The outcome was Sindre, Bergmann’s first turntable model born some 5 years ago. Sindre was very well received, proving his well-thought extreme airbearing design and technique has overcome many shortcoming and design issues e.g. noisy pump, leakage that bugged users and manufacturers since the 80s.
 


With the success of Sindre, Johnnie went back to his lab to finish the flagship Sleipner model. In the middle of this year, in the Munich Hi-End Show, he completed the Bergmann lineup with the starter Magne model. A scale-down version of Sindre but no less formidable in its price/performance. With these three models, Bergmann Audio has a world class turntable in each price category.

Why Airbearing and Linear Tracking?



Unlike traditional bearing which usually use a ceramic or steel ball to balance the platter, airbearing is frictionless because the entire platter is lifted by a thin film of air. The flagship model (Sleipner) went one step further to use air to centre the entire 9.2kg platter. The result - no mechanical contact – no bearing noise. One only has to experience what a Bergmann turntable sounds like to quickly notice the difference in background noise level in an airbearing design.

 “Record was cut this way” was a simple but definitive answer to why linear tracking is favoured by Bergmann. Linear tracking presents zero tracking error once the cartridge alignment and its surrounding parameters are set accurately. An airbearing linear tracking tonearm further eliminates noise as the arm is completely floated on an airtube. The tonearm gradually slides across the record horizontally (90
degrees) from right to left as the stylus is led by the record grooves.

Nordic Design

Reflecting where Johnnie came from (the Scandinavian), he named his turntables using the characters from Nordic mythology. With the most powerful character going to its flagship - Sleipner (pronounced S-leip-ner), the middle model Sindre (pronounced Sin-dre) and the super baby Magne (pronounced Mag-ner). In the current scene of high-end turntable builders where bigger, taller and extended layers exhibit sophistication and superiority, Johnnie chooses to do the opposite. He crafted his turntables to look understated but current, non-bombastic but stylishly modern. When not playing, it can be appreciated like a piece of finely crafted art – simple is beautiful.



Sound of Airbearing

Users of traditional turntable design of high-end models would notice the sense of ease, spaciousness, depth and precise instrument placement (imaging) is nothing less than extraordinary. Bearing noise is often not realized until one listens to a turntable without it.

What about the difference in sound going from the starter model to the highest model?

Johnnie explains that the overall sonic character (house sound) of his design stay the same throughout the turntable range. This likens moving up from one amplifier model of the same brand to the next. Scaling up, expect better authority, the strengths and goodness of the sound you come to know from the one lower model is correspondingly upsized.      
 


What’s next?

Bergmann discloses that an optional Bergmann airbearing linear tracking tonearm is in the works which is designed to fit most conventional turntables. This is good news to vinylphiles wanting to upgrade their tonearm and/or enjoy an airbearing design that would track perfectly.  


    

7 Aug 2011

LP Appreciation Day #3 Show Report

We held the 3rd LP Appreciation Day or LPAD on 6 August in our showroom @ The Adelphi. The objectives of LPAD are mainly to share the little we know about LP; introduce some new music to our customers (from newbie to old-hand) and to have fun in this niche little hobby. LPAD is hence, largely a non commercial event.

This 90 mins show was divided into 4 parts and in the first, we played some local pressings i.e. LPs printed by either HK, Singapore or Malaysia. Local pressings are usually shunned by local vinylphiles for their inferior print quality (artwork and the record) but in our LP journey, we’ve come across acceptable local pressings that can be had at a reasonable price. Next, we played a couple of Greatest Hits and/or Compilation records. Again, greatest hits are generally not that great in sonic due to its over crowded grooves and questionable source of recording. I reckon we caught many by surprise when the late 80s Fleetwood Mac Greatest Hits “Dreams” sounded better than the same found in their 1976 Rumors (US version).

In our 3rd segment, we played several A/B comparing good reissues and their original pressings. We could see that most attendees find this segment interesting. By our audience’s feedback, the vote was even-steven for preference of good reissues versus original pressings. The good reissues appeal to vinylphiles who want better clarity and dynamics whereas original diehards desire that “old feeling” or mood which only an original could capture. Of course, we also feel that your preference could also be influenced by your own system/room acoustics.

No hi-fi show is complete without playing audiophiles records. Rightly so, we closed our show by playing some of the harder-to-find audiophile records (with excellent music). Audiophile records can be reassuring of one’s Hi-Fi, is confident boosting and when played well, could be downright spooky in effects. The sonic images could be so 3D and palatable like watching a movie. We could see heads shaking in disbelief when the remarkable finale tune “Percussive Pyromania” was played.

So soon, the 90 minutes went by and it took us some 2 weeks to put this whole program together. We are happy with the results and your response.

Next, the stars of our show:

Multiple Turntable of the Year award-winning Bergmann Sindre turntable from Denmark. We mounted a Clearaudio Titanium cartridge to match this high-end, frictionless, very silent, air-bearing turntable and air-bearing linear tracking tonearm.

Ocellia Calliope.21 (Silver) kept our guests looking for any hidden sub-woofer in our showroom. How could a simple 2-way high-efficiency speaker produce such big, realistic sound? Some of the answers came from the accompanying electronics from Coincident (CST) Statement Linestage and M300B 8-watt per channel monoblock. The Whest PS.30RDT Special Edition was also crucial in the excellent music chain keeping faith to whatever Bergmann Sindre throws at her. All cables are from Ocellia Signature and Reference series.

Thank you all for coming. We certainly hope that your 90 mins with us was well spent and you picked up something useful in our presentation.

A good mix of LP -.we played from the common Beatles “Love Songs” to audiophile demo disk “Hell Freezes Over” to the mother of all audiophile LP “Flamengo Fever”.

Our playlist:

• Don Mclean - Vincent (American Pie, local pressing)
• Beatles - Yesterday (20 Greatest Hits, local pressing)
• Lynrd Skynrd - What’s Your Name (Street Survivors, local pressing)
• Beatles - And I Love Her (Love Songs, Japan pressing)
• Manha de Carnaval (Orfeu Negro, Germany pressing)
• Fleetwood Mac - Dreams (Rumours / Fleetwood Mac Greatest Hits)
• Eagles - Hotel California (Hell Freezes Over - Simply Vinyl / Geffen, Holland pressing)
• Dave Brubeck - Take Five (Classic Record 180g / Columbia US 2-eye)
• Louis Armstrong - St James Infirmary (Classic Record 45rpm / Audio Fidelity US pressing)
• Teresa Teng - Story of Little Town (Kolin Taiwan / Polydor HK pressing)
• Boys Band - Don’t Stop Me Baby (Asylum, US pressing)
• Ayako - Mr. Wonderful (Three Blind Mice)
• Kornet Har Sin Vila - There's Wideness in God's Mercy (Proprius)
• Flamengo Fever (M&K)
• Friedemann Aquamarine Orchestra - Percussion Pyromania (ESA)

1 Aug 2011

LP Appreciation Day #3 Program

LPAD #3 has been fixed on 6 Aug (Saturday) at our program has been set. We thank all who have registered early with us. For those who are undecided, we promise you that your 90 minutes would be well spent with us whether you’re a LP newbie or LP old-hand.

Some of the program we have line up include:

• Few Good LPs (local pressings and compilation)
• Digitally recorded ones (be prepared for some surprises)
• Audiohphile Most Wanted
• Original versus Audiophile re-issue
• and some more

Here’s a teaser of LP titles we’ll get to listen to at LPAD #3:

Original (Audio Fidelity) on the left or 45rpm (Classic Records) on the right sounds better? Which Hell freezes more? Original Geffen label or Simply Vinyl re-issue? TAS list, Audiophile titles, traditional Japanese pop music and many more!

Note: All the above LPs are from our personal collection. They’re Not-for-Sale.

Representing Brands

Quality Pre-owned Hi-Fi

• Furutech Silver Arrow DIN/RCA
  1.2m Phono Cable
• PAD AK Limited
  1.5m RCA I/C
• PAD Venustas AC Power cord 1.5m
• PAD Aqueous 20th Anniversary I/C RCA 2m
• PAD Proteus I/C RCA 1.5m
• Proline Digital Cable Balance 1m
• IsoClean power strip 106-4P-RF (4way)
• Cardas Golden Reference 1.5m
  interconnect

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Last Update: 3 Jan 2012

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