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The Korf Blog
The inside story: our research,
development and opinions
development and opinions
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23 April 2024
Life Begins at 100 (Posts)
First, the really good news. Our work was recently recognized by the two leading audio magazines. The Stereophile reviewed our TA-SF9R tonearm. Here's an excerpt:
It quickly became clear that that Korf arm was extracting an unexpected level of performance from the Zu/DL-103. Gone was the typical, slightly-soft-and-comforting Zu/DL-103 sound, replaced by something significantly more nimble and lighter on its feet. The Korf arm has an impressive ability to strip away extraneous noise and fuzz around each instrument, leaving an uncanny sense of clarity and purity.
Cedar Walton's direct-to-disc album The Pentagon (East Wind EW-10002) demonstrates this effect clearly on the opening track, "Manteca." Walton's piano chords as he comps during Clifford Jordan's solo were super clear and open, while Ray Mantilla's congas came across with great tone and dynamism. This is not a fat, lush sound. It's clear and quiet, providing an extra-clean window into the music.
For something a little more dynamically challenging, I played the Shostakovich Symphony No.1 conducted by Lawrence Leighton-Smith, from The Moscow Sessions (Sheffield Lab TLP-1000). … The results are exceptional, and the Zu/DL-103 never flinched in handling Keith Johnson's recording and its punishing dynamics. Again, clarity was the word that kept coming into my head, with no uneasy sense of inner groove distortion even in the thunderous final movement. Somehow, the Korf managed to turn the Zu/DL-103's seemingly modest spherical stylus into an exceptional tracker. Maybe there is something to all Alex Korf 's talk about energy management.
My cartridge focus here was on the Zu/DL-103, but I also used the Korf arm with a Lyra Delos, with equally impressive results.
Michael Trei, the Spin Doctor, Stereophile
Cedar Walton's direct-to-disc album The Pentagon (East Wind EW-10002) demonstrates this effect clearly on the opening track, "Manteca." Walton's piano chords as he comps during Clifford Jordan's solo were super clear and open, while Ray Mantilla's congas came across with great tone and dynamism. This is not a fat, lush sound. It's clear and quiet, providing an extra-clean window into the music.
For something a little more dynamically challenging, I played the Shostakovich Symphony No.1 conducted by Lawrence Leighton-Smith, from The Moscow Sessions (Sheffield Lab TLP-1000). … The results are exceptional, and the Zu/DL-103 never flinched in handling Keith Johnson's recording and its punishing dynamics. Again, clarity was the word that kept coming into my head, with no uneasy sense of inner groove distortion even in the thunderous final movement. Somehow, the Korf managed to turn the Zu/DL-103's seemingly modest spherical stylus into an exceptional tracker. Maybe there is something to all Alex Korf 's talk about energy management.
My cartridge focus here was on the Zu/DL-103, but I also used the Korf arm with a Lyra Delos, with equally impressive results.
Michael Trei, the Spin Doctor, Stereophile
Based on this review, Stereophile included TA-SF9R and TA-SF9 into the 2024 Recommended Components list under "Class A".
We are truly honoured by Stereophile's decision. I always appreciated Stereophile's support of small manufacturers. Their willingness to highlight lesser known companies makes the whole audio industry and the audio hobby so much more interesting and exciting. And now we are the ones to benefit from their generousity.
We are truly honoured by Stereophile's decision. I always appreciated Stereophile's support of small manufacturers. Their willingness to highlight lesser known companies makes the whole audio industry and the audio hobby so much more interesting and exciting. And now we are the ones to benefit from their generousity.
~
But this is not all! Korf Audio HS-A02 headshell is one of The Absolute Sound's "2024 Recommended Products Under $1,000"!
TAS's Tom Martin said: "If you're using a standard removable head shell in your tone arm, this would seem to be the one to beat. ... The Korf has good mechanical rigidity measurements, we like the sound of it, and it's reasonably priced at $215 or thereabouts."
TAS's Tom Martin said: "If you're using a standard removable head shell in your tone arm, this would seem to be the one to beat. ... The Korf has good mechanical rigidity measurements, we like the sound of it, and it's reasonably priced at $215 or thereabouts."
~
We did a hundred posts over seven years and then (temporarily) stopped blogging. Why?
Mostly because we don't have enough hands to build customer orders, prototype new projects, do research, and, on top of that, regularly write blog posts that put many companies' white papers to shame.
We also moved the lab yet again. The view is amazing! After more than a decade in basements, having a huge window feels great.
Mostly because we don't have enough hands to build customer orders, prototype new projects, do research, and, on top of that, regularly write blog posts that put many companies' white papers to shame.
We also moved the lab yet again. The view is amazing! After more than a decade in basements, having a huge window feels great.
Yes, this is the Danube river.
Korf Audio will be at the Munich High End 2024
What are these new projects? What are we researching?
Just a bit of patience please. Korf Audio will be at the Munich High End 2024 and there hopefully all will be revealed. If you are there, come see us in Halle 2, booth G08.
Just a bit of patience please. Korf Audio will be at the Munich High End 2024 and there hopefully all will be revealed. If you are there, come see us in Halle 2, booth G08.
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