Tom Evans Audio Design-USA

Following the success of "The Groove" phono stage, it was realized that the price of the original placed this technology out of the reach of some listeners. Rather than compromise on components "The MicroGroove" utilises the same basic circuit topology as its predecessor, i.e. a low noise Class A front end device providing gain, feeding a passive equalisation circuit, followed by a phase error correction circuit with an active DC servo around the correction stage to roll off subsonics and DC offset. To reduce costs, both channels are built onto a single board powered by a single power supply. In "The MicroGroove+", the proprietary discreet Lithos regulator is included to greatly improve the quality, transient response time, and noise figures of the voltage rails supplying the whole board. This brings the benefit of CD-like dynamic range, neutrality, resolution and the ability to clearly define the edges of notes and the spaces between. This provides the listener with a far more accurate and dimensional representation of the original performance. *Each MicroGroove and MicroGroove+ is hand built to your specification in Great Britain. All impedances and cartridge output voltages are available to order. The MicroGroove is upgradeable to MicroGroove+ specification, and loading and gain settings can be changed at the factory. Any phono section which features user adjustable gain or loading will suffer audible degradation of the performance, no matter how such changes may be implemented. Prices: The MicroGroove-$1050 The MicroGroove X $1192 The MicroGroove+-$2100
		Groove Plus
	The Groove RIAA stage is the result of over 10 years R&D into disk replay. In developing the Eikos CD player, Tom argued that as long as the voltage regulators supplying the board were noisier than the quietest passages recorded, and their transient response time was slower than the devices were capable of, there was no point in improving the circuit topology until these fundamental problems were solved. Two years later, he had developed the Lithos voltage regulator, a milestone in musical reproduction. The device is 53 times faster, 1000 times quieter, and 5 decimal places more accurate than the previously 'best' regulators available. Thus was laid the foundation for The Groove phono stage. The Groove is a dual mono design. Channel separation is therefore limited only by the specifications of the cartridge used. At the front end, Tom has used very low noise I/Cs (less noise than a 50-Ohm resistor). This stage is followed by a passive RIAA EQ circuit. The third stage is an ultra linear gain amp; around this he has placed the active lower frequency filter to roll off subsonics. The fourth stage is the output stage, which is capable of driving several meters of interconnect. The case, if made of any metal other than copper, would have a deleterious effect on the sound quality, as field effects of even non-ferrous materials interfere with electron flow. For this reason, the casework is of Perspex, a material with no inductive capacity. The Groove+ is a Groove with a severely uprated power supply (larger transformer, increased smoothing caps, and an extra layer of Lithos regulation between the standard unit's internal daughter boards and the mains), which makes a substantial difference. The four layers of isolation allow a -180dB noise floor."The power supply makes instruments more solid, but avove all, more natural. It brings the music presence" says Roy Gregory in Hi Fi+. Truly fabulous. The Groove+ SRX makes available the option of user adjustable resistive and capacitive loading. The circuit board incorporating the banks of dip switches for 9 different resistive and 5 different capacitive loads is external t the signal path. The SRX also includes new front end circuitry (the SR stands for SUPER RESOLUTION) that drops noise and distortion by over 50% Roy Gregory says "Swapping from the Groove + to the SRX, the first thing you'll notice is the dramatic increase in sheer substance and colour...What the SRX upgrades do for the Groove is place it firmly back at the top table of vinyl replay. It is also, and by some distance, the most affordable of the various options I see seated there." Prices: The Groove $4000 The Groove+ $7600 Groove to Groove+ upgrade: $4400 Groove+ SRX $8,900