Dropping the needle on Leonard Cohen’s album Popular Problems, I was floored with the manner in which the Hafler PH50 interpreted the track “Almost Like the Blues”.  The rounded snap of the bass strings were juxtaposed brilliantly with the light and delicate piano notes.  The PH50 rendered the shaker with lovely texture, revealing the delicate shadings of its seedy contents and characteristic rasp.  As I continued to listen to the piano notes, I was taken by the warm glow and buoyancy they possessed.  Leonard’s voice, came across large and in charge, sounding articulate and in the flesh, while the bongo percussion, set left and further back, was tactile and impactful.  The PH50 demonstrated an evenness of tone, absent of unnatural high frequency accenting; the music from the vinyl resolved as it should be, organically and holistically.

Moving to Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours album and the track “Dreams”, the cymbal hits through the Hafler PH50 were convincingly metallic, yet controlled; yeah, no distracting fizziness or hissing here.  Stevie’s voice was conveyed beautifully, with her slightly deeper tone and velvety rasp personified, absent of any recording haze or artifacts.  In the lower frequencies, it was evident on this track that the Hafler PH50 could command electric bass notes, as they sounded dynamic, impactful and solid.  So too, was the Hafler very capable of shedding light on the steely strings of the guitar, portraying the strums with engaging attack.  And, the overall soundstage was defined, having admirable width and depth and impressive layering.

On Art Pepper’s album, Art Pepper meets The Rhythm Section, and the track “Jazz Me Blues” the Hafler PH50 shined.  Here it delivered the quick tempo and peppy energy of the track in a lifelike manner.  There was wonderful tone color and density to the saxophone and the inherent brassy shimmer of the cymbals came through unobstructed.  Some top end air was absent but not missed, as the musical essentials were all well delivered.  Stand-up bass also had real body and resonance, the touch of the strings easily appreciated.  Again, on percussion, the snare drum was tight, the snap of the skins portrayed with realistic attack.

Comparing the Hafler PH50 to my long-term reference Pro-Ject Phonobox II SE it was clear that the PH50 had more warmth.  The Pro-Ject did seem to have slightly broader frequency extension, most noticeable in the high-frequencies but also sounded slightly clinical in comparison to the Hafler.  This Pro-Ject Phonobox II SE also had more air and presented a larger soundstage but the Hafler PH50 delivered greater musical flow and character, blacker backgrounds and superior imaging.  In terms of bass, the Pro-Ject was tighter and punchier, the Hafler warmer, fuller and weightier.  Vocals, both male and female, were more corporeal through the Hafler PH50, where the Pro-Ject by comparison was drier, yet more resolved.  These comparisons required careful volume matching since the Pro-Ject provided 5dB extra gain.

The more I listened through the Hafler PH50 the more I became convinced of its great ability to drive musical engagement.  While it doesn’t extract the minutest of details, it does capture the essence of the performance, relaying a believable and lifelike interpretation that favours pleasantness over exacting detail.  On older pressings, classic rock and pop, the Hafler PH50 does a wonderful job of making the listening engaging and enjoyable.  It is forgiving in its omission of noise and harshness.  Those with music collections of varying genre or quality, or looking for a more realistic experience, must try the Hafler PH50 moving magnet phono stage.

About the Author: George de Sa

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