Groove Plus SRX mk2.5
Over the years I had heard stories of a phono stage made across the pond in the UK, Southern Wales to be precise. It has not been seen in many US retail stores or, for that matter, even in the large internet audio component outlets. Yet, as I would continue to hear stories about this piece, it would always be talked about with respect.
I have noticed it is rarely seen on the used market and most owners would not consider getting rid of it other than to upgrade to the next level offered. It was as if it was the Lock Ness fable of phono stages. I had to know more. So I decided to reach out to Tom Evans and see if I could audition one of these elusive phono amps...
What is the Tom Evans Sound?
How does all this reduction of noise, distortion, and wide bandwidth design sound?
The Groove+ is not one of those components that immediately catches your attention when you install it in your system… However, it does get your attention when you REMOVE it and leaves you wanting to return to it....
Conclusion
Yes, you guessed it, I am quite smitten with these understated black boxes. I feel the Groove+ is a very complete and revelatory phono stage. It is the least colored, most revealing phono stage I have had in my system to date. It manages to walk the delicate tightrope between the retrieval of musical information and the emphasis on musical information. The latter is the more common way of making a component sound like it is “high resolution” which, in the end, makes that component tiresome to listen to in my experience. This is not the case with Groove+. It is simply more transparent, and it reveals/uncovers more information without emphasizing it. No small feat.
No, I am not kicking my other phono stages to the curb. I am a vinyl junkie and, as I said earlier, this journey was one where I learned along the way. What the Tom Evans Groove+ SRX MK2.5 taught me is that I was unknowingly missing information that was on that vinyl disc.
If like many audiophiles, transparency and retrieval of music information are high on your list, I would suggest you investigate a Tom Evans phono stage at whatever price point you can invest.
If you have a $1000.00 cartridge and say a $750.00 phono stage, for instance, you may be better served by getting a new Tom Evans Audio Design phono stage and unlocking what that cartridge can retrieve from the record rather than upgrading your cartridge.
Yep, that old saying is true.
You don’t know what you don’t know. But once heard, it is hard to do without.
What a wonderful journey it was.
Highly recommended for your consideration.
Ken Redmond The Audio Beatnik. September 2022
Like the 20th Anniversary model below it, the Groove Plus SRX mk2.5 features a more sophisticated design with a dual mono layout and dual Lithos 7.4 local regulators, providing an even wider dynamic range giving more lower level detail - almost twice the dynamic range of the previous model Micro Groove+ X - recently measured by an independent German magazine to have a signal to noise ratio of 108dB (A weighted @ 20kHz with 73dB of gain) and that was with our previous 7.3 Lithos version.
However, the GroovePlus SRX mk2.5 version has an entirely redesigned circuit with an external power supply with our latest High current 6.1 Lithos PCB. This offboard PSU helps to once again double the dynamic range and half distortion of previous 20th Anv. model.
All of our range now come with selectable dip switches and here we give you a choice of 9 cartridge loading resistances per channel. 112, 126, 144, 168, 200, 250, 333, 500, 1000 ohm are selectable, and if you require a custom load then please let us know.
The gain is set for an optimum level to suit most current cartridges of 0.2mv to 0.6mv Other gains can be catered for upon request.
The new GroovePlus SRX mk2.5 is a reality check to all other Phono Stage manufacturers around the World.
Estimated selling price: £5500.00
See the Six Moons Groove+ mk1 review here.