“[Renowned Romanian soprano] Angela [Gheroghiu] sang many classic opera songs on her Etemamente: The Verismo Album. When interpreted by TT-3, her female vocals are silky smooth and natural, but extremely powerful and full of energy. There is no feeling of exertion… the sound on the whole is very convincing… the natural and sincere expression of emotion alone can deeply pierce the hearts of classical music fans.”

“In George Lam’s heyday, his singing voice was bursting with positive energy. When singing, his vocals literally ‘bounced’. The TT-3 not only did it not show the slightest hint of sluggishness, it also seemed to have strengthen the rhythms, and sprinkled the sound with some sprightliness. The performance certainly makes people feel energetic.”

“The sense of airiness displayed by the TT-3 is indeed surprisingly strong… the overflowing overtones and the elastic staccatos are full of momentum, forming a 3D stereoscopic musical image filled with vibrant colors.”

“[In the HK pop trio Grasshoppers’ Samba Dance Part I: The Three Street Fighters… when the fighting sound effects from the Street Fighter video game start playing, they highlight the TT-3’s strengths: its sense of speed, the overall excitement is incredible and coherent. At high speeds, the dynamic contrast between forte and pianissimo is obvious…. its sense of speed is still 100%, and one thing that can definitely surpasses CDs is the natural feeling that only emerges when listening to analogue formats. When playing wild rhythms, my eardrums and heart are completely pressure-free. Even when I listen to the music loudly, it does not feel chaotic. I am fully engaged throughout the entire process and feel particularly energized.”

“When playing Belafonte at Carnegie Hall from [RCA Victor’s] classic ‘Living Stereo’ series, the TT-3 almost perfectly re-enacts the absolutely marvelous ambiance, where every single word in the lyrics goes through the roof with Harry Belafonte’s clear and loud vocals, pushed by lungs full of energy. The sound effects of the mic popping as he sings; the natural laughter of the audience, and with Belafonte’s cracking jokes, the atmosphere of the performance is extremely lively. I listened wholeheartedly, and it was most pleasurable.”

“To conclude, the TT-3 tonearm and IQ-3 pickup combination has taken a balanced full-frequency approach. It does not deliberately lean toward any certain kind of music, but allows the listener to enjoy a diverse range of musical interpretations, and get a feel for the boundlessness of the music world. With the TT-3, I will definitely buy a lot more LPs and listen to lots of great music.”

– Thomas Wang

HiFi Review April 2021

HiFi Review – Rating Heroes While Drinking Wine
Lively Dynamics with Emotive Musicality – Audio Note TT-3 turntable

“I have forgotten that listening to music is work. When I am fully engaged in enjoying these beautiful and moving melodies, I am completely relaxed and can savour the delicious sound of these LPs!

I have made notes on the following nine classical records with excellent performance and recording quality for your reference. ”

“Violin Romances / Arthur Grumiaux
New Philharmonia Orchestra/ Edo de Waart; Philips· 412 372-1 (1984 Dutch edition)
The ups and downs of the piano are full of romantic emotions, and the violin played by Grumiaux is as beautiful as singing, very moving.”

“Bach & Sons: Trio Sonatas
Jean-Pierre Rampal (flute) / Isaac Stern (Violin) / John Steele Ritter (Harpsichord) / Leslie Parnas (Cello); CBS (1983 Digital US version)
The beautiful, pleasing and harmonious melodies made me feel serene and refreshed.”

“Adagio / Berliner Philharmoniker / Herbert von Karajan;
DG 530 247 (1986 West Germany version)
… When the violin solo appears on the left channel, it has a small sound impression and a good proportion to the orchestra behind it, and the resonance of its sound can be heard disappearing slowly into the air. The IQ 3 is indeed worthy of being Audio Note’s top MM cartridge…the full range is well balanced.”

“Vivaldi: The Four Seasons
Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields / Neville Marriner; argo ZRG 654 (1979 UK Edition)
The IQ 3’s replay of The Four Seasons made me immersed in listening. It can distinctly present the musical moods of spring, summer, autumn and winter. This proves that the IQ 3 is a cartridge with a great sense of rhythm. The TT-3 turntable provides a very quiet background without low-frequency noise.”

“Bizet: Suites Carmen 1 & 2, L’Arlesienne 1 & 2
London Symphony Orchestra/ Neville Marriner Philips 9500 566 (1979 Dutch version)
The IQ 3 can express a passionate and heated dynamism replaying this album… When it came to reproducing the musical dynamics and rhythms of the Carmen suite, IQ 3 checks all the right boxes.”

“Elgar: Cello Concerto / Jacqueline Du Pré
Sir John Barbirolli / London Symphony Orchestra; Sea Pictures/ Janet Baker (1980 UK version)
IQ 3 allows me to hear Du Pré’s hot-blooded dynamics and youthful vitality. This is very important. The cello carries a clear and vivid sense of when the bow brushing against its strings! The vocals of soprano [Dame] Janet Baker were splendid.”

“Dvorák: Cello Concerto, Op. 104
Mstislav Rostropovich / Berliner Philharmoniker / Herbert von Karajan;
DG 139 044 (1978 West German Edition)
Whether it is the tension in the music, the expression of emotions, and the impressive ambiance of the orchestra, the IQ 3 delivers its homework.”

“Liszt Piano Concertos No. 1 & 2
Sviatoslav Richter / London Symphony Orchestra / Cyril Kondrashin;
Philips 6580 071 (1974 Dutch version)
…Richter performed the passionate and powerful Liszt Piano Concerto in his best physical condition. With the large piano placed in the middle of the sound stage, the IQ 3 can reproduce the brilliant and powerful sound of the LSO’s brass section, and the full, beautiful and dynamic piano. Bravo!”

“Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 4
Artur Rubinstein/ London Philharmonic Orchestra / Daniel Barenboim;
RCA Gold Seal Digitally Remastered (1987 Italian Edition)
The beautiful and poignant sound of the piano in Adagio is poetic and picturesque, as though it were a song. The IQ 3 did not slow down even in the fastest passages, and it can still perform with its high-speed responsive capabilities. Impressive! Music fans should be greatly satisfied with the IQ 3 when listening to the piano concerto!”

“All in all, the TT-3 / Arm 2II provides a noiseless foundation that allows the cartridge to be fully utilized. Starting with IQ 3 is quite cost-effective…”. ”

– Sam Ho

HiFi Review April 2021