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improvements through its various guisesaddressing issues concerning ease of setup (the earliest decks needed constantreadjusting and were sensitive to externalshock such as footfall on suspended floors)and improvements and modificationsto the rigidity of the subchassis, armmounting, bearing design and so on.Different to the Mk V, the convex feet onthe new Mk VI are now formed of Delrinrather than aluminium. Oracle says itfound Delrin feet minimised the differencein sound observed when placing theturntable variously on shelves made ofwood, glass and concrete, believing thatthe new feet act as a mechanical filter thatreduces high frequency energy enteringthe suspension system.

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. _ -r turntable with electronic power supplyMade by: Oracle Audio Technologies Inc, Canada

supplied by: Coherent SystemsTelephone: 01684 593085

Web: www.coherent·systems.co.uk; www.oracle-audio.com

Oracle Delphi Mk VI (£9345)When the first Oracle deck arrived in the UK at the beginning of the '80s its lookscertainly turned heads. Thirty years on, this latest Delphi Mk VI is as stunning as everReview: John Bamford Lab: Paul Miller

Few would argue that the OracleDelphi looks drop dead gorgeous.With its sleek, futuristic lines andgleaming precision-turned parts

there's something about its design thatmakes even disinterested passers-by pauseto take a second look.

Did I say futuristic? What's remarkableabout the design is that the firstincarnation of the Oracle, looking notdissimilar to this latest Delphi Mk VI model,first went on sale in 1979 - the year thatThatcher arrived at Downing Street, TheVillage People topped the singles chartwith 'YMCA' and the Christmas No 1 wasPink Floyd's 'Another Brick In The Wall'.

Hailing from Quebec in Canada,designer Marcel Riendeau's Oracle AudioTechnologies created shock waves amongthe audio fraternity on the other side of theAtlantic with his ultramodern record player.Way back then audio commentators werecalling it a work of art... and a work of artit remains to this day.

TIME FOR AN UPGRADEWhile there have been several incarnationsof the Oracle Delphi during the interveningyears, the outgoing Mk V has been on themarket for nearly 14 years. For a product toremain unchanged for such a long time israre indeed. But to be fair, Oracle has beenbusy building its brand. These days Oracleis not simply a quirky manufacturer of an'out-there' turntable but is an electronicscompany too, with a portfolio of equallyluxuriously priced CD players, CD transportsand DACsand more besides. Moreover, inrecent years it has also been preoccupiedin negotiations regarding changes ofcompany ownership. So, being ratherlong in the tooth, the Delphi Mk V wascertainly overdue for a reappraisal and aperformance upgrade to keep it 'up there',as well as out there.

Those familiar with Delphis willnotice immediately when studying our

RIGHT: By each suspension tower a cup ofsilicone fluid and adjustable plunger (withlocking ring) provides damping of the subchassis

22 I www.hifinews.co.uk I AUGUST2010

photographs what look like additionalstubby pillars of aluminium beside eachsuspension turret. These are in fact hollow'pots' of silicone fluid, Oracle havingdesigned a damping system it calls itsMicro Vibration Stabiliser System (MVSS)[see 'Damping the Vibes' boxout]. Turningthe adjustment wheels to raise the Delrinplungers out of the silicone fluid and backagain - immersing them in the dampingfluid to precisely the same depth - is aneasy process. Straight A/B demonstrationstake but a minute, and the sharpeningof image focus and improvement in bassresolution is clear for any audiophile tohear within a few bars of music.

Lessobvious to observe from ourphotographs are the different supportsbeneath the acrylic base on which the decksits. All audio components are sensitive totheir environment, none more so than aturntable, as you will have experienced ifyou've ever experimented with putting yourrecord player on varying types of supportplatforms and equipment racks. The Delphihas been a suspended subchassis designsince its inception, with incremental

BALANCING ACTLook carefully and you'll observe thatwhile the Delphi remains low-slung andsleek-looking, it does however appear atouch more 'butch'. This is because thealuminium subchassis is now thicker,especially in the front left portion where afurther piece of aluminium secured on its

underside acts as a more effective counterbalance to the weight of the tonearmfitted on the opposite corner, obviating theneed of the counterweight that was fittedon the underside of the platter of the Mk V.Remove the platter of this Mk VI and

you'll see that the centre portion of thesubchassis is now considerably larger too,which in turn makes the three 'legs' of thesubchassis that extend to the three towerscontaining the suspension springs shorterand commensurately stiffer. And thetonearm mounting ring support has beenwidened by approximately 35%, increasingthe strength and rigidity of the entire armmounting section.The design of the main bearing

has been tweaked too. When Oracleintroduced the Delphi Mk V in 1996 itwent over to using a 'dual-tripod' design,using six points instead of bushes forholding the centre spindle. At that timeit used nylon screws and a tungstencarbide thrust plate inside the bearing.The stainless steel spindle had a tungstencarbide tip at the end to provide a rigidtungsten·to-tungsten interface.In the Mk VI the screws are now formed

of a Delrin{Teflon mixture, while the thrustplate is now made of a polyamide-imide(PAl)material called Torlon [see www.solvayadvancedpolymers.com]. In usingthis high-strength plastic Oracle believes it

DAMPING THE VIBES

(For delicacy andpoise the Delphi

MkVI is in aclass of its own'

has created a filter that prevents rotationalnoise from moving up the spindle andentering the platter, claiming 'muchquieter background and allowing betteraccess to fine inner details'. What hasn'tchanged in the transition from Mk V to MkVI is the motor, despite it being a designdating back to the mid-'90s.

CHANGE AT THE TOPI mentioned earlier Oracle's change ofownership. Founder Marcel Riendeau leftthe audio industry several years ago andemigrated to Germany. The President ofthe company today is Stephane Nadeau,whose association withOracle started over adecade ago. It was hisprecision machine shopand skilful expertise thatsupplied all of Oracle'sexquisitely craftedmetalwork, resplendentin its polished lacquerfinish. Marcel's brother Jacques workedat Oracle for 25 years, and it is he andStephane who own the company today.

HFN had the opportunity to meet themboth recently, to discuss the design detailsof their new labour of love, as they werevisiting Oracle's UKdistributor, CoherentSystems in Gloucestershire [see 'Welcomeback Jacques' boxout on p24].

Using sllicone-filled dashpots to damp resonance has been used by tonearmmanufacturers for decades. Moreover Jack Dinsdale, Professor of mechatronicsat Cranfield Institute during the 1970s [see Sound Off, pl03], famously patentedthe idea of a front-end damping trough first seen on the Cranfield Rock turntablein 1983 [see HFN, June '10] and used in Townshend Audio's Rock turntablesto this day. While the methodology is far from revolutionary, Oracle Audio'simplementation of dashpots to damp 'micro-vibrations' in its turntable'ssubchassis is most elegant. The three plunger stems below the subchassisare threaded, each turn of their adjustment wheels lowering them by a mere1.27mm into their respective silicone-filled cups - so extremely fine adjustmentis possible. Once set, locking wheels secure the plungers in position.

AUGUST2010 I www.hifinews.co.uk I 23

ABOVE: Inaddition to the MicroVibrationStabiliserSystem,differencesbetween theMk VDelphi and the Mk VI includeDelrin feetand improvementsto the deck'sbearing

'Each generation of turntable wasalways linked to the availability ofthe motor,' Jacques told us candidly.'Remember, we were a startup company in1979. so the first deck is one that we referto today as the Delphi AC as it used an ACsynchronous motor. Then we switched toa DC Hall-effect motor. When I think backto those early Mk I, 11 and III models, ineach instance we were forced to introduce

a new design becausethe manufacturer ofthe motor we wereusing could no longersupply it. We were intothe era of CD and themajor corporations hadceased record playerproduction. We had to

change motor with the Mk IV in 1990 too,that being the model where we returnedto using an AC synchronous motor.'At least we can be thankful that we

haven't had to change the motor thistime. We're using the same low-voltage ACsynchronous motor we've been using sincethe introduction of the Mk V in 1996. It'sproved wonderfully reliable and we haveour own circuitry that we feed with a DCsignal that generates the sine wave to giveus the flexibility to fine-adjust the speed.'

POWER SUPPLIESTwo grades of external power supply areavailable. Our review sample came withthe more costly Turbo supply, a £750option. With its standard power supply theprice of the Delphi Mk VI is £8595.A flat profile rubber belt goes around

a rim on the underside of the platter, andbecause the motor/drive pulley at the rearis concealed underneath the platter, fittingthe belt is certainly something of an G>

rr.~-acquired skill. But this is soon learned aftera little practice.

PLEASURE PRINCIPLEUsing an accompanying SMESeries IVtonearm in matching silver finish, listeningwas mostly with a £ 1000 Ortofon CadenzaBlue MC into an RCMAudio phono stage.I also had the opportunity to auditionthe Oracle{SMEcomination fitted withClearaudio's new Stradivari V2 moving·coil,of which more later.

There is pleasure to be had simply frompressing one of the 'play' levers protrudingat the front, whose 33 and 45 legendsilluminate after the tactile 'click' of theswitch activated by the gentle press. Aftera pregnant pause of around half a second,the aluminium platter spins into action andcomes up to speed pretty rapidly.

When the turntable is in its sweet-spotand you're playing a recording that doesit justice the result is a vivid stereo imageextending way behind the plane of theloudspeakers. Thanks to its 'legendary'sense of air and space it worked wonderswith 'Nil Sen La' from Clannad In Concert[reissue, Shanachie 79030]. With notubbiness or overhang, the clean andtuneful double-bass was nicely focused, theacoustic percussion sounding pristine andhanging in space as if suspended on wires.

I soon discovered it can dig deeplyinto claustrophobic, muddy-soundingrecordings too. Vintage classics such asStevie Wonder's Talking Book LP[Tamla

Motown STMA8007] may lack the HFsparkle of audiophile cuts but there'streasure in the groove, the Delphi Mk VIbringing out immense detail as the 'biscuittin' drums and fulsome bass lines were keptunder strict control.

Similarly, while the title track on JohnnyGuitar Watson's A Real Mother LPfrom1977 [DJM Records DJF20505] can sooften sound bloated, soft and ill-defined,the Delphi Mk VI did what Delphis havedone through the ages: without smear orbloom it bounced through the infectious

WELCOME BACI{, JACQUES ...After a four yearsabbatical from Oracle,JacquesRiendeau- brother of Marcelwho designed the firstturntable - has returnedto the company as eo-owner and head of thedesign team.

'We've always had twoobjectives. One was tomake a piece of art; theother was making surethat our beautiful lookingobject was in the FormulaOne division,' Jacquestold us. 'Sowe questionedevery element that couldpossibly affect the purityof the sound, looking forany potential weaknessesin the design.

'We always believedthat our suspension

system was the factor inmaking our turntablessound the way they do,giving them their light,open and airy sound. Butrather like that comedymovie Honey I ShrunkThe Kids, we visualisedourselves standing inthe record groove. Aswe "walked along thegroove" we concludedthat although thesuspension system wasvery efficient there weremicro vibrations thatcould enter the platterand be picked up by thestylus in the groove.

'For years we thoughtour suspension was asgood as it could be, butthat micro movementof the subchassiswas

having an impact on thesound. Certainly the newDelrin feet and bearingmodifications improvethe consistency ofperformance somewhat.However, I believe ourMicro Vibration StabiliserSystem to be the mostsignificant improvementto the sound of the Delphiin its ~O year history.'

J,

ABOVE:Threetowers,eachcontaininganelaboratespringandSorbothanedamperassembly,providesuspensionfor the subchassis

riff, Watson's sublime guitar techniquehovering high in the image whilesurrounded in studio reverb.

GLOWING FOR GOLDLike Oracle decks through the ages, thislatest Delphi VI model is relaxing andpleasurable to live with, due to its sweetand unfatiguing upper mid range and highfrequency character that rarely hardensother than when presented with the moststrident of brash recordings. Miles Davis'searing trumpet and the challengingelectronic 'treaments' on his 1986 Tutualbum [Warner 925 490-1] were portrayedwith a pleasing golden glow rather thansounding clinical and steely. Curiously theOracle sounds 'snappy' and light on its feetwhile appearing simultaneously smooth,refined and gentle on the ear. I never heardit sounded etched or sterile.

Regardless of recording quality theOracle handles everything with equanimity.Lovers of solid uber-decks with massiveplatters might most likely be unimpressedas the Delphi does not deliver massivebass slam. Bill Bruford's metronomicpercussion on 'Heartbeat' from KingCrimson's Beat [EGRecords, EGLP51] wasrazor sharp, Robert Fripp's swirling guitarand 'Frippertronics' creating illusions offairground hysteria behind the lead vocal.But Tony Levin's pumping bass seemed topump at a lower pressure, the low noteslacking the gravitas that many rock fansdesire. If it's sonic fireworks you're afteryou'll be better pleasured elsewhere. G>

24 I www.hifinews.co.uk I AUGUST2010

-~ TURNTABLE ORACLE DELPID Mk VI (£9345)

ABOVE: Rearview showsmotor housingand DIN socket for connecting the Delphi'sexternal power supply.Trim pots provide fine speedadjustment

Having spent several daysenjoying the Mk VI's serene musicmaking, it was time for a littleexperimentation. Changing tothe new Clearaudio Stradivari V2moving-coil [see p50] brought aboutan even more polished sound, withdelicate highs but at the expense ofsome warmth and bassweight.

As the cartridge began runningin (it was brand new) it started togain a little bass power, howeverthe global character of the Delphi'spresentation was still evident - it'srelaxed demeanour and control -notwithstanding the change in tonalcolour. For delicacy and poise it'sarguably in a class of its own. Nowonder Oracle owners adore thedeck, while many are those whocan't afford one and spend a lifetimedreaming of owning one.

EXTRAS AND UPGRADESOh yes, while the sophistication ofthe design and the fit and finish haveimproved considerably from modelto model - and the setting up ofthe deck's suspension to level thesubchassis is now child's play - sotoo has the price crept up over theyears. An Oracle Delphi was alwaysa big ticket item, almost twice theprice of a Linn Sondek in the early1980s I recall. Moreover, the pricesquoted in this review do not includethe Delphi's acrylic lid. Along withthe spring-loaded aluminium hinges,which are, naturally, beautifullymade as well, that'lI be an additional£570 to you sir. Ouch!

And even though I wouldn'tdream of owning this finely-tunedmasterpiece without having thecover to protect it from dust, thedesign of the lid is arguably the leastsatisfying element of the design.Tension in the hinges at the rearholds the lid hovering in space

once you've lowered it to a positionparallel with the platter. Meanwhile,the front and sides of the lid don'tmeet with the acrylic base to closefully like a clarnshell.

Oracle has always understoodthat one of its turntables is a majorinvestment for any vinyl lover.Consequently it has always servedits customers well by maintaininga policy of upgradeability from oneversion of the Delphi to the next.Even though the changes to thesubchassis and the addition of theMicro Vibration Stabiliser System arepretty major in terms of re-workingdecks, owners of Mk Vs need notfeel disenfranchised whatsoever.Upgrade packages are already beingplanned and priced for those whowant their decks brought up to2010 specifications.

Even owners of earlier Delphisthat featured an aluminium!composite sandwich subchassiswill be accommodated eventually,although Jacques confessed it maytake a little while longer to work outhow to handle the upgrade processthrough its distributors worldwide. <.9

When, on occasion, we have the opportunity to lever a genuineaudio icon into the laboratory it pays to be prepared for theunexpected, or at least the unusual. So it is here with the'charactertul' Oracle Delphi Mk VI. The basics are all here - ausefully swift start-up time of around 4 seconds and a verylow hum and noise of -64dB (re. cartridge output at 5cm/sec).With or without the clamp. throuqh-qroove rumble amounts to-69.0dB which is close enough to the average vinyl noise flooralthough. unusually. this figure deteriorates by about 2dB whenwe measure rumble directly from the six-point bearing. In bothcases the spectrum [see Graph 1, below] reveals not only theusual sub·20Hz structural noise and minor hum componentsbut also a 60Hz peak almost certainly associated with the ACsynchronous motor.

In practice this is of academic interest because anysubjective impact is uncertain. Neverthele.ss that 60Hz droneturns up yet again as a pair of sidebands on the wow andflutter spectrum [see Graph 2. below]. albeit at a sufficientlylow level to add a mere 0.03% to the weighted total. Note thatthe sidebands take the same appearance as the main peak.itself a 'doublet' caused by a ±2Hz wow. While the latter issufficiently low in frequency to bypass both the liquid 'MVSS'and mechanical sprung suspension, I cannot help but wonderif there's sufficient short·circuiting of the (Iow viscosity) siliconeoil at 60Hz to 'couple' the motor to the subchassis. Readers areinvited to view a full QC Suite report for the Oracle Delphi Mk VIturntable by navigating to www.hifinews.co.uk and clicking onthe red 'down load' button. PM

~ °1 ~.u-cMI

Beautiful to behold, the DelphiMk VI is also deliciously tactilein use. Pride of ownership is agiven while it's reassuring to learnthat Oracle is maintaining itsupgrade policy. 'Bass heads' whothrive on moving lots of air mightprefer a high mass, solid plinthturntable design but if you valueimage specificity, refinement anda relaxed balance with air andspace, this deck should be at thetop of your lust list.

Sound QuaUty: 84%._--o - ·100

·20·;

~ 41).:

~~'"~ -80

-120·. • • . • . • • • . •o 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 ZOOFrequency» [ffi]

ABOVE:Unweighted bearing rumble from DC-200Hz(black infill) versus silent LPgroove (blue infill) re.'1kHz at' 5cm Isec. Note 60Hz motor breakthrough

~O'I d ~"!""·I-10·

-20·AA.g ~30·

'"i 40-

-50·

-80·

·70·, .. , ' ..... ,....... ..•... . .. " .. , .... ,,' '"3000 3050 3100 3150 3200 3250 3300

« Frequency s-e- [lliJABOVE:Wow and flutter re. 3150Hz tone at 5cm Isec (plotted ±150Hz, 5Hz per minor division). Speedaccuracy is good but note 60Hz flutter sidebands

HI·FI NEWS SPECIFICATIONSTurntable speed error at 33.33rpm I 33,29rpm (-0.13%)

Time to audible stabilisation I 4sec

Peak WOW/Flutter I 0.05% , 0.03%

Rumble (Silent groove. DIN B wtd) I -69.0dB

Rumble (through bearing. DIN 8 wtd) I -67.0d8

Hum & Noise (unwld. reI. to Scm(sec) I -64,1dB

Power Consumption I 3W

26 I www.hifinews.co.uk I AUGUST2010

Dimensions (WHO) I 475x1S0x363mm