Acoustic Research AR-XA Turntable: Bach's Toccata in D minor

Here's a music demo of the legendary Acoustic Research AR-XA turntable playing a cut from the same company's demonstration record. Bach's Toccata in D minor is a classic demo of the pipe organ's very DEEP bass, which the XA plays handily, but ALSO listen for the superb 3D imaging and precise placement of the various pipes across the sound stage, thanks to the turntable/cartridge accuracy. I find this easiest to hear with one's eyes closed. Part 2 of this video shows how I took video closeups of the stylus motion in the groove during this cut's heavy modulations.



Be sure to watch in 1080 HD, selected with YouTube's gear icon in the lower right, because that also provides better sound at YouTube, although it still has compression. I do not monetize my videos however if there is a copy right claim the owner has the right to place ads on my video, as I understand it. Sorry about any ads; I don't like them either.


I recommend listening to this recording through the best system you can, with very low bass capability to 32Hz or lower, in a quiet room, but full-size headphones can also work.



The AR-XA's immunity to room rumble, acoustic feedback, mis-tracking, warp wow, groove eccentricity, heavily-recorded passage drag (the added friction causes a momentary speed fluctuation in lesser brands), general speed error, etc., all add up to the spectacular sound reproduction, pure tones, and musical realism.


I just bought this record, used, and although it was very dirty the groove wear wasn't too bad. Once the track was cleaned thoroughly, manually, there were only a few ticks and pops left but also some possible groove wall abuse from having been played by a previous owner(s) with a mis-tracking or high mass cartridge/tonearm.



My camera makes an annoying, repetitive ticking noise when the auto focus is searching for a good setting but it is fleeting and only heard faintly during the lead-in groove and after I stopped playing the record, so not a big deal. Also if you briefly hear an airplane flying overhead at one point don't be fooled it is at your house, as happened to me. It is in the recording itself! Reminds me of that Led Zep song. What was it? I forget. They laughed about it and left it in.


The video sequences are shown out of chronological order. I recorded the turntable's electrical signal to my Behringer USB interface UMC204HD after passing through the phono preamp stage of my Yamaha TSR-7810 receiver.

The talented organist is Bruce Prince-Joseph. I do not own the rights but I am reproducing this excerpt here only as an educational tool to assess turntable quality under the fair use doctrine.
LEGAL DISCLAIMER:
The short, incomplete song excerpts are posted for noncommercial, nonprofit, educational/research purposes of audio sound reproduction equipment accuracy assessment under the fair use doctrine of Title 17 U.S. Code § 107 - Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use
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This video is best watched after watching my long and thorough test video on what technologies make the AR-XA perform so well, how it introduced the world to state-of-the-art, audiophile grade sound reproduction (yet amazingly at a bargain price), and why it is literally a museum piece:    • Audiophile Turntable TESTED: Acoustic...