Walker Reference Phono Amp

Introduction

It’s amazing how much we are affected by bias and preconception. We all have them to some degree although many won’t admit it. With that said, I began my Phono upgrade quest with a very specific preconception. I knew that I was going to buy the Lamm LP2 phono preamp. The reviews were great, trusted people who I respect recommended it, and I heard it myself during a long dealer audition. Frankly, although I own the Walker Proscenium Gold Signature Turntable, I did not believe that the Walker Reference Phono Amp could compete with the Lamm, Steelhead, Levinson, et al – boy was I wrong. Let me state another bias - I consider Lloyd Walker one of the great high-end designers and most affable characters in audio today. He is passionately and relentlessly driven to produce absolutely the best sounding equipment and accessories. (By the way, I have no relation with Walker Audio except as a customer.)

Fanatical detail

The Walker Reference Phono Amp could best be described as an ultra-sophisticated minimalist design. There are no circuit boards. The design is point-to-point, wired with directional ultra-pure sold silver wire. Let’s talk about Walker’s philosophy. As with his turntable, Lloyd Walker uses accepted design and circuit theory only as a rough starting point. Everything (and I mean everything) is designed, tested, and tweaked by his golden ear, down to an absolutely fanatically insane level. For example, as I said, all wire in the circuit is directional. This is accomplished by replacing a batch of wire in a known circuit and listening, then reversing the wire and re-listening. One way will sound better. This is the same wire used in medical operations connecting the brain and the ear. Did you ever wonder if the amount of bending of the wire in a circuit – soft corners or hard angle bends – would affect the sound? Lloyd has. Vibration control? Yes, it has a major effect on the sound and therefore, the Reference has a full compliment of valid points and resonance control discs – lead, of course. Why? Lead sounds better. Any component that is mounted internally is mounted on hardwood. Why? It sounds better. The custom RCA jacks are hand-plated silver. Why? It sounds better. On and on, you get the idea …

Description and Circuit highlights

The Reference Phono is an attractive black, two-box unit with brass front plate. It is solid-state, true dual mono design with remote power supply. All components are the highest quality, and then most are modified by Lloyd. Proprietary nude resistors (.005%), some according to Walker costing $30 each, are re-worked. There are no carbon or epoxy resistors anywhere. High-grade Teflon caps are used in the RIAA equalization circuit with none crossing the signal path. Ultra expensive Blackgate caps are used in the power supply. The output is directly coupled with no transformers or capacitors to affect the sound. DC offset is nulled using a voltmeter supplied with the unit. The procedure is similar, and no more complex, than adjusting the bias on a tube amp. After a break-in period of a few weeks, and if you can get past your anal compulsions, the offset rarely has to be checked. There are no switches, lights, transformers, sensors, jumpers, or capacitors in the signal path - nothing to degrade the sound. The amp chips are a NASA military grade. (It took Walker one full year to get permission from the government to purchase these and he had to buy a lifetime supply of the chips. If I recall correctly, accounting for safety stock, less than 200 of these pre-amps will ever be made. It is a shame that only a handful a vinylholics will ever experience this remarkable product.) Finally, after assembly the entire unit is deep immersion cryo-treated, a process which takes 8 to 9 days.

The sound

As I started off this rather long review, initially I believed that I was going to buy the Lamm LP2. Actually, I was fortunate to have a variety of phono preamps in my system for a mini shootout. First a little history. For many years my standard was the Krell Reference – a great unit and a bargain too. I currently own the Levinson Reference module for the 32 pre-amp. In house also was the Lamm, which I originally auditioned, in a wonderful Lamm/Kharma demo system. Here I heard the Lamm compared directly to the Steelhead. IMO, it was not close; the Lamm was superior in every way. The problem was that the demo system was vastly different than my own, so I arranged an in-home trial, expecting this to be a mere formality, in my eventual purchase. Lloyd, who is certainly not shy, has often told me that his phono amp was the best in the world. I called him and he not only agreed to the mini shoot-out, he personally brought the unit to my home and installed it. What a treat – Levinson, Lamm and Walker together. This is where my preconceptions got turned upside down and inside out. Lets start with the conclusion. The Walker Reference isn’t just better than the competition, it blows them away. Its improvement in my system is possibly equaled only by my upgrade to the Tenor Amps. The Walker Reference sounds like neither tube nor solid state; but has the best magical qualities of both. The Levinson has spectacular resolution and detail; the Lamm offers an incredibly musical and seamless soundstage. The Walker has both and more. With all due respect to those great products, they are not in the same league as the Walker. Compared to everything else I've ever heard, the improvement was not incremental, it was immense.

Sound specifics

I honestly believed that the days of dramatic improvements in my system were over. The best I could hope for was small incremental gains. Wrong again. The Walker reference makes the speakers disappear and presents a vivid seamless musical picture, where the music exists almost in real space. Anyone fortunate enough to have heard a properly setup Kharma system, knows what I mean. With the Walker, a three dimensional sound field exists in the room. The apparent size of the musical event varies with the recording. When the recording is right, the sound extends far past the physical walls of the room. You are not just listening to music – you are immersed in it. Whether it was my equipment or room acoustics, I always had trouble with sound field depth. Now I can truly hear deep into the recording. Listen to a Mercury recording such as “The Firebird,” and you’ll hear spectacular front to back depth. I’ve had exciting sound before, but it was in all honesty, somewhat artificial with hi-fi type spotlighting of instruments and sounds. Walker provides this immense detail without the spotlighting effect. Listen to “Brazilian Sleigh Bells” on Mercury Hi-Fi A La Espanola. Previously on my systems, it has always sounded like one mass of bells. With the Walker, it is the sound of a mass of individual bells. This defines one of the great strengths of the Reference. As with live music, you can listen to the music as an organic whole, or you can choose to focus on one specific part or instrument. In real life, an instrument like the flute can easily be heard in a full orchestra. The flute floats almost above the orchestra. With recorded sound, often the quiet instruments are masked, blended, or suppressed, relative to the louder or more dominant sounds – not with the Walker. Delicate instruments are realistically reproduced. The attack and subtle decay are utterly realistic.

Does the music touch your soul? Are you emotionally exhausted after an evening of listening? Are you drawn into the music? Is your body filled with goose bumps? These are what matter most to me. The Walker has elevated my system in all of these respects. Listen to Oscar Peterson’s “West Side Story,” Lori Lieberman, Willie Nelson’s “Stardust” – with the lights out you’d swear that they are in the room with you. If imaging is what you are after - look no further. Want some fun? Listen to Simon and Garfunkel’s “Baby Driver” or Santana Abraxas, the sounds swirl around the room and through you head like I have never experienced, short of headphones.

Up to the Walker, you could have fun debating the relative merits of the phono preamps in my system - Brand X was 10% better in sound staging, Unit Y had better midrange etc. IMHO now there is no debate. The reference is musical without being romantic. It is ruthlessly revealing of your equipment and the recordings. But to be honest, every recording sounds better through the Walker. It is lightening fast, and ultra quiet with the blackest backgrounds imaginable.

The extreme high end is finely detailed and precise without excess brightness. There is absolutely no grain or texture. Midrange is detailed and full - the most enjoyable midrange I have ever experienced. Imaging is precise. The bass was one of the most pleasant surprises. When I switched from Levinson 33h’s to the Tenors, the only thing that I gave up was that last piece of deep bass energy and control. Now I don’t miss it any more. Try the Eagle’s “Hotel California” from “Hell Freezes Over” or Neil Diamond’s “America,” you’ll feel like that guy in the chair in the old Maxell ads – blown away. It made me listen to each record on the edge of my seat, eagerly anticipating the next sound. I forget about the equipment and just experience music. The detail and information flowing from this preamp is extraordinary.

The Walker Reference is profoundly engaging, three dimensional, focused and exciting. It will move you to rediscover you vinyl collection. Taking into account the exotic component costs, and the years of development, the Walker Reference IMHO is downright bargain. Do you get the idea that I like it?