Rather for pleasure than to verify the Transrotor’s capabilities in the one or other discipline, I then give a listen to Albeniz' Suite Espanola. "Castilla" conveniently sets the mood, but when starting the testing phase the test classic "Asturias" mislead me to turn the volume control a little bit too far to the right – and this is no wonder, since the orchestra performs on a wide and deep stage with plenty of air around the instrument groups, while the strings contribute to the scenery without exaggerated sharpness, despite the volume level being quite elevated. Playing the music a bit louder is somewhat a must here: the power of the brass attacks is immense, even during the Fortissimo passages the spatial image stays stable, and the sounds of the various timpani reveal in a finely differentiated manner. The JR Tamino combines finest precision with an enormous joy of playing, and even at these extreme levels doesn’t become neither obtrusive nor annoying. Absolutely compelling!

The next record rarely finds its way onto the LaGrange’s platter, probably because in the past years I have increasingly lacked relaxation to appreciate free jazz: Full Force of the Art Ensemble Of Chicago. "Magg Zelma" starts very quietly with occasional – yes, one really has to call it like this – noises of percussion and wind instruments, together with a whistle and a klaxon. These sounds suggest a large room, they explosively emerge out of nowhere and impress with their colourfulness. Decades ago I used to end my testing right after the core-shaking whistle. But it isn’t the superb dynamic performance of the JR Tamino, that leads me to ignore the tonearm lift this time, I just only turn the volume a bit down and then listen to both sides of the record. The enthusiasm and vibrancy of the Transrotor cartridge do not stand in contradiction to a never nervous or pushy playback. The JR Tamino combines numerous moments of tension perfectly with a prominently relaxed performance..

Up to this moment, the cartridge has been terminated with 40 ohms. Before I am going to try the 85 ohms plugs in order to then operate rather at the upper end of the scale, which is recommended for this Transrotor model by the manufacturer, I twice give a concentrated listen to "God Bless The Child" in the interpretation of the Keith Jarrett Trio: It very very rare happens to have this Trio performing in such a large imaginary room. The JR Tamino indulges with the illusion of a deep soundstage. The music’s groove is as irresistible as it should be, while the otherwise often too present sounding hi-hat doesn’t annoy at all. This is mainly due to the fact that the cymbals’ dominating attribute isn’t limited to the mere energy they deliver, but is enriched by their colourfulness in nearly the same way. The bass fascinates with a felicitous blend of a sonorous growling and a good portion of thrust. The higher terminating impedance seems to lower the air temperature in the now minimally larger recording room by one or two degrees, while the bass is groaning more intense, but with a little less richness. The cymbals emerge with a somewhat stronger aggressivity, which is quite beneficial to the song’s drive, but to me ultimately is a little too much of a good thing. Since the JR Tamino doesn’t miss a trick rhythmically and sparkles with nothing but the joy of playing, I decide to continue without another contribution to these disciplines in favour of degusting some more energy in the low frequencies, paired with colourfulness and smoothness, all of this terminated with 40 Ohms. These are precisely the characteristics that distinguish the JR Tamino from other world-class cartridges, such as the top Lyra models, amongst others. Amazing, how the Transrotor shows character. I could get used to that. But no, even worse: I've already got used to it. Breaking up with this cartridge surely will end in a tragedy. But luckily there is some time left, as right after the High End show we have planned recordings for our sound library. You can already look forward to it.