Turntable Reviews

I've been the proud owner of a Kuzma Stabi S turntable and Stogi S tonearm since 2001. The combination was an impulse purchase, made after seeing and hearing it in action at Stereophile's Home Entertainment Show at the New York Hilton. Even under unruly show conditions, the Kuzma player created rock-solid images and played music with serious jump factor. With its matte brass finish, tubular bell looks, and overtly industrial design, the Slovenian-made Stabi S/Stogi S was steampunk before steampunk. Looking back, it was one of my best-ever audio purchases.

The 29lb belt-driven Stabi S turntable, which remains in the Kuzma line ($2156 without tonearm), was and is a brilliant concept, ingeniously executed. Built upon two 50mm-diameter solid-brass rods, interlocked to form a "T" shape, its platter bearing and aluminum platter are fastened at the point where those two segments meet, with the tonearm mount sited at the other end. An outboard pod, also brass, houses its AC motor. All in all, the Kuzma "pipe bomb," as some call it, is a substantial black-disc spinner that punches far above its weight.

Upgrades to my audio system have only confirmed the excellent value and sound of the Stabi S/Stogi S: Stellar sonics and nearly 20 years of fault-free performance make Kuzma's entry-level record player an easy recommendation. So when the invitation came to review Kuzma's latest turntable, the Stabi R ($9595 with wood frame and a single tonearm mount), I jumped.

Here we R—with a familiar friend for a tonearm
As shipped from Elite AV Distribution, Kuzma's US distributor, my review sample of the Stabi R was bundled with an 11" sample of the Kuzma 4Point tonearm ($6675 as supplied), which Michael Fremer has written about extensively (footnote 1). Before setting up and auditioning this $16,270 combination, I got in touch with designer Franc Kuzma, hoping for some insights into his latest vinyl spinner. He replied via e-mail: "The Stabi R was designed as a smaller version of the Stabi M"—$19,225 without tonearm—"and they certainly bear a strong family resemblance. The Stabi R is essentially a scaled-down Stabi M that incorporates very similar drive electronics but built into the chassis instead of an outboard power supply. Same platter, same belt, same hi-torque DC motor, same type of power supply. The sonic goal was to sound as close to the Stabi M as possible."

"As to price point," wrote Scot Markwell of Elite AV, "Kuzma wanted to come in at a good spot in the line, and the basic Stabi R model that sells for about $8500 meets that goal." (That price buys the turntable with a single arm mount and no wood frame.)

My walnut-framed review sample measured 19.68" wide by 4" thick by 18.30" deep. (German RAL Classic colors, black or silver, are available for the base, unframed Stabi R.) The massive plinth is machined from a single billet of aluminum. The 17.63lb platter rotates on a 16mm-diameter steel shaft with an inverted, ruby-ball bearing that's claimed to minimize friction and noise. The platter is described as a "constrained sandwich" with two layers of aluminum and one of acrylic, the latter visible as a half-inch band around the platter's circumference. A rubber-and-textile compound mat is glued to the platter's surface—"Rubber gives elasticity and textile gives stiffness," Kuzma wrote—but an extra mat may be used. (That said, with my Stabi S, which has a similar mat, the best extra mat is none at all.)

Mounted to the left of the bearing shaft, below the plinth's surface, a Pabst DC motor drives the big platter via a thin-yet-rigid, flat blue belt.

"The motor tower is supported and isolated via rubber grommets," Kuzma explained. "The motor has added internal mass and is triple-isolated from the motor tower. [And] with the right choice of hardness of PVC, we manage to get [an] elastic belt [that] minimizes motor vibration and [is] stiff enough to bring even motor torque to the subplatter."

Bolted to the turntable chassis, the diamond-polished bearing shaft rises from the middle of the plinth. To its right, the hole for mounting the tonearm is located on a separate 4" wide by 14" deep walnut armboard. The plinth is leveled by rotating three adjustable aluminum footers, which are inserted into the turntable base via plastic threads (to minimize vibrations, compared to metal). The footers are finished with rounded plastic spikes.

What new ideas does the Stabi R bring to the Kuzma line? According to Franc Kuzma, these include "a very robust chassis incorporating a DC drive from our more expensive models and a versatile [design], which can hold up to four arms" via armboards referred to in the company's literature as "wings" or "balconies." "The 8kg heavy platter goes from 0 to 33 RPM in two seconds, combining the quick start benefits of an idler wheel or direct drive with isolation from motor vibrations via a stiff-yet-compliant machined belt." Kuzma added that "All Kuzma arms will fit on the Stabi R except for the 4Point 14-inch."

Setup
My first hurdle was where to place this Slovenian beast. Could the top shelf of my Salamander rack support it? "Definitely not!" said loudspeaker manufacturer John DeVore, from whom I'd bought the Salamander. So I built my own turntable stand using 6" by 18" cinder blocks, stacked in two waist-high columns. Such a cinder block pedestal could easily support any reasonable weight and should provide good isolation. At $3.50 per block and a $30 delivery charge from a Chinatown Canal Street supplier, I was up and running. Almost.

I slipped a $20 to Mike, my building's handyman. He helped transport the blocks up the seven flights to my lookout apartment. I was gasping for air at cinder-block #4, but Mike, a Marlboro-inhaling emphysema sufferer who lost two fingers in a delicatessen accident, left me in the dust, carrying two blocks at a time. "People like you who sit at a desk all day are weak," Mike laughed. I cried.

The Stabi R turntable and 4Point tonearm arrived well-packed in two double-layered cardboard boxes. The accompanying Stabi R manual included photos of the various turntable bits in their packed state, for easy repacking—an unusually considerate gesture.

Ikea's Aptitlig bamboo chopping boards are my go-to sound/isolation platforms, recommended by Sound & Vision contributor and renowned turntable setup wiz Michael Trei. The D version of this ($19), measuring ¾" H by 21" W by 18" D, placed atop my cinderblock stanchion, proved to be a good turntable support. I hoisted the unwieldy plinth atop its new cinder block throne.

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Footnote 1: See Michael Fremer's review in his "Analog Corner" column in the June 2018 Stereophile.