Turntables:
A+:
J.Sikora Reference: $48,000 w/o tonearm
This Polish company's top-of-the-line turntable is a nonsuspended, high-mass design, weighing 253lb. The dynamically and statically balanced platter alone weighs 40lb! Drive is with four square belts spun by four Papst DC motors. MF found that the plinth was immune to knuckle raps and motor start-up noises and wrote that the Reference was very quiet. He decided that this J.Sikora 'table had been superbly tuned to extract deep, well-controlled bass free of overhang or excess. The measured speed accuracy was impressive, as was its isolation from the outside world. Using J.Sikora's own KV12 VTA tonearm ($8995) as well as SAT and Kuzma tonearms, MF couldn't find fault with any aspect of the Reference's sonic performance or its machining and physical presentation. He summed up: "For those willing to make the expenditure, add the J.Sikora Reference to the list of great mass-loaded turntables at this price."(Vol.45 No.7 WWW) J.Sikora Standard Max Supreme: $38,500 in standard finish
See Ken Micallef's review on p.145. (Vol.48 No.4 WWW) OMA K3: $363,000 including power supply and Schröder SLM tonearm ★
MF described this idiosyncratically styled, massive, and very expensive turntable as looking "somewhat like the Guggenheim Museum topped by a heliport and a construction crane." Even so, he was impressed by its performance, with the 11.1" "aluminum girder" Schröder tonearm fitted with Ortofon Anna D, Lyra Etna l Lambda SL, and Lyra Atlas l Lambda SL phono cartridges. He described the K3's sound as "fast, clean, detailed, highly resolving, super-transparent, effortlessly dynamic, and capable of producing unparalleled transient precision and depth-charge-deep bass 'wallop' that's fully extended yet totally free from overhang." He concluded, "As with any truly great audio product, regardless of price, the OMA K3 turntable speaks with a singular voice." Offers 33 1/3, 45, and 78rpm speeds. Dedicated stand costs $40,000. (Vol.44 No.10 WWW)
SME Model 60, includes SME Model VA tonearm: $75,789
This suspended, mass-loaded, belt-driven, flagship turntable comes preinstalled with SME's Series VA tonearm, which is not available separately. The Model 60's price depends on the finish: a honeycomb finish adds $7000; a diamond-polished finish adds $14,000. Offers 33 1/3 and 45 speeds only. "Intense dynamics and tight, powerful bass extension have long been hallmarks of SME turntables, and the Model 60 pushes that reputation even further," wrote MT, adding that the Model 60 "also offers a sense of ease and effortlessness." He summed up the Model 60 by writing "This turntable is capable of extracting an astonishing amount of music from the record groove. It should be considered the new real-world reference against which other turntables can be judged." On Paul Miller's test bench, the turntable's sintered bronze bearing, with its oil-damped ball, was so precisely machined and polished that both through-groove and through-bearing rumble were truly state-of-the-art. The tonearm, which has a cast-magnesium-alloy armtube, featured a "freedom from complex resonance, and general clutter [that] was quite remarkable," concluded PM. (Vol.46 No.8 WWW) A: Acoustic Signature Montana NEO: $36,995 w/o tonearm ★
Non-suspended, mass-loaded, triple–belt-driven turntable with a constrained-layer–damped, 55lb aluminum-alloy chassis sitting on height-adjustable, gel-damped feet. The outboard power supply features a vibration-canceling system that combines hardware and software to control the three 24-pole, two-coil AC motors. Offers 33 1/3 and 45rpm speeds. With the Montana NEO fitted with Acoustic Signature's TA-7000 NEO 9" tonearm—see "Tonearms"—and an Ortofon A95 phono cartridge, MF found that with a 1980 orchestral LP, the timbral, spatial, and dynamic presentation was "warm and inviting and intensely three-dimensional." He added that the "well-damped but not overdamped, fully controlled, supremely well-focused, rock-solid stable presentation produced a memorable 3D picture." This was similar, he noted, to his impression of the A95's sonic character; changing to an AudioQuest Etna Lambda 𝜆 SL produced "a more generous, rich, full midrange and midbass, a presentation that added spatial context and richness to vocals and acoustic instruments." MF summed up the Montana NEO/TA-7000 NEO combo as "a neutral and revealing carrier." (Vol.45 No.1 WWW) Acoustic Signature Verona NEO: $16,995 in Macassar Ebony or Piano Black
The Verona NEO is a massive, high-performance, belt-drive German turntable with two motors and an external power supply. It can be fitted with two Acoustic Signature NEO tonearms; see Tonearms. "The Verona NEO may disguise its heavyweight approach behind a pretty wood veneer exterior, but it doesn't hold anything back sonically," MT wrote. He described the Acoustic Signature house sound as characterized by "solid, lean, powerful bass and rock 'em sock 'em dynamics." He summed up his time with the Verona NEO by writing, "At around $16k plus the cost of the tonearm, the Verona NEO offers performance that is truly reference quality at a price that hopefully won't require you to take out a second mortgage." (Vol.47 No.6 WWW)
AMG Giro MK II: $8500 without tonearm
Significantly upgraded compared with the original Giro that HR favorably reviewed in 2017, the MK II features a thicker, 40% heavier platter, which gives it a substantial increase in mass and rotational inertia, hence improved speed stability. Drive for 33 1/3 and 45 is still via belt from a DC motor, with a switch-mode supply supplied as standard. (An outboard linear power supply is available as an optional upgrade for $1200.) Tonearm is still AMG's 9W2—see Tonearms—with its wiring terminated in a DIN socket. The Giro doesn't come with a standard tonearm cable; rather, AMG offers four levels made for them by Cardas: the Basic ($300), Standard ($600), Reference ($1500), and Turbo ($2250). The review sample came with the Reference cable. MT found setting up the Giro straightforward but noted that as the turntable doesn't offer any isolation, care needs to be taken choosing where and on what to place it. Using a Benz SLR Gullwing phono cartridge, MT commented on the excellent retrieval of recorded detail offered by the AMG "without muddling the sound or glossing over details." He was also impressed by the player's speed stability, commenting that with a close-miked piano recording the Giro was "able to combine tonal richness with the solidity you get from piano chords when there's no insecurity or waffling about pitch." (Vol.45 No.12 WWW) Clearaudio Reference Jubilee: $30,000 incl. tonearm
A belt-drive design that uses a POM main platter sitting on a stainless steel subplatter flywheel, the boomerang-shaped Jubilee features a patented Ceramic Magnetic Bearing and a Panzerholz plinth. An updated 9" Clearaudio Universal tonearm is included in the price and features a carbon fiber armtube. Also included in the price are Clearaudio's 1.6lb Statement Clamp, 1.5lb Outer Limit peripheral clamp and locator rim, and Professional Power 24V DC power supply. KM found that the turntable ran about 0.3% fast. He wrote that the Reference Jubilee's sound combined vivid detail retrieval, forceful dynamics, a delicate, refined top end, and a translucent midrange. Levels of resolution, clarity, transparency, and trueness-to-source left him vinyl-shocked and thinking, "So that's what's on this recording?" He added that the Reference Jubilee, Universal Tonearm, and Jubilee MC cartridge "combined staggering detail, energy, and forward-flow allied to a 3D stage that was large, deep, and transparent. The music it made was profound and life-affirming." (Vol.45 No.7 WWW) Dr. Feickert Analogue Blackbird: $7995 ★
The standard Feickert Blackbird is a belt-driven turntable in which a Delrin platter is propelled by two (!) high-torque AC motors, with provisions for mounting two tonearms. Its plinth is an aluminum-MDF-aluminum sandwich done up in a black Nextel finish. As reviewed by HR, fitted with Jelco's knife-bearing TK-850L tonearm and optional DIN-to-RCA cable, and upgraded with eight inertia-enhancing brass platter weights and a glossy wood finish ($9345 total), the Blackbird ingratiated itself in no time: "I admired the Dr. Feickert Analogue Blackbird the minute I set it up. After a couple of weeks, I was ready to propose marriage." As Herb describes it, "bass through the Feickert-Jelco combo was tighter and more vigorous" than with his AMG G9 player (see elsewhere in "Recommended Components"), and compared to even his Linn LP12, the Blackbird impressed him by re-creating musical momentum in a way that was "noticeably more visceral." Five years after his original review, and having used the Blackbird with dozens of cartridges and three tonearms, HR commented that this turntable moved music forward with a force and momentum that he attributed to the "coercive pull" of the Blackbird's belt-drive motors. He also noted that another contributor to the Blackbird's quiet, solid sound was the way the platter mated the record. Promoted to Class A following Herb's long-term experience, in particular his revisit in Vol.46 No.11. (Vol.41 No.12, Vol.46 No.11 WWW)
EMT 928 II: $9995 without tonearm, $14,995 with EMT 909-HI tonearm, $17,995 with tonearm and EMT JSD Pure Black phono cartridge
KM auditioned this belt-drive, three-speed, battery-powered turntable with EMT's 909-HI 9" static-balance tonearm and EMT's JSD Pure Black phono cartridge. The first qualities he noticed with the player powered with AC were "a banging sense of drive and impressive note-by-note resolution. Regardless of what phono stage or amplifier I used, it played music forcefully and subtly, capturing not just forceful rhythm but also the soundstage cues that make music sound real and alive and the intricate shifts of attention and focus that convey the presence of living, breathing musicians." Changing to battery power, he found that piano and drums became cleaner and somehow lighter while bass became weightier and better defined. "The most surprising thing was that the music sounded louder, more upfront," he commented. (Vol.47 No.9 WWW) Gold Note Mediterraneo X: $12,999 w/B-7 Ceramic X tonearm
This elegant turntable combines traditional materials with touch-friendly digital technology in arresting fashion, wrote KM when he first encountered the Italian Mediterraneo X at a show. Unusually, the belt-drive turntable's motor has two torque settings: high torque results in a performance reminiscent of direct drive; low torque is more in line with the sound of the belt drive. The B-7 Ceramic X tonearm uses a headshell made from 6000-series aluminum alloy for resonance control and a titanium wand, this stabilized with four high-precision ceramic ball bearings. A touchscreen controls power, torque, rotation speed, a cartridge timer, display brightness, and even cartridge selection. Once the Mediterraneo X was set up in his system, using a VPI Shyla phono cartridge, KM noted that it was "one quiet record player. In my informal tests, tapping, poking, or rapping on its plinth during playback caused zero vibration/rumble/noise to its cartridge/tonearm assembly." He summed up his time with the turntable by writing "though smooth and quiet, it never strays into blandness or homogeneity. It boasts exceptional forward momentum and, with the right cartridge, faithful adherence to the recorded source. This Gold Note 'table delivers a consistent, flowing, nonmechanical musical experience." (Vol.47 No.3 WWW) Linn Klimax LP12: $30,968 incl. tonearm, MC phono cartridge, phono stage and power supply
The fully loaded review sample was fitted with the Karousel bearing, a NASA-grade Keel subchassis ($3705), and the optional fluted plinth ($220). Also included were Linn's Ekstatik moving coil cartridge ($7150), Ekos Super Evolution (SE) tonearm ($5645), the machined-chassis version of the Radikal motor controller/power supply, and the Urika phono stage ($10,400 for both). HR found that the Klimax LP12 was dramatically better-sounding than his vintage Sondek. It offered "conspicuously quiet (deep black) backgrounds" and tempo, focus, and immediacy that were "near-laboratory quality." His conclusion was that the Linn Klimax record player "looks like a piece of heirloom furniture, is built to a very high standard of fit'n'finish, and is eternally upgradeable. Its substantial dealer base makes it easily and expertly serviceable in a way few other turntable brands can match. These facts alone make the Klimax worth its price." Also see the entry for the Linn LP12 system in Class B. (Vol.45 No.6 WWW)
Luxman PD-151 Mark II: $5695 incl. tonearm
This new version of a classic three-speed, belt-drive turntable from Luxman impressed MT with its speed stability: wow & flutter were both just 0.02%. This is achieved with a DC motor fed from a "sophisticated" pulse-width modulation power supply. Although there isn't a suspension, when MT held a stethoscope against the top plate adjacent to the motor, he couldn't tell whether the motor was on or off: "It's that quiet." An optional dustcover adds $795 to the price. The LTA-309 tonearm features knife-edge bearings and a H4 bayonet-mount universal headshell, and is sourced from Japanese manufacturer SAEC. MT used an Ortofon Cadenza Blue and Luxman's own LMC-5 for his auditioning, and commented that with the Luxman cartridge a track from Willy DeVille's solo album "sounded tonally vivid and three-dimensional with a soundstage that was wide and deep but tidy." He found that while the PD-151 couldn't quite match the tautness and bottom-end slam of the "vastly more expensive" SME Model 30/2A, it more than held its own in most other areas. (Vol.46 No.3 WWW) Pure Fidelity Harmony: $9995 including the Encounter Mark 4 Orgin Live Tonearm
This Canadian turntable's price includes the Conductor power supply, SS-10 Record Isolator clamp, three IsoAcoustics GAIA IV feet, and Origin Live Encounter tonearm. (This dual-pivot arm was reviewed by MF in July 2004.) The review sample's premium Quilted Maple finish adds $500. The 2", Ultra MDF plinth sits on a 19lb isolation platform formed from aluminum alloy and is said to be virtually resonance-free and completely neutral in sound. KM found that the Harmony fitted with the Origin Live tonearm and Pure Fidelity's Stratos phono cartridge "took me on a joy ride, exuding all the liveliness and pace, rhythm, and timing of any well-made low-mass 'table but with a neutral tonal balance and a vice-like low-end grip." KM's conclusion: "The Pure Fidelity Harmony brings a beautiful sonic signature to vinyl but with enough transparency to reveal the unique personality of each LP . . . The Pure Fidelity Harmony is one of the finest analog playback machines I've heard, worth every penny of its $9995 asking price." (Vol.45 No.12 WWW) Rega Naia: $12,995 w/tonearm
Based on the cost-no-object, limited-edition Naiaid, the top-of-the-line Naia resembles Rega's Planar 10 and Planar 8. It uses the same skeletal plinth, built from a lightweight polyurethane foam core sandwiched between top and bottom layers of laminate and to maximize stability the belt-driven ceramic platter concentrates its mass at the rim. The Naia uses Rega's familiar one-piece aluminum armtube, this fitted with an ultra-lightweight titanium bearing structure to minimize resonances. There is no provision for adjusting the cartridge's azimuth or stylus rake angle, because Rega is adamant that this would compromise the structural rigidity, but a 2mm shim can be added at the arm mount if you want to use a particularly tall cartridge. The review sample was fitted with Rega's Aphelion 2 MC cartridge ($5545 when sold separately), which brings the package price, including the Reference Power Supply, to $16,995. MT was immediately struck by how tidy and controlled the Naia/Aphelion 2 combination sounded, allowing him to focus on the music making. The Naia nails pace, rhythm, and timing "with extreme confidence," he wrote, and concluded that the Naia "is compact, lightweight, and supremely easy to set up and get the best from. Most importantly, it sounds superb and pulls music from the grooves of a record better than the vast majority of turntables." (Vol.48 No.1 WWW)
Technics SL-1200G: $4299.95 incl. tonearm, available in black or silver
Derived from Technics's limited-edition SL-1200GAE, the three-speed, direct-drive SL-1200G bears little resemblance to the original '1200 from the 1970s that had come to be a DJ favorite. It is an entirely new design "created for audiophiles." The original SL-1200's tonearm—"easily the chintziest thing about that turntable," said AH—has been reimagined, with a new armtube made of cold-drawn magnesium. The arm's gimbal bearings revealed zero wiggle or twist, noted AH, who also found that the turntable rotated at exactly 33 1/3rpm with just 0.014% wow & flutter. AH installed a Dynavector Te Kaitora Rua cartridge in the tonearm's detachable headshell and started listening. "In stock form, it sounded solid, agile, and impressively neutral, but also noticeably smaller, grayer, and more mechanical—with shorter note decay—than my Garrard 301/Schick/Box Furniture Co. record player," he wrote. After replacing the stock mat with a Trans-Fi Reso-Mat, "the Technics produced a far larger soundfield, with obviously greater resolution and instrument separation and less apparent noise." Replacing the stock headshell with either the DS Audio HE-001 or Schick graphite headshells improved tracking with the Dynavector "and lent the music more solidity and color." AH then switched the turntable's torque control from automatic to manual and reduced the torque by about a third of a revolution. "The turntable sounded mostly the same," he noted, "but its somewhat mechanical, uptight character was nearly gone; now the music flowed and shimmied more convincingly. I also heard improved sustain and decay." Overall, he could think of few turntables that offer as much value as the SL-1200G, adding that the quality of its engineering and execution "makes typical audiophile products look slightly homemade." (Vol.45 No.12 WWW) TW-Acustic Raven GT2: $12,500
AH described this German belt-drive turntable as "sternly functional . . . Everything about the 'table, which weighs 75lb and is made almost entirely of raven-black aluminum appears thought out . . . The GT2 is so precisely machined that lowering the very heavy composite-and-bronze platter onto the upward-facing bearing shaft takes not seconds but minutes." It took him several weeks to zero-in on the Raven FT's sonic character: the "'table did everything so well that I struggled to describe its sound. No single area of performance stood out or seemed overlooked," he wrote. Overall, "on record after record, the German deck was able to excavate spatial and instrumental detail, and imbue recordings with depth and dimension, as well as any I've heard." AH also noted that, unlike other belt-drive turntables, the Raven GT2 had a "nimble" way with rhythm and timing. (Vol.46 No.7 WWW) VPI Avenger Direct: $36,000 with tonearm
The review sample of this American turntable came with the 12" gimbaled version of the FatBoy tonearm ($4500 when purchased separately), the aluminum JMW Full VTA Base ($1500 separately), a direct drive assembly/motor, a machined aluminum platter, a vented chassis, a stainless steel Periphery Ring Clamp ($1300 separately), three air-suspension Feet ($3450 separately), a VPI-branded alignment jig ($75 separately), a poly-weave platter mat, and one Signature record weight ($185 separately). With the Avenger/FatBoy combo fitted with an Ortofon Verismo MC cartridge and playing Henry Mancini's "The Days of Wine and Roses" (from Our Man in Hollywood), KM wrote that the Avenger Direct "mined all the musical detail, dimensionality, ambience, and opulence of the Mancini recording, but more importantly, it mined its emotions." KM didn't go into specifics regarding the player's sonic character, writing instead that "I can't help feeling it's cheap to reduce the VPI's performance to separate traits when its great strength is its presentation of such a unified, stirring whole." His conclusion? "I don't know what deed this Avenger is meant to avenge, but its place in the pantheon of great turntables is secure." (Vol.46 No.6 WWW)
Wand 14-4: $7875 with Wand Master Lite 12" tonearm; $5000 w/o arm
This New Zealand–made belt-drive turntable's name comes from its platter: the larger size (14") increases rotational inertia without adding significant mass; the platter has four layers including an aluminum/acrylic/aluminum sandwich (for damping), plus an acrylic mat to interface with the record. The 14-4 comes with a switching power supply; a battery supply is available as an option. A speed sensor under the platter automatically adjusts the speed; MT found the speed spot on at both 33 1/3 and 45rpm. He used the 12" Wand tonearm with the 14-4 and warned that the arm's length means that the cartridge ends up hovering precariously close to the power and speed-selector knob. "There are no compromises here, and few concessions to ease of setup and use," MT concluded. "But if you're willing to put in the work and deal with the setup anxiety, your patience will be rewarded with extraordinary performance. The Wand excels in areas I consider fundamental to musical enjoyment, such as tonal color and timing. There's nothing warm or sluggish sounding about The Wand, but because it's able to resolve detail so well, it never sounds thin or anemic. 'Vivid' and 'focused' are the words that keep popping into my head." MT replaced the original turntable power supply with the EV Battery Power Supply, which takes the motor off the power grid using a battery housed in a separate enclosure styled to match the turntable's design. He found that the EV battery made a small but repeatable improvement in resolution of low-level detail, raising the overall performance of the 14-4 by a notch or two. He then added a carbon-fiber platter mat. Compared with the bare acrylic surface of the stock platter, the new mat delivered improved detail and focus. (Vol.47 Nos.1 & 5 WWW) Well Tempered Lab Amadeus 254 GT: $8750
The latest version of Bill Firebaugh's classic belt-drive record player is manufactured in China for New Zealand–based Well Tempered Lab. The unique tonearm still hangs the arm tube from a gantry and is still damped with a silicone bath. After installing an Ortofon Cadenza Bronze cartridge and even before he had optimized the tonearm damping, AH noted that music sounded "irresistible," an experience he found unsettling because he could not link it to any sonic criteria. "It was as though what I was experiencing happened entirely in the realm of musical interpretation," he wrote. Subsequent listening, after the damping had been optimized, only deepened this impression. "Recordings played back through the Well Tempered 'table sounded more alive than I'd experienced them before, drawing my attention to the performances and making me notice musical nuances as opposed to sonic ones." After he replaced the squash balls in the Amadeus's suspension with birch balls that incorporated a layer of cork, as recommended by importer Mike Pranka, records sounded more consistently exciting and engaging, AH decided. Overall, "I cannot think of a more recommendable component," he concluded. (Vol.47 No.6 WWW) B: Clearaudio Signature: $2600 by itself; $5000 as reviewed
The belt-drive Clearaudio Signature is a special edition of the new Concept Signature turntable, created exclusively for the US market. The review sample was fitted with Clearaudio's Tracer Black Carbon Fiber tonearm ($3300 separately) and Clearaudio Professional Power 12V outboard power supply ($800 separately). The Signature's plinth features constrained-layer construction, which is said to minimize vibrations. Its base is available in medium-density fiberboard or solid Baltic birch, with a satined plastic layer on top and a medium-density wood fiber layer on bottom. For an extra $500, customers can order the Baltic birch plinth upgrade consisting of pressure-formed, solid wood finished in light or dark stained wood. The 5lb platter is made from POM thermoplastic. The AiR coreless motor is decoupled from the plinth by six rubber O-rings to improve vibration control and Tacho-Speed-Control (TSC) performs automatic speed calibration on start-up. TSC then constantly monitors the rotational speed, providing real-time feedback to the control electronics so that the system can respond to dynamic influences such as stylus drag, belt tension, friction, or temperature. "The Signature proved its mettle as a graceful yet powerful machine, with transparency and flow its bywords," decided KM. "Clearaudio has achieved something special with the Signature/Tracer package, a system that held my rapt attention throughout the dozens of records I played on it, using different cartridges, phono stages, and speakers," he concluded. (Vol.48 No.1 WWW)
Linn Sondek LP12: $3060 for turntable only in standard finish ★
Since 1972, Linn has devised and offered for their belt-drive, suspended-subchassis flagship all manner of upgrades; commendably, all have been retrofittable. Some standouts: The Lingo power-supply mod of 1990 minimizes the LP12's propensity toward a slightly fat midbass and subjectively "adds an octave of low-bass extension," according to JA. The Keel one-piece subchassis, tonearm board, and Linn-specific tonearm-mounting collar of 2006 makes "an unambiguous improvement in the LP12's performance," according to AD. And the Linn Radikal mod—a DC motor with an outboard switch-mode power supply—impressed Mr. D with "more force, more momentum, and a little more sheer grip on the notes." At present, the least expensive LP12 package is the Majik LP12 ($4320): standard subchassis, wood-composite armboard, single-speed power supply, Pro-Ject 9cc tonearm, and a Linn Adikt moving magnet cartridge. Experience leads us to expect high Class B performance—superbly low measured rumble, excellent speed stability, and very good musical involvement—from an entry-level LP12, while previous incarnations of the full-monty LP12 have delivered true Class A sound. (Vol.7 No.2, Vol.13 No.3, Vol.14 No.1, Vol.16 No.12, Vol.17 No.5, Vol.19 No.2, Vol.26 No.11, Vol.28 No.2, Vol.30 No.10, Vol.34 No.6, Vol.39 No.6 WWW) MoFi Electronics UltraDeck: $1499 with tonearm
Decades after the first Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab record comes the first MoFi record player—the UltraDeck turntable with Ultra tonearm, both made in the US and created with design input from Spiral Groove's Allen Perkins. The UltraDeck's sturdy plinth comprises three aluminum plates bonded to the top of an MDF core, and its belt-driven platter—machined from Delrin and weighing 6.8lb—rides on an inverted bearing. Four height-adjustable feet, designed in collaboration with Harmonic Resolution Systems (HRS), support the plinth. The Ultra tonearm has a 10" aluminum armtube, Cardas wiring, and a gimbaled bearing. According to HR, the UltraDeck, when used with MoFi's top-of-the-line moving magnet cartridge, the MasterTracker (a $2198 package; the MasterTracker is sold separately for $699), didn't provide the "deep 'black' backgrounds or enormous sound spaces" of the considerably more expensive AMG Giro G9 player, "but it did present me with an infectious, easy-flowing, liquid vitality." According to Herb, the MoFi combo "had stronger energy, achieved bigger dynamic swings, and was more detailed than comparatively priced 'tables from VPI and Rega." (Vol.41 No.2, Vol.45 No.12 WWW) MoFi Electronics MasterDeck: $5995 w/tonearm
Designed by veteran analog engineer Allen Perkins, who was the brain behind Spiral Groove, Immedia's RPM turntables, and various SOTA models, the Masterdeck has an exposed gold rubber belt driving its nearly 15lb platter, this made from aluminum and Delrin and driven by a three-phase synchronous motor. Proprietary electronics monitor the speed of the platter. The MasterDeck's constrained-layer plinth is topped by a two-tiered aluminum plate. The 10" tonearm consists of a carbon-fiber armtube made with an internal taper to aid rigidity and damping, and uses synthetic sapphire and ruby for its bearings. The lateral bearing is a unipivot, the vertical bearing a gimbal design. Azimuth, vertical tracking angle, overhang, vertical tracking force, and antiskate are all finely tunable parameters. The removable headshell is made from aluminum, and the arm's hardwired cables are sourced from Cardas. KM used a Luxman LMC-5 cartridge and noted that the MasterDeck "consistently played with determined certainty, resolving everything in a recording in an altogether fresh way, to my ears," he wrote. His conclusion? "Perkins's MasterDeck is a forensic tool, a musical CSI, dissecting a record's every nuance, from the hidden depths of its grooves to surface muck and mire. It did so with intellectual indifference, a sense of precision that's more akin to a studio monitor than a domestic turntable. It laid bare the mix, the soundstage, the tone, the dynamics, the frequency range, and lifeforce of the music, all with an unflinching eye. If there's a better turntable for nearly $6k, I haven't heard it." (Vol.48 No.2 WWW)
Music Hall Stealth: $1649 $$$
This three-speed, direct-drive deck comes fitted with an Ortofon 2M Blue phono cartridge. HR wrote that what he noticed most with the Stealth and 2M Blue was the "high level of tone correctness." HR was also impressed by the tonearm, which he described as exceeding his expectations. "During use, it felt precise and well-sorted. Its bearings felt just-right tight, and its arm-lift mechanism served me with ... ease and assurance," he wrote. Using Denon's classic DL-103—see "Phono Cartridges"—he found that the Stealth played his 45s more enjoyably than the Feickert Blackbird or the Linn LP12 Valhalla. His conclusion? "I can think of no record player under $2000 that I'd rather use. Or recommend." (Vol.45 No.10 WWW) PTP Audio Solid9: $4850 as tested
The Solid9 ($2950 in basic form) is a restored, hot-rodded, replinthed Lenco idler drive design built in The Netherlands. A long, gently tapered, horizontally positioned motor shaft drives the bottom of the 8.8lb platter via a skinny, spring-tensioned vertical idler wheel. The Solid9 comes with a completely rebuilt Lenco motor and a restored drive mechanism attached to two thick, stainless steel plates that are flush-mounted in a Corian plinth. HR wrote that to his subconscious mind, "idler drive feels more solidly connected to the music's forward momentum than direct drive does." HR auditioned the Solid9 with PTP's optional outboard Audio Power Controller ($1100), the Solid Bearing upgrade ($350), the optional SCC height-adjustable feet ($250), a Sorane SA-1 tonearm, and a Denon DL-103 phono cartridge. This record playing system never distracted him from what was happening in the music, he concluded: "That's as high praise as I can give." (Vol.46 No.6 WWW) SME Model 6 in black finish with SME M2-9 straight tonearm: $8189 ★
SME Model 6 Classic w with SME M2-9R J-shaped tonearm: $9229
SME's least expensive turntable uses an outboard power supply and a chassis CNC-machined from what the company says is a "unique polymer high-density resin material," claimed to have "superb resonance absorption." It sits on four elastomer feet made from a vibration-absorbing compound, but as these aren't height-adjustable, the user needs to make sure the turntable support is level. The belt-driven, 4lb platter appears to be machined from Delrin. The M2-9 tonearm—an MF favorite—can accommodate cartridges weighing 5–12gm, and azimuth, VTA, and SRA are all adjustable. As with all SME turntables, there's no dustcover. While MF didn't like the screw-down three-piece record clamp, he appreciated how the Model 6 performed with Ortofon Cadenza Black and 2M Black LVB phono cartridges. "The more I used it, the more I enjoyed its open, airy sound and its solid bottom end," he concluded. The Classic version substitutes the M2-9-R for the straight-pipe M2-9 provided with the original Model 6, which has a curved stainless steel pipe terminating in SME's familiar locking collet. (A headshell is provided, as well as an extra counterweight that can be threaded onto the arm's rear shaft if needed.) (Vol.44 No.5, Vol.45 No.4 WWW)
Technics SL-1200GR2: $2199.99 with tonearm
The successor to Technics's SL-1200GR, the GR2 keeps the pitch slider control but features what the manufacturer describes as "a revolutionary new drive control method for smooth, accurate rotational stability, and a new power supply for an exceptionally low noise floor." A 3mm die-cast aluminum cartridge spacer allows improved cartridge compatibility. KM thought the GR2 felt "sleek and responsive, like a sports car. Its solidity, ease of use, consistent performance, and ergonomic flow made it seem like a musical instrument—actually making music and not just spinning the vessel that stores those precious waveforms." KM noted that with his EMT cartridge, the GR2's drive and punch were "soul quickening." He concluded that the GR2 "played with dynamic punch with all types of music, worked well with and proved remarkably transparent to the character of cartridges and phono stages, and it was always fun to use. … This is clearly an audiophile 'table, one capable of high performance at the price." (Vol.47 No.4 WWW) Technics SL-1300G: $3299 w/tonearm
This fourth-generation Technics direct-drive record player uses a high-torque, twin-rotor, nine-stator motor with what the company calls a delta-sigma drive system: a PWM rotational control technology that is said to suppress microvibrations. In combination with Technics' Multi-Stage Silent Power Supply, which features active noise canceling, the result, wrote HR, is a modestly priced record player that performs (noise-, speed-stability-, and momentum-wise) "like those big-ticket luxury decks." The SL-1300G tonearm has an aluminum armtube rather than the 1200's magnesium arm and while it looks the same, it moved with noticeably lower stiction and friction. HR used Nagaoka MP-200 and Shure V15-III moving magnet cartridges in the Technics and commented that they tracked splendidly and sounded more solid, transparent, and finely detailed than he thought they ever could. Initially, the Technics SL-1300G played smooth and quiet to a point where for a while HR thought it was too smooth and too seductive. Then, just as he'd get lulled out, it would startle him with a sledgehammer bass transient, followed by a head-rushing bevy of train-wrecking momentum. He summed up his review by writing "Like all Technics turntables, the SL-1300G was engineered to be set up easily and correctly by average users, and to last decades under heavy use. In my system, the 1300G performed like a Class A turntable at a Class B price. That's why it's my new budget reference." (Vol.48 No.1 WWW) Vertere DG-1S: $4899–$8799 with tonearm, depending on options.
Designed by Roksan founder Touraj Moghaddam, the UK-built DG-1S, with its Groove Runner S tonearm, is available in three versions with varying combinations of cartridges and accessories, priced from $4899 to $6999. The review model came with the top Sabre package, which includes the Sabre moving-magnet cartridge, Redline interconnect cables, Techno Mat platter mat, three Iso Paw footers, plus an electronic stylus pressure gauge. The optional Challenger DC power supply ($675) can be used in place of the DG-1S's standard wall wart. MT was impressed by how easy the Vertere was to set up. He did find that the DG-1S ran about 0.4% fast, which he described as "not terrible but a little disappointing at the price, and not adjustable." However, the peak wow and flutter reading was excellent, at around 0.18%. "While the bass was fast and clear, it couldn't quite match the power at the very bottom end that you can get from my big, much more costly reference turntables," concluded MT. (Vol.46 No.10 WWW)
Deletions
Mark Levinson No5105, discontinued. Thorens TD 124 DD, TechDas Air Force Zero, not auditioned in a long time.
This Polish company's top-of-the-line turntable is a nonsuspended, high-mass design, weighing 253lb. The dynamically and statically balanced platter alone weighs 40lb! Drive is with four square belts spun by four Papst DC motors. MF found that the plinth was immune to knuckle raps and motor start-up noises and wrote that the Reference was very quiet. He decided that this J.Sikora 'table had been superbly tuned to extract deep, well-controlled bass free of overhang or excess. The measured speed accuracy was impressive, as was its isolation from the outside world. Using J.Sikora's own KV12 VTA tonearm ($8995) as well as SAT and Kuzma tonearms, MF couldn't find fault with any aspect of the Reference's sonic performance or its machining and physical presentation. He summed up: "For those willing to make the expenditure, add the J.Sikora Reference to the list of great mass-loaded turntables at this price."(Vol.45 No.7 WWW) J.Sikora Standard Max Supreme: $38,500 in standard finish
See Ken Micallef's review on p.145. (Vol.48 No.4 WWW) OMA K3: $363,000 including power supply and Schröder SLM tonearm ★
MF described this idiosyncratically styled, massive, and very expensive turntable as looking "somewhat like the Guggenheim Museum topped by a heliport and a construction crane." Even so, he was impressed by its performance, with the 11.1" "aluminum girder" Schröder tonearm fitted with Ortofon Anna D, Lyra Etna l Lambda SL, and Lyra Atlas l Lambda SL phono cartridges. He described the K3's sound as "fast, clean, detailed, highly resolving, super-transparent, effortlessly dynamic, and capable of producing unparalleled transient precision and depth-charge-deep bass 'wallop' that's fully extended yet totally free from overhang." He concluded, "As with any truly great audio product, regardless of price, the OMA K3 turntable speaks with a singular voice." Offers 33 1/3, 45, and 78rpm speeds. Dedicated stand costs $40,000. (Vol.44 No.10 WWW)
This suspended, mass-loaded, belt-driven, flagship turntable comes preinstalled with SME's Series VA tonearm, which is not available separately. The Model 60's price depends on the finish: a honeycomb finish adds $7000; a diamond-polished finish adds $14,000. Offers 33 1/3 and 45 speeds only. "Intense dynamics and tight, powerful bass extension have long been hallmarks of SME turntables, and the Model 60 pushes that reputation even further," wrote MT, adding that the Model 60 "also offers a sense of ease and effortlessness." He summed up the Model 60 by writing "This turntable is capable of extracting an astonishing amount of music from the record groove. It should be considered the new real-world reference against which other turntables can be judged." On Paul Miller's test bench, the turntable's sintered bronze bearing, with its oil-damped ball, was so precisely machined and polished that both through-groove and through-bearing rumble were truly state-of-the-art. The tonearm, which has a cast-magnesium-alloy armtube, featured a "freedom from complex resonance, and general clutter [that] was quite remarkable," concluded PM. (Vol.46 No.8 WWW) A: Acoustic Signature Montana NEO: $36,995 w/o tonearm ★
Non-suspended, mass-loaded, triple–belt-driven turntable with a constrained-layer–damped, 55lb aluminum-alloy chassis sitting on height-adjustable, gel-damped feet. The outboard power supply features a vibration-canceling system that combines hardware and software to control the three 24-pole, two-coil AC motors. Offers 33 1/3 and 45rpm speeds. With the Montana NEO fitted with Acoustic Signature's TA-7000 NEO 9" tonearm—see "Tonearms"—and an Ortofon A95 phono cartridge, MF found that with a 1980 orchestral LP, the timbral, spatial, and dynamic presentation was "warm and inviting and intensely three-dimensional." He added that the "well-damped but not overdamped, fully controlled, supremely well-focused, rock-solid stable presentation produced a memorable 3D picture." This was similar, he noted, to his impression of the A95's sonic character; changing to an AudioQuest Etna Lambda 𝜆 SL produced "a more generous, rich, full midrange and midbass, a presentation that added spatial context and richness to vocals and acoustic instruments." MF summed up the Montana NEO/TA-7000 NEO combo as "a neutral and revealing carrier." (Vol.45 No.1 WWW) Acoustic Signature Verona NEO: $16,995 in Macassar Ebony or Piano Black
The Verona NEO is a massive, high-performance, belt-drive German turntable with two motors and an external power supply. It can be fitted with two Acoustic Signature NEO tonearms; see Tonearms. "The Verona NEO may disguise its heavyweight approach behind a pretty wood veneer exterior, but it doesn't hold anything back sonically," MT wrote. He described the Acoustic Signature house sound as characterized by "solid, lean, powerful bass and rock 'em sock 'em dynamics." He summed up his time with the Verona NEO by writing, "At around $16k plus the cost of the tonearm, the Verona NEO offers performance that is truly reference quality at a price that hopefully won't require you to take out a second mortgage." (Vol.47 No.6 WWW)
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Significantly upgraded compared with the original Giro that HR favorably reviewed in 2017, the MK II features a thicker, 40% heavier platter, which gives it a substantial increase in mass and rotational inertia, hence improved speed stability. Drive for 33 1/3 and 45 is still via belt from a DC motor, with a switch-mode supply supplied as standard. (An outboard linear power supply is available as an optional upgrade for $1200.) Tonearm is still AMG's 9W2—see Tonearms—with its wiring terminated in a DIN socket. The Giro doesn't come with a standard tonearm cable; rather, AMG offers four levels made for them by Cardas: the Basic ($300), Standard ($600), Reference ($1500), and Turbo ($2250). The review sample came with the Reference cable. MT found setting up the Giro straightforward but noted that as the turntable doesn't offer any isolation, care needs to be taken choosing where and on what to place it. Using a Benz SLR Gullwing phono cartridge, MT commented on the excellent retrieval of recorded detail offered by the AMG "without muddling the sound or glossing over details." He was also impressed by the player's speed stability, commenting that with a close-miked piano recording the Giro was "able to combine tonal richness with the solidity you get from piano chords when there's no insecurity or waffling about pitch." (Vol.45 No.12 WWW) Clearaudio Reference Jubilee: $30,000 incl. tonearm
A belt-drive design that uses a POM main platter sitting on a stainless steel subplatter flywheel, the boomerang-shaped Jubilee features a patented Ceramic Magnetic Bearing and a Panzerholz plinth. An updated 9" Clearaudio Universal tonearm is included in the price and features a carbon fiber armtube. Also included in the price are Clearaudio's 1.6lb Statement Clamp, 1.5lb Outer Limit peripheral clamp and locator rim, and Professional Power 24V DC power supply. KM found that the turntable ran about 0.3% fast. He wrote that the Reference Jubilee's sound combined vivid detail retrieval, forceful dynamics, a delicate, refined top end, and a translucent midrange. Levels of resolution, clarity, transparency, and trueness-to-source left him vinyl-shocked and thinking, "So that's what's on this recording?" He added that the Reference Jubilee, Universal Tonearm, and Jubilee MC cartridge "combined staggering detail, energy, and forward-flow allied to a 3D stage that was large, deep, and transparent. The music it made was profound and life-affirming." (Vol.45 No.7 WWW) Dr. Feickert Analogue Blackbird: $7995 ★
The standard Feickert Blackbird is a belt-driven turntable in which a Delrin platter is propelled by two (!) high-torque AC motors, with provisions for mounting two tonearms. Its plinth is an aluminum-MDF-aluminum sandwich done up in a black Nextel finish. As reviewed by HR, fitted with Jelco's knife-bearing TK-850L tonearm and optional DIN-to-RCA cable, and upgraded with eight inertia-enhancing brass platter weights and a glossy wood finish ($9345 total), the Blackbird ingratiated itself in no time: "I admired the Dr. Feickert Analogue Blackbird the minute I set it up. After a couple of weeks, I was ready to propose marriage." As Herb describes it, "bass through the Feickert-Jelco combo was tighter and more vigorous" than with his AMG G9 player (see elsewhere in "Recommended Components"), and compared to even his Linn LP12, the Blackbird impressed him by re-creating musical momentum in a way that was "noticeably more visceral." Five years after his original review, and having used the Blackbird with dozens of cartridges and three tonearms, HR commented that this turntable moved music forward with a force and momentum that he attributed to the "coercive pull" of the Blackbird's belt-drive motors. He also noted that another contributor to the Blackbird's quiet, solid sound was the way the platter mated the record. Promoted to Class A following Herb's long-term experience, in particular his revisit in Vol.46 No.11. (Vol.41 No.12, Vol.46 No.11 WWW)
KM auditioned this belt-drive, three-speed, battery-powered turntable with EMT's 909-HI 9" static-balance tonearm and EMT's JSD Pure Black phono cartridge. The first qualities he noticed with the player powered with AC were "a banging sense of drive and impressive note-by-note resolution. Regardless of what phono stage or amplifier I used, it played music forcefully and subtly, capturing not just forceful rhythm but also the soundstage cues that make music sound real and alive and the intricate shifts of attention and focus that convey the presence of living, breathing musicians." Changing to battery power, he found that piano and drums became cleaner and somehow lighter while bass became weightier and better defined. "The most surprising thing was that the music sounded louder, more upfront," he commented. (Vol.47 No.9 WWW) Gold Note Mediterraneo X: $12,999 w/B-7 Ceramic X tonearm
This elegant turntable combines traditional materials with touch-friendly digital technology in arresting fashion, wrote KM when he first encountered the Italian Mediterraneo X at a show. Unusually, the belt-drive turntable's motor has two torque settings: high torque results in a performance reminiscent of direct drive; low torque is more in line with the sound of the belt drive. The B-7 Ceramic X tonearm uses a headshell made from 6000-series aluminum alloy for resonance control and a titanium wand, this stabilized with four high-precision ceramic ball bearings. A touchscreen controls power, torque, rotation speed, a cartridge timer, display brightness, and even cartridge selection. Once the Mediterraneo X was set up in his system, using a VPI Shyla phono cartridge, KM noted that it was "one quiet record player. In my informal tests, tapping, poking, or rapping on its plinth during playback caused zero vibration/rumble/noise to its cartridge/tonearm assembly." He summed up his time with the turntable by writing "though smooth and quiet, it never strays into blandness or homogeneity. It boasts exceptional forward momentum and, with the right cartridge, faithful adherence to the recorded source. This Gold Note 'table delivers a consistent, flowing, nonmechanical musical experience." (Vol.47 No.3 WWW) Linn Klimax LP12: $30,968 incl. tonearm, MC phono cartridge, phono stage and power supply
The fully loaded review sample was fitted with the Karousel bearing, a NASA-grade Keel subchassis ($3705), and the optional fluted plinth ($220). Also included were Linn's Ekstatik moving coil cartridge ($7150), Ekos Super Evolution (SE) tonearm ($5645), the machined-chassis version of the Radikal motor controller/power supply, and the Urika phono stage ($10,400 for both). HR found that the Klimax LP12 was dramatically better-sounding than his vintage Sondek. It offered "conspicuously quiet (deep black) backgrounds" and tempo, focus, and immediacy that were "near-laboratory quality." His conclusion was that the Linn Klimax record player "looks like a piece of heirloom furniture, is built to a very high standard of fit'n'finish, and is eternally upgradeable. Its substantial dealer base makes it easily and expertly serviceable in a way few other turntable brands can match. These facts alone make the Klimax worth its price." Also see the entry for the Linn LP12 system in Class B. (Vol.45 No.6 WWW)
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This new version of a classic three-speed, belt-drive turntable from Luxman impressed MT with its speed stability: wow & flutter were both just 0.02%. This is achieved with a DC motor fed from a "sophisticated" pulse-width modulation power supply. Although there isn't a suspension, when MT held a stethoscope against the top plate adjacent to the motor, he couldn't tell whether the motor was on or off: "It's that quiet." An optional dustcover adds $795 to the price. The LTA-309 tonearm features knife-edge bearings and a H4 bayonet-mount universal headshell, and is sourced from Japanese manufacturer SAEC. MT used an Ortofon Cadenza Blue and Luxman's own LMC-5 for his auditioning, and commented that with the Luxman cartridge a track from Willy DeVille's solo album "sounded tonally vivid and three-dimensional with a soundstage that was wide and deep but tidy." He found that while the PD-151 couldn't quite match the tautness and bottom-end slam of the "vastly more expensive" SME Model 30/2A, it more than held its own in most other areas. (Vol.46 No.3 WWW) Pure Fidelity Harmony: $9995 including the Encounter Mark 4 Orgin Live Tonearm
This Canadian turntable's price includes the Conductor power supply, SS-10 Record Isolator clamp, three IsoAcoustics GAIA IV feet, and Origin Live Encounter tonearm. (This dual-pivot arm was reviewed by MF in July 2004.) The review sample's premium Quilted Maple finish adds $500. The 2", Ultra MDF plinth sits on a 19lb isolation platform formed from aluminum alloy and is said to be virtually resonance-free and completely neutral in sound. KM found that the Harmony fitted with the Origin Live tonearm and Pure Fidelity's Stratos phono cartridge "took me on a joy ride, exuding all the liveliness and pace, rhythm, and timing of any well-made low-mass 'table but with a neutral tonal balance and a vice-like low-end grip." KM's conclusion: "The Pure Fidelity Harmony brings a beautiful sonic signature to vinyl but with enough transparency to reveal the unique personality of each LP . . . The Pure Fidelity Harmony is one of the finest analog playback machines I've heard, worth every penny of its $9995 asking price." (Vol.45 No.12 WWW) Rega Naia: $12,995 w/tonearm
Based on the cost-no-object, limited-edition Naiaid, the top-of-the-line Naia resembles Rega's Planar 10 and Planar 8. It uses the same skeletal plinth, built from a lightweight polyurethane foam core sandwiched between top and bottom layers of laminate and to maximize stability the belt-driven ceramic platter concentrates its mass at the rim. The Naia uses Rega's familiar one-piece aluminum armtube, this fitted with an ultra-lightweight titanium bearing structure to minimize resonances. There is no provision for adjusting the cartridge's azimuth or stylus rake angle, because Rega is adamant that this would compromise the structural rigidity, but a 2mm shim can be added at the arm mount if you want to use a particularly tall cartridge. The review sample was fitted with Rega's Aphelion 2 MC cartridge ($5545 when sold separately), which brings the package price, including the Reference Power Supply, to $16,995. MT was immediately struck by how tidy and controlled the Naia/Aphelion 2 combination sounded, allowing him to focus on the music making. The Naia nails pace, rhythm, and timing "with extreme confidence," he wrote, and concluded that the Naia "is compact, lightweight, and supremely easy to set up and get the best from. Most importantly, it sounds superb and pulls music from the grooves of a record better than the vast majority of turntables." (Vol.48 No.1 WWW)
Derived from Technics's limited-edition SL-1200GAE, the three-speed, direct-drive SL-1200G bears little resemblance to the original '1200 from the 1970s that had come to be a DJ favorite. It is an entirely new design "created for audiophiles." The original SL-1200's tonearm—"easily the chintziest thing about that turntable," said AH—has been reimagined, with a new armtube made of cold-drawn magnesium. The arm's gimbal bearings revealed zero wiggle or twist, noted AH, who also found that the turntable rotated at exactly 33 1/3rpm with just 0.014% wow & flutter. AH installed a Dynavector Te Kaitora Rua cartridge in the tonearm's detachable headshell and started listening. "In stock form, it sounded solid, agile, and impressively neutral, but also noticeably smaller, grayer, and more mechanical—with shorter note decay—than my Garrard 301/Schick/Box Furniture Co. record player," he wrote. After replacing the stock mat with a Trans-Fi Reso-Mat, "the Technics produced a far larger soundfield, with obviously greater resolution and instrument separation and less apparent noise." Replacing the stock headshell with either the DS Audio HE-001 or Schick graphite headshells improved tracking with the Dynavector "and lent the music more solidity and color." AH then switched the turntable's torque control from automatic to manual and reduced the torque by about a third of a revolution. "The turntable sounded mostly the same," he noted, "but its somewhat mechanical, uptight character was nearly gone; now the music flowed and shimmied more convincingly. I also heard improved sustain and decay." Overall, he could think of few turntables that offer as much value as the SL-1200G, adding that the quality of its engineering and execution "makes typical audiophile products look slightly homemade." (Vol.45 No.12 WWW) TW-Acustic Raven GT2: $12,500
AH described this German belt-drive turntable as "sternly functional . . . Everything about the 'table, which weighs 75lb and is made almost entirely of raven-black aluminum appears thought out . . . The GT2 is so precisely machined that lowering the very heavy composite-and-bronze platter onto the upward-facing bearing shaft takes not seconds but minutes." It took him several weeks to zero-in on the Raven FT's sonic character: the "'table did everything so well that I struggled to describe its sound. No single area of performance stood out or seemed overlooked," he wrote. Overall, "on record after record, the German deck was able to excavate spatial and instrumental detail, and imbue recordings with depth and dimension, as well as any I've heard." AH also noted that, unlike other belt-drive turntables, the Raven GT2 had a "nimble" way with rhythm and timing. (Vol.46 No.7 WWW) VPI Avenger Direct: $36,000 with tonearm
The review sample of this American turntable came with the 12" gimbaled version of the FatBoy tonearm ($4500 when purchased separately), the aluminum JMW Full VTA Base ($1500 separately), a direct drive assembly/motor, a machined aluminum platter, a vented chassis, a stainless steel Periphery Ring Clamp ($1300 separately), three air-suspension Feet ($3450 separately), a VPI-branded alignment jig ($75 separately), a poly-weave platter mat, and one Signature record weight ($185 separately). With the Avenger/FatBoy combo fitted with an Ortofon Verismo MC cartridge and playing Henry Mancini's "The Days of Wine and Roses" (from Our Man in Hollywood), KM wrote that the Avenger Direct "mined all the musical detail, dimensionality, ambience, and opulence of the Mancini recording, but more importantly, it mined its emotions." KM didn't go into specifics regarding the player's sonic character, writing instead that "I can't help feeling it's cheap to reduce the VPI's performance to separate traits when its great strength is its presentation of such a unified, stirring whole." His conclusion? "I don't know what deed this Avenger is meant to avenge, but its place in the pantheon of great turntables is secure." (Vol.46 No.6 WWW)
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This New Zealand–made belt-drive turntable's name comes from its platter: the larger size (14") increases rotational inertia without adding significant mass; the platter has four layers including an aluminum/acrylic/aluminum sandwich (for damping), plus an acrylic mat to interface with the record. The 14-4 comes with a switching power supply; a battery supply is available as an option. A speed sensor under the platter automatically adjusts the speed; MT found the speed spot on at both 33 1/3 and 45rpm. He used the 12" Wand tonearm with the 14-4 and warned that the arm's length means that the cartridge ends up hovering precariously close to the power and speed-selector knob. "There are no compromises here, and few concessions to ease of setup and use," MT concluded. "But if you're willing to put in the work and deal with the setup anxiety, your patience will be rewarded with extraordinary performance. The Wand excels in areas I consider fundamental to musical enjoyment, such as tonal color and timing. There's nothing warm or sluggish sounding about The Wand, but because it's able to resolve detail so well, it never sounds thin or anemic. 'Vivid' and 'focused' are the words that keep popping into my head." MT replaced the original turntable power supply with the EV Battery Power Supply, which takes the motor off the power grid using a battery housed in a separate enclosure styled to match the turntable's design. He found that the EV battery made a small but repeatable improvement in resolution of low-level detail, raising the overall performance of the 14-4 by a notch or two. He then added a carbon-fiber platter mat. Compared with the bare acrylic surface of the stock platter, the new mat delivered improved detail and focus. (Vol.47 Nos.1 & 5 WWW) Well Tempered Lab Amadeus 254 GT: $8750
The latest version of Bill Firebaugh's classic belt-drive record player is manufactured in China for New Zealand–based Well Tempered Lab. The unique tonearm still hangs the arm tube from a gantry and is still damped with a silicone bath. After installing an Ortofon Cadenza Bronze cartridge and even before he had optimized the tonearm damping, AH noted that music sounded "irresistible," an experience he found unsettling because he could not link it to any sonic criteria. "It was as though what I was experiencing happened entirely in the realm of musical interpretation," he wrote. Subsequent listening, after the damping had been optimized, only deepened this impression. "Recordings played back through the Well Tempered 'table sounded more alive than I'd experienced them before, drawing my attention to the performances and making me notice musical nuances as opposed to sonic ones." After he replaced the squash balls in the Amadeus's suspension with birch balls that incorporated a layer of cork, as recommended by importer Mike Pranka, records sounded more consistently exciting and engaging, AH decided. Overall, "I cannot think of a more recommendable component," he concluded. (Vol.47 No.6 WWW) B: Clearaudio Signature: $2600 by itself; $5000 as reviewed
The belt-drive Clearaudio Signature is a special edition of the new Concept Signature turntable, created exclusively for the US market. The review sample was fitted with Clearaudio's Tracer Black Carbon Fiber tonearm ($3300 separately) and Clearaudio Professional Power 12V outboard power supply ($800 separately). The Signature's plinth features constrained-layer construction, which is said to minimize vibrations. Its base is available in medium-density fiberboard or solid Baltic birch, with a satined plastic layer on top and a medium-density wood fiber layer on bottom. For an extra $500, customers can order the Baltic birch plinth upgrade consisting of pressure-formed, solid wood finished in light or dark stained wood. The 5lb platter is made from POM thermoplastic. The AiR coreless motor is decoupled from the plinth by six rubber O-rings to improve vibration control and Tacho-Speed-Control (TSC) performs automatic speed calibration on start-up. TSC then constantly monitors the rotational speed, providing real-time feedback to the control electronics so that the system can respond to dynamic influences such as stylus drag, belt tension, friction, or temperature. "The Signature proved its mettle as a graceful yet powerful machine, with transparency and flow its bywords," decided KM. "Clearaudio has achieved something special with the Signature/Tracer package, a system that held my rapt attention throughout the dozens of records I played on it, using different cartridges, phono stages, and speakers," he concluded. (Vol.48 No.1 WWW)
Since 1972, Linn has devised and offered for their belt-drive, suspended-subchassis flagship all manner of upgrades; commendably, all have been retrofittable. Some standouts: The Lingo power-supply mod of 1990 minimizes the LP12's propensity toward a slightly fat midbass and subjectively "adds an octave of low-bass extension," according to JA. The Keel one-piece subchassis, tonearm board, and Linn-specific tonearm-mounting collar of 2006 makes "an unambiguous improvement in the LP12's performance," according to AD. And the Linn Radikal mod—a DC motor with an outboard switch-mode power supply—impressed Mr. D with "more force, more momentum, and a little more sheer grip on the notes." At present, the least expensive LP12 package is the Majik LP12 ($4320): standard subchassis, wood-composite armboard, single-speed power supply, Pro-Ject 9cc tonearm, and a Linn Adikt moving magnet cartridge. Experience leads us to expect high Class B performance—superbly low measured rumble, excellent speed stability, and very good musical involvement—from an entry-level LP12, while previous incarnations of the full-monty LP12 have delivered true Class A sound. (Vol.7 No.2, Vol.13 No.3, Vol.14 No.1, Vol.16 No.12, Vol.17 No.5, Vol.19 No.2, Vol.26 No.11, Vol.28 No.2, Vol.30 No.10, Vol.34 No.6, Vol.39 No.6 WWW) MoFi Electronics UltraDeck: $1499 with tonearm
Decades after the first Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab record comes the first MoFi record player—the UltraDeck turntable with Ultra tonearm, both made in the US and created with design input from Spiral Groove's Allen Perkins. The UltraDeck's sturdy plinth comprises three aluminum plates bonded to the top of an MDF core, and its belt-driven platter—machined from Delrin and weighing 6.8lb—rides on an inverted bearing. Four height-adjustable feet, designed in collaboration with Harmonic Resolution Systems (HRS), support the plinth. The Ultra tonearm has a 10" aluminum armtube, Cardas wiring, and a gimbaled bearing. According to HR, the UltraDeck, when used with MoFi's top-of-the-line moving magnet cartridge, the MasterTracker (a $2198 package; the MasterTracker is sold separately for $699), didn't provide the "deep 'black' backgrounds or enormous sound spaces" of the considerably more expensive AMG Giro G9 player, "but it did present me with an infectious, easy-flowing, liquid vitality." According to Herb, the MoFi combo "had stronger energy, achieved bigger dynamic swings, and was more detailed than comparatively priced 'tables from VPI and Rega." (Vol.41 No.2, Vol.45 No.12 WWW) MoFi Electronics MasterDeck: $5995 w/tonearm
Designed by veteran analog engineer Allen Perkins, who was the brain behind Spiral Groove, Immedia's RPM turntables, and various SOTA models, the Masterdeck has an exposed gold rubber belt driving its nearly 15lb platter, this made from aluminum and Delrin and driven by a three-phase synchronous motor. Proprietary electronics monitor the speed of the platter. The MasterDeck's constrained-layer plinth is topped by a two-tiered aluminum plate. The 10" tonearm consists of a carbon-fiber armtube made with an internal taper to aid rigidity and damping, and uses synthetic sapphire and ruby for its bearings. The lateral bearing is a unipivot, the vertical bearing a gimbal design. Azimuth, vertical tracking angle, overhang, vertical tracking force, and antiskate are all finely tunable parameters. The removable headshell is made from aluminum, and the arm's hardwired cables are sourced from Cardas. KM used a Luxman LMC-5 cartridge and noted that the MasterDeck "consistently played with determined certainty, resolving everything in a recording in an altogether fresh way, to my ears," he wrote. His conclusion? "Perkins's MasterDeck is a forensic tool, a musical CSI, dissecting a record's every nuance, from the hidden depths of its grooves to surface muck and mire. It did so with intellectual indifference, a sense of precision that's more akin to a studio monitor than a domestic turntable. It laid bare the mix, the soundstage, the tone, the dynamics, the frequency range, and lifeforce of the music, all with an unflinching eye. If there's a better turntable for nearly $6k, I haven't heard it." (Vol.48 No.2 WWW)
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This three-speed, direct-drive deck comes fitted with an Ortofon 2M Blue phono cartridge. HR wrote that what he noticed most with the Stealth and 2M Blue was the "high level of tone correctness." HR was also impressed by the tonearm, which he described as exceeding his expectations. "During use, it felt precise and well-sorted. Its bearings felt just-right tight, and its arm-lift mechanism served me with ... ease and assurance," he wrote. Using Denon's classic DL-103—see "Phono Cartridges"—he found that the Stealth played his 45s more enjoyably than the Feickert Blackbird or the Linn LP12 Valhalla. His conclusion? "I can think of no record player under $2000 that I'd rather use. Or recommend." (Vol.45 No.10 WWW) PTP Audio Solid9: $4850 as tested
The Solid9 ($2950 in basic form) is a restored, hot-rodded, replinthed Lenco idler drive design built in The Netherlands. A long, gently tapered, horizontally positioned motor shaft drives the bottom of the 8.8lb platter via a skinny, spring-tensioned vertical idler wheel. The Solid9 comes with a completely rebuilt Lenco motor and a restored drive mechanism attached to two thick, stainless steel plates that are flush-mounted in a Corian plinth. HR wrote that to his subconscious mind, "idler drive feels more solidly connected to the music's forward momentum than direct drive does." HR auditioned the Solid9 with PTP's optional outboard Audio Power Controller ($1100), the Solid Bearing upgrade ($350), the optional SCC height-adjustable feet ($250), a Sorane SA-1 tonearm, and a Denon DL-103 phono cartridge. This record playing system never distracted him from what was happening in the music, he concluded: "That's as high praise as I can give." (Vol.46 No.6 WWW) SME Model 6 in black finish with SME M2-9 straight tonearm: $8189 ★
SME Model 6 Classic w with SME M2-9R J-shaped tonearm: $9229
SME's least expensive turntable uses an outboard power supply and a chassis CNC-machined from what the company says is a "unique polymer high-density resin material," claimed to have "superb resonance absorption." It sits on four elastomer feet made from a vibration-absorbing compound, but as these aren't height-adjustable, the user needs to make sure the turntable support is level. The belt-driven, 4lb platter appears to be machined from Delrin. The M2-9 tonearm—an MF favorite—can accommodate cartridges weighing 5–12gm, and azimuth, VTA, and SRA are all adjustable. As with all SME turntables, there's no dustcover. While MF didn't like the screw-down three-piece record clamp, he appreciated how the Model 6 performed with Ortofon Cadenza Black and 2M Black LVB phono cartridges. "The more I used it, the more I enjoyed its open, airy sound and its solid bottom end," he concluded. The Classic version substitutes the M2-9-R for the straight-pipe M2-9 provided with the original Model 6, which has a curved stainless steel pipe terminating in SME's familiar locking collet. (A headshell is provided, as well as an extra counterweight that can be threaded onto the arm's rear shaft if needed.) (Vol.44 No.5, Vol.45 No.4 WWW)
The successor to Technics's SL-1200GR, the GR2 keeps the pitch slider control but features what the manufacturer describes as "a revolutionary new drive control method for smooth, accurate rotational stability, and a new power supply for an exceptionally low noise floor." A 3mm die-cast aluminum cartridge spacer allows improved cartridge compatibility. KM thought the GR2 felt "sleek and responsive, like a sports car. Its solidity, ease of use, consistent performance, and ergonomic flow made it seem like a musical instrument—actually making music and not just spinning the vessel that stores those precious waveforms." KM noted that with his EMT cartridge, the GR2's drive and punch were "soul quickening." He concluded that the GR2 "played with dynamic punch with all types of music, worked well with and proved remarkably transparent to the character of cartridges and phono stages, and it was always fun to use. … This is clearly an audiophile 'table, one capable of high performance at the price." (Vol.47 No.4 WWW) Technics SL-1300G: $3299 w/tonearm
This fourth-generation Technics direct-drive record player uses a high-torque, twin-rotor, nine-stator motor with what the company calls a delta-sigma drive system: a PWM rotational control technology that is said to suppress microvibrations. In combination with Technics' Multi-Stage Silent Power Supply, which features active noise canceling, the result, wrote HR, is a modestly priced record player that performs (noise-, speed-stability-, and momentum-wise) "like those big-ticket luxury decks." The SL-1300G tonearm has an aluminum armtube rather than the 1200's magnesium arm and while it looks the same, it moved with noticeably lower stiction and friction. HR used Nagaoka MP-200 and Shure V15-III moving magnet cartridges in the Technics and commented that they tracked splendidly and sounded more solid, transparent, and finely detailed than he thought they ever could. Initially, the Technics SL-1300G played smooth and quiet to a point where for a while HR thought it was too smooth and too seductive. Then, just as he'd get lulled out, it would startle him with a sledgehammer bass transient, followed by a head-rushing bevy of train-wrecking momentum. He summed up his review by writing "Like all Technics turntables, the SL-1300G was engineered to be set up easily and correctly by average users, and to last decades under heavy use. In my system, the 1300G performed like a Class A turntable at a Class B price. That's why it's my new budget reference." (Vol.48 No.1 WWW) Vertere DG-1S: $4899–$8799 with tonearm, depending on options.
Designed by Roksan founder Touraj Moghaddam, the UK-built DG-1S, with its Groove Runner S tonearm, is available in three versions with varying combinations of cartridges and accessories, priced from $4899 to $6999. The review model came with the top Sabre package, which includes the Sabre moving-magnet cartridge, Redline interconnect cables, Techno Mat platter mat, three Iso Paw footers, plus an electronic stylus pressure gauge. The optional Challenger DC power supply ($675) can be used in place of the DG-1S's standard wall wart. MT was impressed by how easy the Vertere was to set up. He did find that the DG-1S ran about 0.4% fast, which he described as "not terrible but a little disappointing at the price, and not adjustable." However, the peak wow and flutter reading was excellent, at around 0.18%. "While the bass was fast and clear, it couldn't quite match the power at the very bottom end that you can get from my big, much more costly reference turntables," concluded MT. (Vol.46 No.10 WWW)
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Mark Levinson No5105, discontinued. Thorens TD 124 DD, TechDas Air Force Zero, not auditioned in a long time.
