Turntable choices

Originally posted by leonard smalls
I auditioned the Orbe (with an SME V and CLearaudio Victory) against a Nouvelle Platine Verdier (with Morch UP6 and Dynaudio cart), and the Orbe sounded completely flat and lifeless in comparison.. The Verdier made music, as opposed to simply being an uninvolved replay device, though it is a bit of a strange looking fella.
Walrus have a 2nd hand one (morch arm, no cart) for £2195. And there is none more black...
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Hey Leonard,

Can I suggest that if the Orbe & SME V combo sounded lifeless, then they may have been incorrectly set-up?;) I used 'they' because the SME arm may also have been poorly set-up leading to what you heard. There is no way that a properly set-up Orbe especially with a properly set-up SME V arm would sound flat and lifeless even when compared to the Verdier. It's all in the 'bounce' you see and you'd be amazed how many Michell dealers fail to get that basic technique right when demonstrating Michell decks to customers. However, once it is set-up correctly, you would be rewarded with superb sounds.

Bubsy - long time no speak.:D Btw, hold on to that wife of your's dude - she knows a good TT when she sees one. My vote is for the Orbe, failing that, an SME 20 which is also in black. Not sure if the aesthetics of the SME 20 would go down well with the wife though, but I'm sure the sound will especially if the music is what you are after and on that note ................





Enjoy the music,

Lawrie.:D
 
<< Your nail's still going strong. >> Is that the nail in your arm or my coffin?
 
Originally posted by Lawrie
Hey Leonard,

Can I suggest that if the Orbe & SME V combo sounded lifeless, then they may have been incorrectly set-up?;) I used 'they' because the SME arm may also have been poorly set-up leading to what you heard. There is no way that a properly set-up Orbe especially with a properly set-up SME V arm would sound flat and lifeless even when compared to the Verdier. It's all in the 'bounce' you see and you'd be amazed how many Michell dealers fail to get that basic technique right when demonstrating Michell decks to customers. However, once it is set-up correctly, you would be rewarded with superb sounds.

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Hi Lawrie,
I'd hope that Walrus wouldn't have messed up the set up but anything's possible...
The Orbe actually sounded great - everything was there, it's just that when compared to the Verdier there was no contest to our humble ears. And the Orbe combo was more expensive!
I bought the Clearaudio Revolution (which is terribly handsome to boot) because it sounded almost as good as the Verdier in terms of groove and general musicality, and also because I got a very good deal on it.. And it doesn't need 2 support tables and weigh the same as a small star.
BTW, the Avid Volvere was joint second in our test - though the test was flawed by relying on our aural memories...
Still, I was happy until I bent the bleedin stylus again:o . Good thing I didn't buy a Koetsu!
 
The other weekend i had the privilege of hearing the wonderful,Simon Yorh designs Turntable as he now lives in Spain,it was truly awesome and dynamic,even though the music played wasn't to my taste,I think its approx £10,000 odd.





simon%20yorke%202.JPG
 
With respect Data, I suspect the ATCs were simply showing the limitations of your turntable, which is a decent enough entry level deck, but not more. You do need very good sources with ATCs, no doubt about that.

-- Ian
 
Originally posted by Lt Cdr Data
how do you mod an armageddon....its only a transformer, and a cap or so.
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Dunno, ask Les (the alleged CD player-trasher and general all-round 'Christmas-ruiner') W who done the deed. It's got a whatsit on the back which adjusts the phase of the moon, 'n everything, like.
 
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Originally posted by Lord
after suffering the tweaky bounciness of a Thorens and then a Kondek this property is not to be undervalued.
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He he he - Kondek - I love it! Yep, I'd go along with that as a title as well :duck:

I have to admit that the Orbe isn't as bouncy as all that when cueing up records - though admittedly it IS my mate's one I'm used to, so I'm very careful with it. My Rega Planar 3 (ok so it's low end compared to that) is a piece of pee to cue up...

The NAS is a very nice pice of kit - what's the record on the one in your avatar?? Clear vinyl?
 
:)
Kondek indeed... never have so many paid so much and been rewarded with so little!

The vinyl on my NAS in the avatar is a sky blue vinyl copy of 'boards of canada' - 'in a beautiful place out in the country'.
 
Dear Devil,
I understand your point about setting up the venerable Kondek but that 'it wasn't set up properly' line is used a little too often to defend a poor sounding deck!.
I fail to see the attraction to any turntable that needs hours to be setup and then frequent checking and calibrating... buy a turntable that just needs to be placed level and then play records - simple!

Paul,
I replaced my own Kondek/Lingo with the NAS Mentor, I sold the Linn kit for £1400 second hand and paid £1200 for the Mentor which did everything better (apart from that inaccurate mid-bass 'bounce' that Linn sell as 'the tune'!). My Mentor did not have a lid but I am having one made for £70, so I'm £130 up and I have a much better turntable. ;)
 
Lord,

Id really reccomend looking at the addition of the off-board speed adjustable power supply to your Mentor.

With a stroboscopic disk you can fine tune the speed until its absolutely exactly right. Its very impressive.

I recently got my Mentor ex-dem with a new arm and the additional power supply from Definitive Audio. My power supply is an earlier version of the Wave Mechanic and does basically the same thing.

If I was your good self Id reccomend giving Kevin Scott a call at definitive, and see if he can advise you further.

NB If you do call, tell him Chris said hello!

Cheers
Chris
 
Bottleneck,
I'll definitely look into it... which of the two Definitive Audios should I ring?
Paul,
Of course the Mentor does 45rpm, it has a stepped pulley on the external motor, it takes two seconds to flick the belt up onto the relevant grooves on the pulley and platter. For you further amusement the Mentor does not have any switches at all! The only add on parts for the Mentor are supplied by companies other than NAS, the Wave Mechanic PSU filter/strobe being the only one they recommend.
Devil,
I checked the platter is level by using a spirit level - I levelled my support first then heaved the Mentor onto it, the deck has four threaded feet to aid in fine adjustments. I checked the platter was running true by whipping off the belt and giving it a spin of the wrist... I had a shower, ate my dinner, watched a movie and it was still spinning. True and level enough for me and likely to stay that way until the house subsides! :D
(How do you tell when the Kondek has drifted out of tune again? :rolleyes: )
 
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Originally posted by Lord
Bottleneck,
I'll definitely look into it... which of the two Definitive Audios should I ring?
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The one in Nottingham :)

I think they do a platter upgrade to bring it up to the latest spec aswell, but I cant be sure.

Kevin also does the 'mystic mat' ! which is a fibreglass mat which is glued to the platter (shiny side down). I have this and I much prefer it to the more normal felt mat. It is solid, has no give and holds the record very well. It is also of a less dense material than the ceramic and then iron of the platter I use which is apparently important to direct energy the right way (so I have been told!)

Cheers
Chris
 
How do you tell when the Kondek has drifted out of tune again?
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It's very simple. Every time your cartridge wears out you take it to the dealer who removes the arm, changes the cart, replaces the arm and checks the turntable.

For most people the LP12 isn't DIY. Ham fistedness and careless transport is the root cause of most 'setup problems'. A turntable not being suitable for travelling DJs isn't a good reason to not want it for home use. You'll be advocating PA systems next....

Paul
 
Ha ha ha!

What a threesome, the owner the deck and the dealer! You'll be advocating having a live in Linn dealer next. :D I fail to see how having a light hearted dig at the failings of the LP12 design leads to advocating PA systems! And as for the random 'travelling DJs' argument you've raised, well... random! ;) I'm just trying to picture lugging two Mentors from nightclub to nightclub :D

You missed my point entirely, the Linn (and some other sprung) designs drift out of tune when they see fit and not in time with a cartridge 'wearing out'.
To assume that merely getting the Linn dealer (£$!) to check it on the rare occasions that you need a new cartridge will then keep it in tune forever is very trusting.
To further assume that the Linn dealer will set it up absolutely perfectly absolutely every time is even more trusting.
To then believe that those settings will have remained precisely where they were by the time you have travelled between the dealer and home and the various temperature changes and vibrations en-route borders on blind faith!

You are obviously very attached to your Linn as was I before I heard the deck I now own. I am happy, you seem just a little defensive?
 

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