Turntables: Vintage or New?

Lee Henley

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Feb 21, 2014
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Call me old fashioned but I’m a big Nottingham Analogue fan, currently run a Heavy upgrade kit Spacedeck and will next year change to a Dais, for me there’s something about the sound of Tom Fletcher decks
 

Lee Henley

Well-Known Member
Feb 21, 2014
178
120
350
England, UK
Call me old fashioned but I’m a big Nottingham Analogue fan, currently run a Heavy upgrade kit Spacedeck and will next year change to a Dais, for me there’s something about the sound of Tom Fletcher decks
 

Simon Moon

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Apr 24, 2015
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My cousin has had just about every vintage table mentioned in this thread, refurbished and mounted in various plinths. He must have gone through 7 tables in the last 2 years, and more before that. Idlers, DD's, belts etc. Several EMT, a Garard, Linn, SP10, and more I can't remember. I've heard every one for extended listening sessions. Some of you may have purchased some of his, or sold them to him.

And none of them, and he agrees, have come close to the Kronos PRO he bought a couple of months ago.

I, on the other hand, do not have nearly as much money as he has, and will sick with my vintage TT.
 

PeterA

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Dec 6, 2011
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My cousin has had just about every vintage table mentioned in this thread, refurbished and mounted in various plinths. He must have gone through 7 tables in the last 2 years, and more before that. Idlers, DD's, belts etc. Several EMT, a Garard, Linn, SP10, and more I can't remember. I've heard every one for extended listening sessions. Some of you may have purchased some of his, or sold them to him.

And none of them, and he agrees, have come close to the Kronos PRO he bought a couple of months ago.

I, on the other hand, do not have nearly as much money as he has, and will sick with my vintage TT.

That is an interesting story. Can you be more specific about why he prefers this modern belt drive turntable to all of the others, and by what sounds like a large margin? Was he fairly consistent with the arm and cartridge combination throughout the trials?
 

Tango

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Mar 12, 2017
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At the moment my EMT is not as resolving as the Kronos. But I see no reason why I will not be able to get the same kind of extreme resolution from the EMT. With tt, you can’t just say you like this tt more than that tt without mentioning the arm, cart, cable you are using. I like my Kronos most when I use it with SAT and Opus1. SAT comes with its own silver cable. This combo sounds closest to my Studer A820 at the moment. The presentation, the staging, the scale, the quietness are very much alike. Everyone knows tape has the clarity and resolution that are so captivating. In term of these aspects I just mentioned the Kronos SAT Opus1 or Atlas SL can get so close to it given excellent vinyl recording. I really think if cart, arm and cable are the same or at least in the same league, EMT could do the same. But with bigger sound scale than the Kronos and therefor the Studer. The dynamic, high low extension tts can’t possibly match the tape though. In the mids, tts in my system can even sound better or as good as tape. When I say this tape people just laugh at me. Now I am rambling too much out of subject.

Kind regards,
Tang
 

Solypsa

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Jun 7, 2017
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... In the mids, tts in my system can even sound better or as good as tape. When I say this tape people just laugh at me. Now I am rambling too much out of subject.

Kind regards,
Tang
Something special can occasionally happen in a vinyl transfer. The fact that it can in some ways sound better or more engaging than the source is hard to swallow objectively, but I've seen it happen. Oh this hobby
 

gian60

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Apr 17, 2016
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Hi Tang
On Kronos that is fantastic you also have SAT that I think do the difference
Can you describe shortly the difference between SAT and Kronos arm?
 

Tango

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Mar 12, 2017
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Hi Tang
On Kronos that is fantastic you also have SAT that I think do the difference
Can you describe shortly the difference between SAT and Kronos arm?

Dear Gian,

Comparing to the Black Beauty arm, SAT just gives more refined details. The resolution is so high each instrument appears more solid, vivid and clearly presented. You hear better in all frequency spectrum. It is a lower fat sound comparing to the Black Beauty ( I don’t mean B.B. sounds fat either.) You will hear string vibrate and tingle more while the bass is tighter and a bit faster. No difference in dynamic, staging, size. But since each instrument is more definely presented the sense of separation is more. Not night and day difference but if you want to hear more from the groove and get full dna of your cart, this is it.

Kind regards,
Tang
 

Tango

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Mar 12, 2017
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Gian,

Have you ever listened to Audio Silente Blackstone? Do they manufacture them self or use Thorens idler?

Tang
 

spiritofmusic

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Jun 13, 2013
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Tang, Audiosilente Blackstone is a tt I have a lot of interest in.
From my comms w designer Simone Luchetti, the idler mechanism is all-new, but based on the Thorens 124 design, incl the intermediate pulley.
 

bonzo75

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The motor is different, asynchronous and quartz lock for the top model. All polished graphite because it absorbs max vibration as per him
 

gian60

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Apr 17, 2016
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I saw only in Munich because Audiosilente never show in north of Italy
I know is a good TT,but for me 22/23.000 euro is too expensive this TT
 

bonzo75

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Gian,

Have you ever listened to Audio Silente Blackstone? Do they manufacture them self or use Thorens idler?

Tang

Was in Rome this weekend
 

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spiritofmusic

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Jun 13, 2013
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I hope you got a damn fine pizza.
Or did you just spend all your time auditioning gear again? LOL
 

bonzo75

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spiritofmusic

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That sounds pretty good.
Hopefully you’ll fill us all on this one. It’s in pole position as a final tt destination in my personal case.
 

Simon Moon

Well-Known Member
Apr 24, 2015
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That is an interesting story. Can you be more specific about why he prefers this modern belt drive turntable to all of the others, and by what sounds like a large margin? Was he fairly consistent with the arm and cartridge combination throughout the trials?

The same arm/cartridge was used on the tables. The arm is a Stogi S 12 w/VTA and a Lyra cartridge.

Maybe I was being a bit hyperbolic with my statement, but there definitely was a noticeable improvement with Kronos.
 

bonzo75

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That is an interesting story. Can you be more specific about why he prefers this modern belt drive turntable to all of the others, and by what sounds like a large margin? Was he fairly consistent with the arm and cartridge combination throughout the trials?

All restores sound different. And of the two Garrards I have heard, one had good flow and fullness, but wasn't resolving. It is very difficult to make a lenco quiet which is why PTP is so successful. EMT 930 and 948 and 950 ain't seem to have the same reputation as the 927
 

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