Twl,
I am not surprised to learn of your objections to the Aurora Gold in terms of build quality. The pictures of it on the Origin Live web site tell me that story. But it is interesting to learn that you were dissatisfied with the sound. However, maybe that shouldnt be a big surprise either.
I read several reviews of the OL turntables. One was in Hi-Fi+, a magazine that seems to love everything British, especially Origin Live. Then Paul Szabady of the Stereotimes seems to be equally dazzled by everything OL just like Hi-Fi+. I am sure theres no tacit collusion, but I am just a wee bit skeptical of Szabady when he uses the Linn as a reference standard. There are several turntables that have eclipsed the performance of that analog veteran so as a yardstick its no longer that impressive. Then I could not help but notice Origin Live advertising on the Stereotimes web site. While this is not a crime, it does cause me to wonder about the truth and objectivity of that online publication.
What surprised me the most was Fremers review of the Resolution Modern in the July issue of Stereophile. He stated that the Resolution Modern was one of the truly special products he had auditioned in the past 18 years. Thats quite a statement, but yet the turntable only ended up in Class B of Stereophiles rating system. (Maybe Atkins was not as impressed, or maybe he thinks that his Linn is still the reference standard?) Whatever the case, it seems that Fremer has bestowed greatness on a number of products lately, which raises some doubts in my mind about his objectivity.
>>I have had suspended-chassis turntables such as Linn, and others, and have worked on a lot of others at the shop I worked at. Listened to most of the other brands too, over a long time. I once liked the suspended designs, but have come to feel that the unsuspended designs are more to my liking.<<
I dont have this level of experience. The last mass-loaded turntable design I listened to was the Clearaudio Master Solution. I had no complaints with its sound whatsoever. The price of the deck was another matter.
With my limited knowledge, a suspended design turntable cannot overcome all of the problems of a suspended floor. It can minimize them, but not eliminate them. A wall mount is the only way to go, but it has problems too, especially if ones home is vulnerable to the vibration caused by street traffic. As for airborne vibrations, you are right about them, especially if the music is played loud and subwoofers are employed in a smallish room in which the turntable has been placed too close to the speakers.
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even when I have my big Rottweiler jumping around in front of the TT.<<
You are a brave soul; that would make me very nervous!
