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Ultimate Idler Drive

I own several idler drive turntables-Garrard 301,401,501. Presto T-16, Thorens TD124 MkII, Rek-O-Kut L34.I own several DD too-TEAC TN 400, Technics SP10MKII, Monaco Grand Prix. I have to say though I heard the Saskia Idler drive TT at Oswalds Mill Audio the other day. Well if you havn't heard it you must. It furthers the art of turntable design beyond your imagination. I don't know many details, but I do know if you want rock solid music flowing from your speakers, so Louis Armstrong is actually sat about 12 feet away from you in your living room, this TT with an LP like "Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington For The First Time"|is the only way to go!
Maybe Jonathan Weiss, or the Winn Tinnon can tell us more details.
128x128robyatt
lewm
12,881 posts
 
Unfortunate metaphor, JW. Having once owned a beautifully restored Porsche 550RS Spyder, I would choose it over Schumacher's race car any time, but I guess I know what you mean, and I do agree with your basic sentiment.

Robyatt, I would be interested to know how you rank your various idlers and dd tables against each other.
dgarretson
2,597 posts
 
Lew & Jonathan,

Not sure how either car would do in the twisties of an LP, and a boring drive at speed limit of 33 1/3. But stylish to the extreme.
robyatt's avatar
robyatt OP
55 posts
 
first the Louis Armstrong was the re- issue! I know my Garrard 501 out performs all my other tables. However direct comparison
With the Grand Pric Monaco revealed a slight coloration in the vocals. Having heard what slate can do on Saskia I have ordered a custom slate plinth from OMA for the 501. Then we can do direct comparison with my SP10 MkII in an OMA slate double plinth, the Saskia and the 501!
The mounting of any great turntable I am convinced to realize it's true potential must be mounted in slate!! Ply, glass, steel and Panzerholz all have tonal colorations I have found. The slate just allows the idler or DD to do it's best.
FYI I will use an RS Labs Tonearm with the Ortofon Per Winfield on all the tables. After trying all the well know highend arms I have found this quirky arm to outperform them all. As for the PW there is no competition.
I have high hopes for the 501/Slate/RS/PW, but if the Saskia is better as I suspect it will be, I will put my name down for one.
lewm
12,881 posts
 
Dear Robyatt, I would be very interested to learn the results of your testing. I am on the same or a very similar path. I quite agree with you re the special qualities of the very weird RS-A1 tonearm. However, no matter what I find in my own expts, the Saskia is out of reach, sadly.
mosin
410 posts
 
Robin,

Thanks for your comments here. It means a lot to me for someone who isn't connected to the project, but who has actually heard the turntable at length to speak of Saskia in such a positive way. Hopefully, I will have the opportunity to build one for you, and I'll be looking for you at RMAF.

This entire affair has become an obsession for me that is life consuming. It is practically all I think about these days. My non-audiophile friends probably say "He must have got off at East Ham." Now that I think about it, they most likely said that even before I started tinkering with turntables...at least the cockney ones. ;)

Anyway, thanks again. I do really appreciate it!

Best,
Win

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