New Townshend Rock 7 owner


The Townshend is in transit to it's new home. I purchased this one-owner table as a package, complete w/ Funk Firm FXR ll arm, dc motor upgrade, Discovery Balanced phono cable and Brinkman PI cartridge. It come with all original boxes, manuals.

If all goes well, I should be able to get it up and running with one exception, my phono stage is not balanced. Since the original owner bought this from a respected dealer as a package, I think my best route would be to get a pair of RCA to XLR adapters in order to hear the package as close as possible as was intended.

Any thoughts on that aspect? What brand adapters would be recommended? Also, any thing I might need to know from experienced users to help with set-up? Thanks.
128x128slaw
Thanks Slaw, I'll go to the OL site and order one. Thanks for the tip-off!
Great thread Slaw, your enthusiasm is contagious !
I have always loved the trough turntables. The best I have heard where the Rock reference and the Maplenoll Ariadne Signature.
I  played  mostly  cd's the last 20 years and was dying to get back into vinyl a couple of years ago. I knew it had to be a trough tt, only one still in production was the Rock 7. I went to a dealer here in Denmark and heard a pretty bad demo. The Rock had a Rega arm with a budget cartridge, and the dealer sayd it sounded great, I did not agree. He was trying to sell me on an more expensive table, trying to push a  Feickert, I ended  up not buying anything. I then startet looking for a Rock Reference or a Maplenoll. Rock Reference don't come up for sale often and I found a Ariadne Signature first!
The trough makes such a big difference, great bass definition and depth. My table also has the sub platter under a 50 lb lead platter, I am going to order a Origin belt on your recommendation.
Keep up the postings, great inspiration!
Greetings from Denmark!
kps25sc,

Your comments are really appreciated! I'd love to hear your impressions when you've heard the new belt.

Happy Listening.
I have been looking forward to this weekend for more great sounding tunes. I decided to try the recommended talc on the belt. I tried it this way on both sides of the belt and I was no longer connected to the music like I was last week.

I wiped off the talc and put on the same lp I had been listening to previously. There it is, I got it back... my connection to the music. The bass tightened up, the (energy) returned, my emotional connection to the music is back.

This, to me, is a substantial difference. So be forewarned.

Happy Listening.
BTW and FWIW, I'm finding myself listening with my latest metal clamp (and my older expandable metal washer) I bought a few weeks ago for 97% of recordings. The clamp has Rock 7 printed on it.