New Townshend Rock 7 owner

FWIW, here are my findings with two different mats:

I came across a material, solid vinyl, no backing, flexible, that is 1mm thick. It has one side smooth and one side with hundreds of slightly raised, symmetrical "bumps". I use it with the smooth side facing the platter.

I've trimmed it so there is a 1&1/4" hole in the center and the outer edge is around 11& 1/2". This allows for the fact that most lps are thicker around the spindle area and it allows the mat to sit just inside of the raised outer edge of most vinyl records.

Positives:
(1) It is only 1 mm thick
(2) It is flexible so it can slightly conform to any irregularities
(3) It extends the Rock 7's attributes further

Negatives:
(1) It does have some static electricity issues that I negate with my Mapleshade gun on each side. (I believe this product is no longer offered?)

I first used it on my VPI Classic 3 Sig SE with surprising positive effect! I had since pulled that TT out of my system.

I hesitated to try it on the Rock 7 because I thought it probably would not have a positive effect since this TT's platter is suppose to mimic that of a vinyl record. I could not have been more wrong!

I have since purchased a Funk Firm Achromat (5mm version). This mat seems immune to static. I've tried both mats separate and together. My findings on the Rock 7 are, separately the thin mat sounds great and is a welcome addition to the Rock 7. The Achromat too, is another welcome addition. Then I tried them together. The thin mat under the Achromat,... Cha-ching! Absolutely wonderful! Even with the benefits of the trough on the Rock 7, the interface of the stylus to the record still benefits from this additional isolation.

In percentage terms, on their own, I'd give my thin mat a rating of 85% of the Achromat. Together, they work extremely well.

I'm close to finalizing my new wall mount system that will allow me to use both TTs. This will be beneficial for me to readily evaluate system changes.

Happy Listening!

bdp24,

Your choice of tonearm for your VPI is interesting. I've owned a VPI HW-19 MkIV/Et 2.5 for over 2 decades.

After changing to my current tts, I now realize my past history was, while interesting, a venture in "not really moving forward in any meaningful way". I now understand the limitations of an air bearing tonearm on a sprung suspension TT. The ET has limitations as well, despite of other postings.

The Trans-Fi is a different animal. The ET is a tale of "the tail wagging the dog". I now realize this.

My history with the ET is, clean/stable air is of most importance. This is expensive! How does the Trans-Fi differ in this area?

Hello Slaw-

   I met you on the " VPI 2nd Pivot to 3D" thread where I suggested upgrading a VPI Prime by adding the Townshend damping trough to it. I came across this review Article: http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue62/townshend.htm 

  The article scarred me off of the Rock 7 and got me thinking of the above fix to the Prime. I copied the paragraph below which steered me away from the TT. Key was the added expense of a DC motor/power supply rather then the expense of just throwing $$ at cords, which I feel would be my scenario also. The reviewer highly suggests that the Rock 7 needs to be setup with help from a dealer versed in the matter below. My big problem is living in an isolated area at high elevation in NW Montana with a dealer probably close to 1000 miles away- not going to happen. Hey, I got electricity.
  Anyhow, hard to imagine such a messed-up setup and easiest get around cost $1900.00- Any comments on this ??
  I'm going to contact Townshend to see if a damping trough can be purchased alone for incorporation onto another TT (VPI Prime), and the expense that would go with it.


 The following taken from  Mike Wechsberg's "Positive Feedback Issue 62":

"I was not prepared to spend as much time as I did finding the right power cord to use with the Rock 7's motor. It is vital to find the right power cord for your Rock 7 turntable if you want to experience the brilliant sound it is capable of, because, for reasons I don't understand, the sound varied radically with choice of power cord. Some multi-kilobuck power cords I had in for review made LPs sound terrible (lack of focus, flaccid bass, grunge, etc.). Yet, in other positions in my system these same power cords made wonderful music. I ended up using a quite inexpensive PS Audio power cord with the Rock 7, because it resulted in very impressive sound. I eventually settled on a Kubala-Sosna Emotion power cord that allowed the magic of the turntable to shine through without compromise. However, the Kubala-Sosna cord may, or may not be the right one for you. I haven't noticed anyone else commenting on the Rock 7 mentioning this odd setup quirk (though Dan Meinwald alerted me to this phenomenon when I first started using the turntable), which puzzles me. If you decide to buy the Townshend, please work with a dealer to try out a range of cords from different manufacturers before you finalize the setup. Alternatively, Townshend has recently come out with an optional DC motor for the Rock 7 which comes with a substantial regulated power supply. I heard this configuration at Dan Meinwald's home recently, and it worked well with a plain old hardware store power cord. Since the DC motor/power supply adds $1900 to the price of the turntable, one has to choose between the cost of the motor vs. the cost of a potentially expensive power cord."

Thanks, Robes

Hi Robes,

I purchased my  Rock 7 as a package deal that included the DC motor/power supply. Mine is a later version that has a different bearing design as well. The power cord on my TT has a DIN plug on the power supply end so one can't go buy a replacement off the shelf. The motor on mine has a conical pulley and uses a flat belt. So the TT in the review you mentioned is the early Rock 7 and has none of Max's later thoughts/upgrades. The upgrades I've made to my Rock 7 are the Mark Baker belt and the two mats. Total cost under $150.00. Total % of increased enjoyment is off the charts!

My mentioning all of the clamps/weights I've used were in conjunction with my two mats. These mats alone or together bring the TT's performance up substantially. (I've never used or tried a periphery ring weight).

The last time I had my Classic 3 Sig SE in my system using my 1mm mat, it was an ear opener. The sound became more naturally expressed with much more musical bass, allowing me to hear/follow more low end info with greater clarity and expression. When I added the SS weight with the mat, the sound became more strident, less natural. This same difference was experienced with any of my other weights/clamps to certain degrees.

If you haven't already, you should read the Stereophile review of the Rock7/Funk Firm FXR.

I'd like to hear from you when you find out if the trough assembly is available and at what cost. I sincerely doubt if Max would be willing to work out a mounting system for another TT.