Micro Seiki BL-111, how good is it ?

@bimasta,
I have no experience with the SS-300, but several members here speak highly of it. I think they mostly use it with high torque DD's like Technics SP-10 and Victor TT-81.

I did try the CU-180 with the BL-91's standard aluminium plateau and it was a serious improvement over the regular rubber mat. The SS-300 will likely have a similar effect.

I listened to the BL-111 at one of the stores here. Great resolution and dynamics. Very quiet background. But it didnt have the get up and go immediacy. It had a laidback attitude althroughout. Overall flow was somewhat mechanical. I dont know what could be the issue. The phonostage was a ARC Ref 2se. Tonearm was FR64fx.

What cartridge? And what mat if any? A laidback attitude or 'mechanical' flow are not characteristics that I associate with the gunmetal Micro’s I’m familiar with, nor with the FR-64fx......

No mat. Cartridge was Denon 301

That would explain your ’issue’. Frankly, putting a Denon 301 (mkII I assume?) at the front end of an analog set up like this makes no sense to me at all. I don’t know the rest of the system they used for the demo, but the BL-111 / FR-64fx combo and the ARC Ref 2se phono amp clearly deserve something MUCH better than the Denon.

The 301 is sometimes described as the low output version of the DL-160. Both are high compliance carts originating from the 80’s requiring a low mass arm. Contrary to what it says on its VTF dail, the FR-64fx is NOT a low mass arm. So it looks like you have been ’served’ by a technical mismatch as well as a quality mismatch. It’s clear to me you didn’t get to hear what this table and arm are capable of. What a shame.