Hi daveyf,
Hope all is well with you. My turntable quest was derailed for a while due to other priorities, but I’m back in the hunt and wanted to share my latest experiences.
I had an opportunity to hear the full-mod LP12 and found it to be a slightly pinched and restrained, which surprised me. It turns out that the cartridge (the Kandid) had only a few hours on it, so I probably need to do a second audition.
In the meantime, various reviews led me to believe that an AMG Giro might be another contender. I found a dealer but he only had the higher-priced Viella 12 available for audition, which reportedly has the same characteristics as the Giro - just “somewhat better.” So I gave it a listen (with an Ortofon Cadenza Bronze) and it was very good - no question - but, frankly, not as good as the reviews led me to expect.
I asked the dealer about the Palmer 2.5 and he said he carried it, but (unfortunately) not for audition. However, he could demo a table that was “clearly better” than any of the aforementioned decks.
Enter the (somewhat unfortunately named) Dr. Feickert Woodpecker with the same Ortofon cartridge. I listened to about 8 varied tracks (jazz quartet, modern big band, Albert King, The Rite of Spring, etc.) and it never failed to produce a completely compelling and enjoyable performance. Everything sounded interesting and musically right. I really liked this thing a lot.
So now my happy predicament has taken an unexpected turn, and I am very seriously considering either the Woodpecker (with a Jelco TK-950L arm) or (more likely) the Dr. Feickert Blackbird, which is a step up. Interestingly, these tables seem to be the polar opposite of the LP 12 when it comes to tonearm compatibility (which has been a nagging negative with respect to the latter).
Anyway, that’s where I’m at. Would be very interested in your thoughts (or anyone else’s, for that matter). Thanks.
Hope all is well with you. My turntable quest was derailed for a while due to other priorities, but I’m back in the hunt and wanted to share my latest experiences.
I had an opportunity to hear the full-mod LP12 and found it to be a slightly pinched and restrained, which surprised me. It turns out that the cartridge (the Kandid) had only a few hours on it, so I probably need to do a second audition.
In the meantime, various reviews led me to believe that an AMG Giro might be another contender. I found a dealer but he only had the higher-priced Viella 12 available for audition, which reportedly has the same characteristics as the Giro - just “somewhat better.” So I gave it a listen (with an Ortofon Cadenza Bronze) and it was very good - no question - but, frankly, not as good as the reviews led me to expect.
I asked the dealer about the Palmer 2.5 and he said he carried it, but (unfortunately) not for audition. However, he could demo a table that was “clearly better” than any of the aforementioned decks.
Enter the (somewhat unfortunately named) Dr. Feickert Woodpecker with the same Ortofon cartridge. I listened to about 8 varied tracks (jazz quartet, modern big band, Albert King, The Rite of Spring, etc.) and it never failed to produce a completely compelling and enjoyable performance. Everything sounded interesting and musically right. I really liked this thing a lot.
So now my happy predicament has taken an unexpected turn, and I am very seriously considering either the Woodpecker (with a Jelco TK-950L arm) or (more likely) the Dr. Feickert Blackbird, which is a step up. Interestingly, these tables seem to be the polar opposite of the LP 12 when it comes to tonearm compatibility (which has been a nagging negative with respect to the latter).
Anyway, that’s where I’m at. Would be very interested in your thoughts (or anyone else’s, for that matter). Thanks.
