Origin Live. Had a Conqueror arm from like 15 years ago, liked it so much I upgraded to the new Enterprise arm on a new Sovereign turntable. Pretty sure you can get the Sovereign with 2 arms. With your budget you could get a Voyager, fantastic table and definitely can run 2 arms.
Another turntable
Hello everybody
I am an analog lover (no CD nor streaming at all). For about 20 years now I have a TW Acustic Raven AC, with 2 SME 3012-R tonearms. One for the stereo and one for the monos. The TW evolved with the battery PSU, and heavy platter form the Black Night, and the 3 motors in a round shape.
I listen mainly classical music and a bit of jazz music.
I read many threads on forum and TW is never talked about. My TTIs 20 years old now and as I am turning old too, maybe I look for what would be my last TT ( the famous « last one » before being retired with not enough money for climbing the audiophile mountain again.
I have no preferences for any technology as long as it makes good music. I can buy used or vintage (if professionally restored).
I can go up to 20000 € max. I need the possibility of 2 arms, or one classical and enough room for a Viv Lab.
My little list is
- Kuzma Red 2 or Stabi M
- Verdier La Platine
-SME 20 or an old 30
- Brinkmann
-Shoppered TD124 ?
- What else ?
Thanks for your suggestions. As you understand I live in Europe. How do you quote TW now in regards of these pretenders ?
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- 41 posts total
@senza add to your list a Kuzma R. Heard one recently and was VERY impressed! |
When it comes to looking at Direct Drive TT's, from the Vintage Brands and Models, a Denon DP - 80 can be found for well under the $2000 allocation of Budget. Shipping and Import will be additional to the Purchase. Overseas shipping has recently had price increases, but for a single TT, these may up $70-100 to the prior to Covid charges. I suggest the DP-80 for two reasons, one being that I own Two Models in my collection of a Selection of Vintage DD TT's from the same production era. The other being more of the Ancillaries available and seen often that might just suit your purposes, the DP-80 is commonly seen in two forms that is with oor without a Plinth. The Plinths seen for the DP-80 are often seen a Models that has the option for Two Arms in built as part of the design. From recollection I know there are Plinth Models that will accommodate one 12" Tonearm but I can't reassure that I have seen a design that will support two 12" Tonearms, I am sure a little though on the matter would produce a satisfactory method to enable the use of two arms at 12". There was a lot of research carried out by the Big Brands during this TT's Production era and there will be Plinth Materials known off, that are being reported on as a better interface material that other types, it might be worth looking into the preferred material selection, another plus is that Plinths show up for sale as individual Items without the TT as part of the sale. This would enable a TT Motor Unit and Plinth to be selected as individual items and be shipped, if a intermediary buying service is used, this service will receive your goods, and combine the items into one package for shipping. The icing on the cake with the DP-80 is that if one is to be sought as a TT, and the buyer has a understanding of the ancillaries it can be supplied with, an extension time of surveying the used item sales market, will allow for a Phosphor Bronze / Gun Metal Plinth Model to appear, surprisingly these do not usually command a large margin of increased asking price. I will cut of here, and let other users of this suggested model inform you its credentials as a TT |
A few years ago I was in the same position as you are now. I had a TW Raven GT SE with the AC platter and Black Night battery PSU. This PSU gave me lots of trouble, even after returning it twice to the manufacturer for repair. So I decided to sell it. I know I’ll be at the receiving end of demeaning comments from certain folks here, but I decided to try my luck with an old Micro RX-1500. Even in it’s basic form with aluminum platter the sound was surprisingly good. This made me decide to upgrade the table with stainless steel platter, copper mat, R-15 mass loaded feet and brass outer flywheel ring. I also had the motor drive fully refurbished. There’s plenty of space for up to 4 tonearms. The required gunmetal armboards are fairly easy to find and there are 1 on 1 replicas as well. In this fully dressed up version the RX-1500 runs circles around the TW, no comparison. Very important part of this outcome has been the use the SF-1 Kevlar belt. String drive will be equally good, but don’t use the standard rubber belt. Of course the Micro can be easily dismissed as ‘old school’ technology, but I haven’t regretted this backward step for a micro second. It has secured itself firmly as my proverbial ‘last table’. And with your budget you can easily stretch to an RX-5000, assuming your rack can handle the weight. |
- 41 posts total