Yes, please take my comments and observations as nothing more than that, my opinion based on my preferences.
I am still a big fan of Basis tables and the Vector. I've used both for a couple of years and could be happy with Basis for many more years. That said I think they through a huge soundstage with heavy bass, at least from the 2500 and up, but they are a bit dark sounding and I think that the leading edge dynamics could be better. In my search for improvement it was mentioned to me by several people that the motor on the Basis could be improved upon with something like the Walker Drive or the VPI SDS. But we're talking at least $1500 and no guarantee that this alone will solve all of the issues. This is the same issue that I have with many tables and a very big part of why I think Teres, Galibier and Redpoint are a better value when considering the DC motor solutions employed by these manufacturers. Also, for my preferences, these 3 tables provide a cost effective solution for adding additional arms. Well, Redpoint's solution may not be as cost effective but if one had several arms this may still be the way to go. I'm still not completely sure if the Redpoint armpod actually connects to the plinth or not. My understanding is that the de-coupled armpod is one of the few differences between what Thom and Peter produce. I suppose I still have research to do in this area of armboards and armpods.
I suspect (big opinion here) that part of the lack in dynamics is due to the damped suspension, it is after all a shock absorber. I also tend to believe that metal is a better material to start with than acrylic to yield the sound that I want to hear. I'm still not certain about Cocobolo, but hey, they do make musical instruments with it. This is definitely a matter of personal choice. No table is perfect.
I also looked at Sota and I do think they make an excellant table. The multiple arm mounting was an issue for me. Not that Sota can't do it, but they do consider it to be custom work and so more money. Again, a question of what is the better value.
Again, this is all based on my preferences and I don't mean to suggest there is a short-coming with any of the tables mentioned in this thread. All are capable of reproducing great music. But I think Richard and I have narrowed our search to Teres, Galibier, and Redpoint.
Richard, I may be missing something but I believe the reason for decoupling the armpod from the main bearing is to prevent vibrations from the record surface making their way to the arm. I believe that the designer of Avid tables discourages unipivots for this very reason. I think a drawback is that there is a potential for things not aligning properly. And, unless you really seperate the armpod completely from the bearing as in completely seperate stands, they are still coupled by whatever the components are sitting on. So why not just couple everything and sink the vibrations together. I'm sure I've probably butchered this and hopefully someone will come along that could provide a better explanation.
