Raven One

ADDENDUM:

I am getting getting acoustic breakthrough with this setup tapping the wooden stand the table sits on. With the Millenium feet attached, there was no breakthough, so obviously they were well designed and provided some type of suspension.

The trick for me now will be to keep the profound benefits of the Sistrum stand and try to eliminate the breakthrough that I feel may be muddying up and increasing the bass a little bit.

Also my table is within a few feet of my speakers, so this may be more of an issue for me than for other people's rooms.

I'd like to find people with other unsuspended table using Sistrum stands to see thier setups.

Someone suggested a Minus K platform, but I understant that while excellent, is rather expensive for the level of improvement.

I think what I plan to do is once I get my preamp back and can play CD's (I'm analog only right now) I will

put the needle on a record that is not spining, then play a CD and pink/white noise, then take the output of my phono pre and

hook that up to my computer and analyze the breakthrough I am getting to see what level I am getting and at what frequencies.

This I suppose could help in determining how I want to proceed from there.

World's first Raven One review:

http://www.stereomojo.com/TW%20Acustic%20Raven%20One%20Review/TW_ACUSTIC_RAVEN_ONE_TURNTABLE_REVIEW.htm

My Raven One TT is everything the StereoMojo review describes and everything I could wish for in a TT.
I needed a TT which was compact enough to fit on my Hutter Racktime rack top shelf, light enough to move without backstrain, able to use 2 arms so I could use more than one cartridge at a time, and deliver the sound quality both myself and my system require. All this at a reasonable price. Tough order. I looked and listened and researched for a long time before ordering a Raven One.
This TT is frankly just terrific. Easy to set up even with two arms, solid build quality, high quality bearing, pleasing appearance, and sound quality far beyond it's price point.
I'm not going into a lengthy sonic description other than to say it's amazing.
My thanks to Jeff Catalano at Highwater sound for his professionalism and patience working with a new out of town customer. Great dealer who offers high quality service to his customers along with exceptional products.

I just wanted to post a follow up that getting the correct size Sistrum stand has really taken an already stellar sounding table to a new level. I had the SP-03 temporarily since the SP-1 was out of stock.

The Sistrum SP-03 was a nice improvement in speed and resolution over the stock Millenium feet, but the SP-1 takes this to a new level. The bass foundation has become much more solid. Even tics and pops sound different, like they are archored. I am getting better imaging as well, and my speakers "dissapear" better now.

I believe they offer a 30 day trial. If you have a Raven One (other tables may benefit as well) I strongly suggest you try the SP-1 now they have them in stock. I'd love to get other owners reactions to hear if they get the major improvement I have gotten.

Not sure what size might be needed on a Raven AC though. I know TW Acustic recommends Stillpoints, which I have not compared but I believe that they provide some suspension while the Sistrum is pure mechanical grounding. I have mine sitting on a 1" slate (as TW suggests) Also keep in mind my preference is to have no mat or clamp, as they dull the sound in my system too much.

Emailists,

I removed the Stillpoints once I had an isolation stand. I put them back as the improvement is substantial. I highly recommend it. It is more of the same benefits as your isolation stand.