Teres still the way to go?

Well...

Teres is changing their product line. The bad news is they aren't making 255s or 265s any more - those models are being replaced by the Teres 260. I found this out when I called with the reluctant intent to go *way* outside my budget and order a 265.

The Teres 260 uses the same base as the 255 and 265, however it uses a new black composite platter that they prefer to the 255 acrylic platter (and comes really close to the 265 hardwood platter). Like the 255 and 265 platters, the new 260 platter is lead loaded. The Teres 260 is also furnished with the Verus Motor.

Since they are going through these model changes, Chris had an old solid acrylic platter still in stock and put together a package for me that I couldn't refuse (and kept me much closer to my budget).

Not to put words in his mouth, but I believe Chris feels that lead damping in a platter is not as valuable when using the Verus Drive compared to the value received from the lead-damping with a belt drive motor. In theory, the flywheel effect is not as critical with a motor like the Verus.

Plus, the new black composite platter gives me an easy upgrade path when I get the itch (and I'll probably keep the solid acrylic platter for comparison). Bottom line, I traded down on the platter for a potentially synergistic upgrade with the new motor. I believe this combo will outperform a 255, but even if it just comes close I'll be more than satisfied.

Nrenter:

I would be curious to hear your impressions. For me the Verus was a non-starter from the get go. I own one of the first batch of Teres 265 tables. I tried the Verus motor but had to return it to Chris as it was not compatible. The original 265 platters did not have seamless edges - there are ridges from the joints. Every time the rim drive would rotate and hit a joint it would be extremely audible (it sounded like rumble). The best analogy I could give is that it was like driving your car and continually hitting speed bumps. Chris mentioned that he eventually veneered the edges of the 265 platters so that there is no seam. If I want to experiment with the Verus again it would take either Chris reworking my 265 platter or swapping for the 260 composite.

I actually sent Chris an email yesterday asking him which he thought would be preferable - the 265 platter with the standard motor or a 260 platter with the Verus drive. I'll post his response when I hear back from him.

Ken Golden

Interesting. I have not been keeping up on my Teres conditions.

Santa came today!!! Well, it was actually the FedEx delivery truck. He brought one large box with 3 smaller boxes inside - a box for the base, arm board and clamp, a box for the platter and a box for the Verus motor and controller. The ancillary parts / pieces were found in the packing between the boxes.

If you haven't seen any of Chris' work in person, I strongly suggest you find a local Teres owner for a viewing. The first box I opened contained the base, arm board, and the clamp - all in cocobolo. I was floored. I thought my previous monkeywood base was beautiful. IMHO, the current production cocobolo bases look 3x better. I really wasn't expecting to be as impressed as I was - the craftsmanship is amazing and the finish is stunning. Once I get the rest of my system in, I'll post pictures. However, I implore Chris to contact Albert Porter and have him shoot some pictures of the Teres line (I'm even willing to model my system). While the current photos on the Teres site are good, they don't convey the depth of beauty of the woodwork. Oh, the clamp now has a black "knob" rather than the silver finish of old. Very sexy.

The next box I opened contained the solid acrylic platter. This platter is crystal clear all the way through, and really allows you to see the wood grain underneath. I was (pleasantly) surprised to see that the platter did not have the white markings on the underside required for the Signature motor. I like this look much better than the lead-loaded acrylic platter. However, when the platter is spinning, from a distance it looks like it stands still. Sonically, this platter may be a step backwards, but visually, it looks much more elegant (IMHO) than the lead-loaded 255 platter.

The final box contained the Verus motor and controller. The motor itself is much more svelte than I expected (it is considerably smaller than the Signature belt-drive motor). The controller is about what I expected from the pictures on the Teres site. The form factor of the motor is excellent, and the controller is relatively unobtrusive (visually). I expected the controller to be much heavier (why I expected the controller to be a 20 lb lead weight, I do not know). I'm going to miss starting and stopping the platter by hand, but that's the price you pay for progress.

After setting up the table and waiting for the platter to settle, I had to fire up the motor (even though I'm still waiting for my arm to arrive). The motor itself is dead silent. However, within minutes, I have 2 minor suggestions for version 1.1 of the controller: 1) the controller housing needs to have more dampening, and 2) there should be an indicator light above each of the speeds to indicate current speed selection. Both "issues" are trivial and are inconsequential or easily remedied.

So, although I haven't been able to evaluate its sonics with my Beatles "Love" 2-LP set yet, visually my new Teres had exceeded my expectations. When I post pictures of my system, you'll see that the wood grain on the arm board makes a face and a body of the "man inside the table who makes the music". I'll post more once the rest of my system arrives and settles in.

.
Nick,
.
Congratulations - I feel quite sure that you will love the sound from your new Teres TT.
.
Please do let us know when you get it up and running and how it sounds.
.
Rgds,
Larry
.