considering a Maplenoll

I had a Maplenoll which utilized a very cheap, double piston fish tank air pump to supply the air for the arm and the main platter bearing. The pump simply could not do the job. After less than an hour of operation, the air pressure would drop and the arm would freeze in place, causing the record to skip.

I could not live with the air pump problem. But, if you can get a model with a better pump or find a suitable alternative air pump, if you can locate the pump in another room (they are very noisy), if you can buy and/or build a proper dehydrator for the pressurized air, etc., it can be made to work.

The table/arm combination sounds quite good, it is just a big pain in the ass.

I have an Athena..agreed on the above comments.
It is a Tweeker' table...I have even tried double air pumps.
But the pumps are noisy!

The Athena was especially funky. If you go for a mid 90s upper end model that has been fixed up properly by someone who knows what they're doing, you won't have so much trouble. That said as someone who has been very hands on with my own and a dealer for 15 years. It ain't a Rega. If you can handle it, you'll get a taste of the magic of the Walker Procenium for 1/10 the price.

Larry,

Sounds like your pump was not original. The so called "Super Quiet Pump" that came with the later upper end models is just about quiet enough to put in the same room although I never have. Typical air pressure on the arm is about 40psi once you have the platter pressure minimized appropriately.

The air pump issue is the main one with the maplenoll ariadne series. I do not have the full signature model but the table itself is built like a tank. Once set up properly, i have found I need to do very little with the table except play my records. I think I have found the solution to the pump issue and that is using a JunAir compressor for the arm (very quiet, very rugged air compressor) and a separate pump for the platter (actually an aquarium air pump). JunAir is used by Pluto audio on their signature table and is also widely used in the dental field. Since I have this setup, I have not really had to tinker with the air system at all.