Brinkmann Bardo


I just replaced a Clearaudio Avantgarde Magnum with a Brinkmann Bardo. Both had the Phantom tonearm II.

Wondering if anyone else has bought this table and what their thoughts are?

My initial impressions are that it grabs your attention and does not let you wander off in thoughts as you listen to music. Maybe a little less open then the Clearaudio, but more grounded and solid as a result.
I definitely like it more than the Balance, which I found to be too "damped" and a bit boring to listen too.

I also felt that changing the arm to the Graham resulted in a more profound change and improvement to the character of the system than the table swap.
dbjain
Hi,

I crudely measured the start up time to about 8 seconds. For me, ti is not a big deal; the belt table I had before was just as slow to start up and the speed change on this table is very good. The speed stability is pretty excellent.
Wjsamx

I've been following your replies about the dual eds motors on this thread and found them most informative ... I've been doing searches for a while and there's not that much info around on the eds motors.
I know this thread is about the Bardo but this seems like a good opportunity so hopefully I won't derail this thread too much.
I have the motor and electronics from a dual 701 and have been considering using them in a diy turntable.
Would you suggest any mods? or replacement of parts like capacitors on the small round board before proceeding further?
The main reason I'm contacting you is that I also have the motor & electronics from a revox dd and the motor looks almost the same as the dual except that the bottom is different and the electronics look somewhat more complicated.
My question then ... is the the Revox motor also a good ... or better? ... choice for a diy dd turntable?
Any advice would be much appreciated.
I wonder if that 12 seconds to speed is a conservative number. I spun a few LP's tonight on a fully automatic Dual TT located in my den. I started it manually, moved the arm over, waited 12 seconds, then lowered the arm. The whole process took about 16 seconds by the time the TT started playing music, 20 seconds total to be seated with a drink in hand. It seems like a very long time if you aren't used to it. Spec for the Dual EDS to reach nominal speed is 2 to 2.5 seconds. I'm so used to pressing the auto start button and being seated with a drink in hand by the time the music starts playing, which is <5 seconds. A dealer near me in NYC now has a Bardos. I'll do a demo this weekend and bring a speed disk to see just how long it takes to cruise. The other TT he has of interest to me is the Artemis Labs SA-1 designed by Frank Schroder. I'm told it beats the Bardos in everything hands down, and is about $2K cheaper in price. It's not direct drive, but has an innovative tape drive system that uses 1/4" magnetic reel tape, instead of rubber or string, to drive the platter. Nice thing is that you can make your own "belts" from old reels. The tape drive system is kept taught by a tensioning lever bearing. You won't see this on any other TT, and I've become very interested in this technology.

http://www.soundscapehifi.com/artemis-labs-sa-1.htm

Best Regards and kudos to a good thread...
Lespier,

Many people have done DIY with the EDS motors. From a service standpoint, capacitors C5, C6, C7, C8, and C9 can be replaced. You can basically use 4 sheets of 3/4" birch plywood, make a 5" hole, mount the motor, measure your spindle to arm distance, put it together, and perform a full setup. The shape of the plinth is your immagination. Maybe a modern tear-drop shape? If you want it to be beautiful, when you're done, add 3/4" mahogany to the top, round the edges, and use marine varnish to seal it. Wet sand between coats. Your choice if you want glossy or satin finish. For an armboard, use a standard Canadian hockey puck. The properties and composition of it make for an excellent isolator. If you want to get it more beautiful, finish the sides in flamed maple veneer. I regret to say I'm not familiar with the Revox TT's, but know much more about their reel to reels.

Sorry for off topic, Regards