2. analog
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Trans Fi Salvation direct rim drive turntable

Hi A'goners, I've just bought this turntable, confident it'll be my last upgrade. The rest of my system is a Tom Evans Groove Plus SRX phono stage, EMM Labs CDSA SE cd player, Hovland HP200 pre/Radia power amps, Zu Definitions Mk 4 loudspeakers, so a pretty good way to listen to vinyl.

Over the years, since 1995 I've progressed from a Roksan Xerxes/Artemiz/Shiraz, via a Michell Orbe/SME V/Transfiguration Orpheus, finally ending up last week with my new Trans Fi Salvation/Trans Fi T3Pro Terminator/Zu modded Denon 103.

This turntable (£2500 UK price, approx $4000-$5000 US) is the brainchild of Vic, a retired dentist, who, fed up with the shortcomings of belt drive and traditionally-pivoted tone arms, literally from the ground up devised first the Terminator air bearing linear tracking tone arm (now in T3Pro guise as on my system), and now the direct rim drive Salvation turntable, a technology in direct opposition to the hegemony of belt drive we've come to accept from the '70s.

In summary, he has developed a motor that directly rim drives an oversize platter. The magic is that vibrations are drained away from the platter and hence stylus. So minimal rumble is transmitted, the weakness of Garrards/Lencos in the past. This is mated to a substantial slate plinth which does a great job of isolating the whole rig from external vibrations.

Where this differs from direct drive is that the torque applied is high enough to counteract stylus drag, but it is strictly analogue controlled ie no digital feedback applying constant micro speed control. Speed is set correctly, torque is sufficient, and speed stability is like a rock.

This is combined with his air bearing linear tracking arm, discussed on other threads.

So technical description over, how about how it sounds? Well, years ago I always assumed the overhang in bass when playing lps on my previous belt drive/pivoted arm tts, apparent as a benign artifact, was all part of the 'romance' of vinyl, esp. when compared to the dry, clinical sound of early cd. But in 2007 I acquired the EMM cd, which had a natural analogue sound playing silver discs, but none of this bass colouration. On studying the growing reemergence of idler/direct drive, and their superiority in maintaining speed stability, I agreed that the belt speed instability might be introducing this.

Two years ago I came across Vic, and now I can report that eliminating the belt for high torque rim drive has taken this whole artifact out of the equation. Whole layers of previously masked information like rhythm guitars are now present, treble information has abundant naturalness and decay, and bass, which appears to be less in quantity compared to belt, is actually more accurate with a real start-stop quality, much more like digital, and the real thing. The other positives are more linked to the arm, including uncanny tracking across the whole record side; I'm really not exaggerating in saying that the last few grooves at the end of an lp side are as solidly reproduced as the first. Music with strong dynamic contrasts are really served well by the Salvation, and I am shocked at how good this all is after trepidation that the sound might be hyperdetailed but too assertive etc. In fact music is reproduced with a relaxed incision, and a welcoming detailed transparency.

The amazing thing is that all of this is not in anyway at the expense of the natural warmth and tonal dimensionality that still puts vinyl way ahead of any digital (imho).

The only thing, and Vic would like this to be known, is that his creation is a cottage industry, and he can only produce limited numbers to order.

I'm happy to answer qs on it, as I really want our community to know about a possible world beating product at real world prices. My tech knowledge will be limited, but no problem discussing sound quality issues.

I'm not affiliated in anyway to the product, just sold my Orbe on ebay and bought this. Regards to all
spiritofmusic
spiritofmusic OP
828 posts
 
Hi Peter, in no way am I claiming that the Salvation/Terminator outperform everything out there. That would be churlish since I've only heard a limited number.
To be clear, I bought my Michell Orbe with SME V arm back in 1999. At the time I feel it outperformed belt drives in similar price range, esp. the Linn Sondek LP12 (too coloured) and the Roksan Xerxes (too sterile). Over the next 10 years I continually updated the Orbe with Michell Never Connected power supply, Gert Pedersen plinth/armboard upgrade, internal rewiring to SME V, TT Weights outer ring and various mats. Having been a massive analogue advocate over the years, generally hating the sound of digital even into the 2000's, imagine my suprise when the EMM Labs CDSA SE cd player outperformed my tt in many respects even with it's many updates.
This led me to investigating a fair number of pricey, fantastically engineered tts such as SME 20 and 30, TW Acustic AC3 and various Clearaudios. All performed somewhat better than the Orbe, but not enough for a clear knockout, and not enough to put digital back in it's place.
Reading about idler/direct drive in last couple of years interested me in that colourations in the timing domain of belt drives might be contributing to my dissatisfaction.
Not totally sure after hearing the Brinkmann Bardo DD (precise, but not overly rhythmic) and Technics SL1210 DD (a little dry) I came across the Trans Fi tt/arm, and within moments knew I had gotten to a sound well beyond my Orbe, and ahead of competing belt drives.
It's such a compelling sound eradicating the long term colouration that I took for granted as the 'romance' of vinyl, but if anything enhancing vinyl's addictive holistic nature, and actually bringing vinyl closer to the positives demonstrated by the EMM cd, with none of digital's downsides.
Now I'm not going to be able to hear the Monaco/Beat/NVS, mainly since they're not easily available in the UK and are 5-10x price of the Salvation/Terminator and yes I know these are DDs, but my deep instinct is that this tt is going to be in their ball park at least, at a level that virtually all can afford here.
dhcod
710 posts
 
I really think that it just depends on what makes you happy. A perfectly setup fully updated LP12/Naim Aro is the best turntable I've ever heard but I could never keep it set up properly for long enough and my Linn guy passed away. The GP Monaco is the closest thing to digital sound in a turntable I've ever heard. Some may like it but I didn't at all. Now the turntable that makes me as happy as the LP12 is a Shindo 301. My tastes just run in that direction. Others like a more uncolored sound. But you have to got through the process you've gone through to find out. You gotta kiss a lot a frogs....
spiritofmusic OP
828 posts
 
Dhcod, I think you'd find that my Salvation/Terminator is much more in your Shindo 301 territory than the Monaco region. Vic the designer deliberately went for a non digital feedback/analogue set speed control for the motor. I am of the belief that continual speed hunting by DDs like the Monaco result in a kind of jitter appearing as a glassy colouration, very much like the worst of digital.
The Salvation is direct rim drive which Vic has derived from the idler principle of Garrards/Lencos. It is high torque, non feedback high rpm motor which sets speed and is v. difficult to vary via groove intermodulation resistance.
It differs mainly from the Shindo in using slate for plinth vibration control rather than built up plys.
Amazingly, totally eliminating the main thumbprint of belt drive ie time domain smear bass colouration clouding midrange has enhanced vinyl's superiority over digital.
IMHO, it is paradoxically closer to the best of digital, but has enabled vinyl to surge well ahead.
A matter of 'so close, and yet so far'.
peterayer
1,382 posts
 
Thanks for the clarification, Spirit. It does indeed sound as though you have gone through a thorough and lengthy process and can speak from your experience. That always helps one to feel confident in his choices.

If you ever get the chance to hear some of those expensive DD tables, and I'd include a fully modded SP10 mk3 in that group, it would be interesting to read your impressions.

I also embarked on a major turntable/arm/cartridge upgrade recently. The research process took a couple of years. I too became fascinated by all of the DD discussions on these forums and was able to hear the Dobbins The Beat as well as two SP10 mk 2s and the Brinkman Bardo. I couldn't hear an NVS and Monoco. In the end I preferred a massive, well isolated belt drive table and 12" pivoted arm. In the end, for me, it is as much about the handling of energy from the cartridge through the arm to the base as it is about the drive system. A well implement belt drive does resolve the speed stability, rhythmic drive issue, IMO.

Musical satisfaction, as the destination, is what drives us all. The path we take often differs. The sharing of the journey is what these forums are all about. Congratulations again.
spiritofmusic OP
828 posts
 
Peterayer, exactly my point. My move from belt drive is not the solution you ultimately have settled on. Undoubtedly I'd have been happy at some stage with an upgrade to the Orbe, had I not managed to hear well executed rim drive first. I'm pretty certain DD is not where I would have ended up, and I don't think it's any coincidence that after stellar DD auditions you kept the faith with belt drive.
If you do get a chance to hear the Salvation, or even well executed modded idlers like the Shindo 301, take it, and see how they stack up against your SME.
I'm also coming to the conclusion that the Terminator air bearing linear tracker is having a massively positive synergy with the Salvation, and honestly don't ever think I'll part from this rig.
Cartridge/phono stage? Now that's a whole other discussion!
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