Micro Seiki, or TW AC-1

Another high mass belt drive worth considering in the $10-15K range is the new SME 20/3. I have not heard one, but reports are that it is fairly close to the Model 30, though you would not be able to mount your 12" arm. Perhaps a used SME 20/12. Great sonics and little fuss from a very reliable company.

Hello Maril555,
in the last 3 years I had some contact to Seiki owners and all of their units (25
years old) were running perfectly. The prices for 5000 series are continuously
raising in the last 4 years...the test of time was successfully done long ago.
The table itself has to be moved always without the heavy platter, otherwise the
bearing will be damaged. Normally this is common sense, but you know...:-)
Motors are very impressive, what 'generation' of controller chip have the Ravens
now? 5th? The one from my Buddy started backwards sometimes :-)
I listened to some Transrotors (and Clearaudios) but none of them gave me any
kind of information which made me to sit longer than 5 min in front of them.
They are show pieces, nice to look at, but when you want something which
really moves the sonic curtain, do yourself a favor and look somewhere else.
But it depends on your knowledge about music reproduction. When your
priority is fun only, buy whatever you can reach. All is great then ...

Hi Maril555,
When I set out to buy a TT about 10 months back, I auditioned a long list of TTs and that includes the TW Raven One, Raven AC, Microseiki RX8000, RX8000 MK2, SME 30, Avid Acutus, Brinkmann Bardo and quite a few more. Among them also was a Platine Verdier. Initially I was quite disappointed after listening to many TTs because a lot of them didnt do much to me even though I was buying my first TT and expected to be blown away after all these years with digital. In the past whenever I have listened to TT it was on one of those vintage DDs and I always liked the analog presentation to even the best digital I had heard. So, considering that now I am ready to invest upto $10k it was natural that I thought I will be blown with every audition. But that did not happen, rather I was shocked just how many of these expensive "well engineered" TTs screw up the sound. Few of them clearly sounded like CD!! Anyway, among the tables that we are discussing here:

1. Micro Seiki - I have not heard the RX-5000, while the RX-8000 sounded nice, it had the natural flow we associate with analog music reproduction, the resolution we look for in high end analog with a solid foundation.

2. TW Acustics: It has all the ingredients that we associate with "high-end" sound and I can understand why so many people like it. Tons of details, resolution, very huge and stable soundstage, a touch of warmth, overall balanced sound. BUT, to me it had an artificiality/coloration in the flow of music. The notes did not naturally bloom, hold and decay the way we know it should. There is a "rush", a little too much leading edge and not enough time to bloom. There was also a colouration in the timbre of the instruments as if to artificially make it sound "rich". Basically it felt like I am hearing something cooked.

3. Platine Verdier: Finally the sound that I had imagined a high end analogue player would have! The Verdier had the best rendition of tone and timbre among all the players I had heard. It also had the best flow, something very continuous and liquid I havent heard in any other TT. Couple that with a full frequency spectrum music and incredibly 3-dimensional soundstage. It was one of the most natural music reproduction I heard that day. There was nothing cooked. I normally dont give a lot of importance to soundstage tricks but what caught within the soundstage of a Verdier is the fact that every individual instrument sounded 3 dimensional, full blown and proper. It was just too good to pass but it was too expensive for my wallet. So, I bought the Nouvelle Platine Verdier, the Auditorium 23 revision which is suppose to be at the same level as the big Platine.

The other TTs I liked were the Avid Acutus, SME 30 and EMT 938.

Seriously how can one tease out different turntables performance from the whole chain which involves different cartridges, arm,phono stage, pre/amp, speakers/room from listening to different setups at different times?
Must be gifted eh or...

maril555
i have a TWAC3 and a Miro Seiki RX1500, i bought the 1500 new in the '80's. the TW i bought 3 years ago.
different tables of course. the sonic difference is the speed and detail that the TW displays. it has authority that the 1500 does not have. the 5000 may do this better than the 1500, but my issue with them is the metal platter. the TW has a polymer platter that is warmer and faster that metal.
i would compare the micros with TT Weights tables. they are very well made, look nice and sound ok. the european tables have the same high quality machining, but their performance is head and shoulders above the tables that are just machined well, lacking the finesse in sonics that the europeans strive for. i read somewhere that the designer of the TW's tried 150 different materials for the belt alone, just to get the sonic signature that he was looking for. you know that back in the '80's when micros were made, that didn't happen!
i have never had any issues with my micro in the 30 years of ownership. if you want a true reference table, go for the TW.