Brinkmann vs TW Acustic

Dev, I think your point about TW not doing great in terms of Timing and Rhythm is quite understandable. I dont think it is to do with speed stability. Even though a TT has stable speed the perception of great timing and rhythm has lot more to do with the design and construction of the TT. What materials are used, what kind of isolation is used etc etc. In those design aspects the UK designers are champions and as you may already know, a simple $500 Rega TT possess an amazing sense of timing and rhythm which eludes many/most $50k TTs made in the USA or Germany. Be it the VPI, TW, Transrotor, Scheu Analog...you name it. There are exceptions though but they are exceptions, not the norm. I know I have stuck my neck out but that is how it is.

By the way which TT do you use now ?

Pani,

I assume you are referring to PRAT. A word with different interpretations. But while I get what you say, I would say that there are UK tables which also don't posses PRAT. I don't want to mention names as to not stir up emotions. I would agree that Rega & Linn are PRAT champs, but I feel it,ought be at the expense of what they miss. Or better said, the perception of PRAT is something that always comes with a price. Some love it, others like it and some grow out of it. What direct drive has PRAT?

Does live music have it? I will say if a ,usicians timing s all over, or even more so a drummer, it makes me crazy.

I own the TW AC-3 and I just went over and brought out the KAB speedstrobe. 33 and 45 was rock solid still. I have not checked the speed for 6 months or so.
I own the 2nd version of the motor driver. I tried the battery one and thought that was a step backwards for me in my system as it blunted attack and drive, while sounding a bit more pure.

I believe the perception of speed issues may lie in the way the TW plays music. I also own a LP12 and a dd Exclusive P3 table.
Compared to both these tables the TW's bass is slow and full lacking the prat these other tables have. The P3 is so quick and nimble in the bass, going directly back to the TW, the TW sounds as if it is running slow :-)
The TW has a grander presentation. To me that is the rub.

Depending on one's system, the TW could be diamonds or soft rocks.

I've had the same experience as Downunder, only with the Raven One---solid speed,as verified by the KAB speedstrobe. While I'm getting full bass also,I don't sense it is slow, but rather more like the kind of presentation I've heard in a number of concert halls live. Of course, preference for a certain kind of bass reproduction can be quite subjective. To me,the important thing is am I getting the kind of sound I enjoy without having to analyze it? Yes.

The TW Ac-1 in my system either with solid state (Rowland) or tubes (ARC) gives me meaty, beefy images with good air and soundstaging. The images are so solid, it gives me the illusion of reality. Super quiet noisefloor. Bass is full and impactful yet it has bloom too. PRAT is not high on my list of desires. Did my former table (VPI Aries 3) have more PRAT? Probably.....but I prefer the TW table leaps and bounds more.