TT suggestions -- please

Mike, the Teres has no dust cover. If you want to keep dust off, you have to cover it with a light cloth of silk or nylon, or something like that.

The DL103R is not imported into the US. I got mine from a member named "Martin". You can email him through the Audiogon system. He is a dealer in Singapore. He has very good prices on the DL103R($230). He is a reliable person to deal with. Mine arrived 10 days after order, and he takes Paypal too. He puts ads on the Audiogon classified for DL103R from time to time.

The DL103 and DL103R are from the same family of cartridges. They have very low compliance(5cu) and are not suitable for unipivot arms at all. The R model has 99.9999% copper coils and a slightly lower output(.27mv). It tracks better, and sounds way better. For sure worth the extra $80. I have had both on my system recently and compared them back-to-back. The 103R is a full step better than the regular 103. Either one of them is extremely good sounding for the money, and I don't think you'll find any other cartridge near the money that can touch it. But the 103R is better and worth it if you can get it. If you want to read an in-depth review, then click on my "Reviews" next to my name, and there is a complete review and comparison of the two 103 models there.

The comments about a suspended TT (eg the Linn) bouncing all over the place when you walk on a suspended floor are right on. I sold mine for that reason; I couldn't use it in my living room. However, if you place the TT on a wall-mounted shelf you should have no problems. I couldn't use this type of shelf in my living room, but perhaps you have the option. With such a shelf, you could buy any TT you choose.

I really enjoy threads about turntables, interesting to see other people's points of views on the most criticial piece of gear you'll likely ever own. For whatever reason I seem to be one of the few that love Oracle turntables, and yes they are a suspended design. When I was at CES I was chatting with Jacques Riendeau (Oracle) about the Delphi Mark V and he demonstrated how he could continue playing a record and literally bounce the platter up and down several inches without mistracking. Pretty cool. My Delphi Mark IV has a tendency to do that when people walk around in my listening room (sprung floor) and although it never made a difference in the sound kind of worried me all the same. While at CES I also bumped into Stephen (Quest for Sound) and he sold me these little footers that make a huge difference. They are about 2" x 2" and are made up ridged rubber on the top and bottom with cork sandwiched in between. I put them under the three feet of my Oracle and the bounce went away. Awesome tweek for $2.50 a copy.
In any event, if you want a state of the art turntable that also looks like fine art, consider an Oracle.

1musiclover: I combined several sources of info into that one post. John Atkinson made the statements that he did in a relatively recent article about the 100 most influential audio components.

The comments regarding the isolation and review were courtesy of either Audio or High Fidelity magazine. They did a head to head comparison with a Sota ( American ), Linn ( European ) and the top of the line Kyocera / CEC ( Asian ) table. To keep things simple, the Linn did pretty poorly compared to both the Sota and the Kyocera in terms of any type of measurable testing performed with them. The reviewers made specific comments as to how poor it was at isolation and how just anything set the stylus to skipping across the grooves. Sonically, that would be a matter of preference and have a lot to do with what arms, cartridges and type of support platform that you had them on.

Since the Sota is the least susceptable to external vibration, setting it up is a lot less finicky. On top of this, it makes the job of the stylus a lot easier so that it can do a more accurate job of reproducing music rather than being interferred with. Since it can now deal with the microscopic vibrations recorded in the groove rather than having to cope with the vibrations applied externally from either floor or air-borne vibrations, the sound is more detailed with a blacker background. Like anything else that is electro-mechanical in nature, it is susceptable to tweaks and does require maintenance though. As such, one need look at customer support as an integral part of buying any turntable.

Jeff: I like the Oracle and may have purchased one of these. The problem is the availability of parts availability, shipping to and from across the border, etc... The above mentioned statements regarding the Sota and the fact that they are located less than 20 minutes from my house made things very easy to decide what to go with.

The footers that you mention are also sold by Rcreations here on Agon. They work off of the constrained layer damping idea. I don't know if they are identical to what you mentioned, but i'm sure that they are similar in concept. Sean
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Tom,

To answer your question about how the Shelter 501 mates with the WB Act arm, I have to think that there is an apparent synergy going on there to get the kind of excellent performance that I've been witnessing. It seems very stable when playing a record and the frequency balance and dynamic shadings are outstanding. On the Eros system, the acoustic guitar seems particularly well-served and is rendered better than I've ever heard it in the vinyl format. Nothing sticks out as being exaggerated or out of place, and I have no complaints so far, which is unusual for me. So in my view, the combination of the WB 0.5 and the Shelter 501 II, is highly recommended.

Mike, the output on the Shelter 501 is 0.4mV, just marginally higher than my Benz Ruby (0.33mV).

I honestly can't tell you too much about Michell's customer service except to say that I did not enjoy my dealings with their US distributor and when I had an issue with the Orbe's motor, I sent it directly to England. Michell replaced it under warranty with no charge except for my shipping (to them) and about $15 in Customs' fees. Honestly, there's not much to go wrong with the Michells and replacement parts are readily available if needed.

To upgrade to the Orbe from the Gyro, the platter and bearing are changed as the basic step. To go to a "full Orbe" the motor and controller are also changed and there is a double acrylic spider assembly. I think that gets pricey because of the motor and power supply/controller unit.

If I were to upgrade my Gyro I think I might stop at the platter and bearing upgrade, then maybe fix the suspension with bdr cones. I think those two things would yield the most cost effective performance gains. But, you know, the Gyro platter is really decent and such a work of art (with the gold-plated brass weights) that it would almost be a shame to change it...

Best regards,
Frank