Top critical review
3.0 out of 5 starscould be it if properly implemented
Reviewed in the United States on December 14, 2023
Bought it here on Black Friday, so the price was right.
Not a DJ, bought it to listen music, not to create music.
Arrived pretty fast, well packed too.
Once assembled, the table looks great (I would prefer a transparent cover, but smoked works too).
As others said, the table is made out of quality materials, weights a lot, and if I did not buy it for listening records - that might be it.
PROS
- really good acoustic noise dampening, and I mean REALLY GOOD.
- Base - clearly defined, "tight"
- stable speed and good (but not great) W&F - measured with a test LP and double-checked with a phone app - 0.08 WRMS/0.16% peak (the manual says 0.01% measured with a built-in generator - not even sure what it means)
- good looks and quality materials
CONS
- rattling tonearm (yes, can be adjusted, but why?!)
- loose tailpiece, where the weight is attached, should not be the case. The adjustment requires the tonearm disassembly, no go
- While VTA is adjustable, HTA is not, and it was set wrong - let's say correct is 12 hours, but it was more like half past 12 all the way to 1, tried with multiple SME shells. That alone is no go, requires tonearm disassembly to fix.
- bad grounding - it would buzz - inconsistently - when I touch the table, or touch the tonearm, or the shell. Sometimes the buzz would disappear, sometimes it would stay. Sometimes it would hum when turned on, sometimes on and after, sometimes - when started. Really inconsistent and thus uncontrollable. Most of the cartridges I tried would result in a light buzz, more or less acceptable, but my best one (giving me no troubles on the old turntable), AT-VM740ML, produced a loud hum in the right channel. Not all the time though, if I took it out and re-insert it worked without hum sometimes, but in a while the hum would start again.
Overall, I feel that the turntable could be really great if properly assembled/adjusted, but looks like the QA process is not consistent and leaves it to a chance.
Mine is going back, and I will be looking at a Technics.
