(EAT also offers customers the opportunity to part with an additional £1,349 for the optional linear power supply, which can be had for a mere £1,079 if it’s specified at the same time as the turntable is rung through the till. It’s certainly a more purposeful-looking item than the rather humdrum power cable the turntable is otherwise supplied with – but EAT insists the C-Dur Concrete’s AC generator, which uses the DC current from the power supply, generates an almost entirely clean AC signal for the motor. It’s this ‘almost’ that’s addressed by the cost-option linear power supply.) 

As a package, the C-Dur Concrete with Jo No.8 cartridge is undeniably glamorous – just the sort of thing that set-dressers around the world like to use a shorthand for ‘wealthy and sophisticated’. The concrete plinth is chic in an industrial kind of way (although it’s well worth bearing in mind that its weight is supported on three high-adjustable damped aluminium feet that are quite aggressively conical in shape. They wasted no time in driving themselves into the wooden shelving of my Blok Stax 2G), and the combination of aluminium and carbon fibre from which the C-Tone arm is constructed catches both the light and the eye. The cartridge may be a bit of a biffer (and that’s putting it mildly – at 19.2 x 25.1 x 28.3mm (HxWxD) it looks almost comically large) but its chestnut body looks the part too.      

Not just design

The C-Dur Concrete (plus its peripherals) is no mere design exercise, though. As the asking price demands, it’s got the technical chops to back up the looks – which is just as well, given that your price-comparable alternatives are, without exception, profoundly capable machines.

So the C-Dur Concrete is supplied with a hefty (5.2kg) platter that’s internally damped with TPE (thermoplastic elastomer) to provide both density and stability. An 900g aluminium sub-platter further isolates this platter from the motor and improves overall tolerances – it rides on an inverted ceramic ball main bearing that pairs with a Teflon plate for even greater rotational stability. The bearing block itself adds another 1.8kg to the kerb weight and uses a polished stainless steel spindle to support the ceramic ball. 

The drive system isolates the motor in a steel ring positioned in the chassis itself, which further contributes to the stability and uniformity of the platter’s rotation. It also reduces resonance transfer (which is already vanishingly low, thanks to, well, all that concrete). The C-Dur Concrete is supplied with a couple of anti-static polished rubber belts to connect the motor to the sub-platter – the broader of the two fits on the upper part of the motor, and facilitates 33.3 and 45rpm (two of the three buttons on the top of the plinth are for speed selection, the other is to put the turntable into ‘standby’.) The second belt fits over the lower portion of the motor, and with this fitted the ‘45rpm’ button actually delivers 78rpm.

C-Note

At 254mm, the C-Note tonearm is notably long, and the materials from which it’s made offer optimum rigidity – just as well, when you consider the relative heft of the cartridge it’s designed to support. The unipivot design ensures the Cardan bearing is never overloaded, and the bearing itself is designed for maximum stability and minimum friction – the tonearm, meanwhile, is internally damped with silicon grease in a drive for even greater resonance rejection.

The high-output moving coil cartridge uses a nude Shibata stylus on a boron cantilever. EAT supplies a semi-balanced five-pin DIN-to-RCA cable to deliver the cartridge’s output to a preamplifier. It’s galling – but not, by this point, surprising – to discover a fully balanced alternative is a cost option. 

Connected to a Chord Huei phono stage and amplified by a Cambridge Audio W Edge stereo power amplifier driving a pair of Bowers & Wilkins 705 S3 Signature loudspeakers bolted to their matching FS-700 S3 stands (with a Naim Uniti Star acting as gain control between phono stage and power amp), the EAT C-Dur Concrete doesn’t waste very much time setting its stall out. This is not one of those sources of music that takes a while to reveal itself – what the C-Dur has, it’s willing to hand over in the most immediate and unequivocal fashion. 

Which means that it doesn’t matter if there’s a heavyweight 2025 reissue of Kevin Ayers’ Bananamour [Cherry Red] spinning or a much-loved (for which read ‘mildly distressed’) original pressing of Pere Ubu’s The Modern Dance [Blank Records] playing – the C-Dur Concrete plays no favorites and is entirely even-handed no matter the circumstances. 

Staggering

It’s a staggeringly clean and uncolored listen, and seems able to keep the spaces and silences in a recording as dark as any record player I’ve ever heard. Its powers of detail retrieval are remarkable – there’s not a huge amount of light and shade in the Pere Ubu recording, but the EAT nevertheless finds and contextualises harmonic variations with something very close to fanaticism. The dynamics of tone and timbre are given proper weighting, just as the broad dynamics of ‘quiet’ and ‘loud’ are (or, in the case of Pere Ubu, ‘loud’ and ‘louder still’). Low-frequency control is unswerving, and the rhythmic positivity that results is as natural as can be. Its overall tonality is very carefully neutral, and its frequency response is brilliantly even from the top end to the bottom – the sound it creates is vividly true to life, and it seems able to peer deep into a recording and locate information that even some very capable alternatives can overlook.

It hits with well-mannered determination at the bottom end, and grants the highest frequencies a decent amount of substance to go along with their undoubted bite and sparkle. It has tremendous powers of midrange resolution – so no matter if it’s the animal-in-a-trap stylings of David Thomas or the dazed Canterbury approximations of Kevin Ayers, a vocalist’s motivations, character and attitude are made every bit as obvious as their basic technique.  

The C-Dur Concrete collates every scrap of information in a recording and presents it as a coherent, and consequently convincing, whole. Four-piece garage band or extended ensemble with numerous elements, it’s all the same to this turntable – it unifies a recording in the most unfussy manner, and hands over the results as a singular occurrence that sounds very much indeed like a performance.

Size matters?

If there’s a shortcoming, it concerns the size of the sound the EAT generates. It has no problem describing a soundstage with real confidence, and making its layout as explicit as possible – but it just doesn’t sound very big. Everything that happens, happens strictly between the outer edges of the two speakers at the end of the chain – so while the soundstage itself is organised carefully, there’s a slight sense of confinement to the overall presentation that just isn’t an issue with the vast majority of the deck’s price-comparable alternatives. 

It’s a shortcoming, there’s no two ways about it – but everything the C-Dur Concrete does so well goes a fair way towards minimising it as an issue. And it doesn’t seem impossible that the expansive visual appeal of the C-Dur Concrete might further help you overlook the slightly hemmed-in nature of its sound. 

Specs & Pricing

C-Dur Concrete turntable

Type: Full size
Rotational Speeds (RPM): 33.3, 45, 78
Supported Tonearm Length(s): 254mm
Drive Mechanism: Belt
Speed Control: Automatic
Platter Type: Aluminium
Platter Weight: 5.2kg
Bearing Type: Inverted ceramic ball
Dimensions (h x w x d) (mm): 170 x 496 x 396
Weight (kg): 32
Price: £6,499, $7,490, €7,490

C-Tone tonearm

Type: Unipivot
Tonearm Length (mm): 254
Effective Tonearm Mass (g): 16.5
Offset Angle (deg): 21.4
Weight (g): 16.5
Price: N/A

Jo No.8 cartridge

Type: High-output moving coil
Stylus: Nude Shibata
Tracking Force (g): 2
Load (ohms): >15
Compliance: 15 μm/mN
Output (at 1 kHz @ 3.45cm/s): 0.3mV
Weight (g): 12.5
Price: £1,999 (£1,599 if purchased with the C-Dur Concrete turntable), $2,699, €2,349.

Manufacturer EAT
www.europeanaudioteam.com

• User-Friendly Operation: An electronic speed control enables effortless switching between 33.3 and 45 RPM at the touch of a button. An illuminated switch powers the unit on and off, eliminating the need for manual belt adjustments.
• Signature Design: The solid alder chassis not only echoes the Stratocaster in form and finish but delivers excellent resonance control for audio performance. The smooth, tactile surface and handcrafted feel speak to both its musical and visual heritage.
• Award-Winning Components: The turntable features a 6.8 lb. Delrin platter, 10” aluminum tonearm with Cardas Audio wiring, and hardened steel inverted bearing with sapphire thrust pad akin to the Award-Winning UltraDeck Turntable.

Key Features:

• 10″ straight aluminum tonearm with gimbaled bearing and Cardas Audio wiring
• Built-in electronic 33/45 speed control with illuminated on/off switch
• Height-adjustable HRS isolation feet
• 6.8 lb. Delrin platter
• Solid alder body with classic tobacco sunburst finish
• Removable dust cover
• Available in three package configurations, including pre-mounted and aligned MoFi MM or MC cartridges

The Fender American Vintage Turntable is the latest chapter in MoFi’s ongoing story- a story that began with master tapes and now continues with world-class turntables. It’s a celebration of sound, history, and craftsmanship-designed for those who know that music is more than just something you hear. MoFi continues to uphold its mission: Getting you closer to the source.

For more information, visit www.mofielectronics.com.

The TT01 uses a flat belt to connect the motor to the inner section of the 3-piece platter. The platter is made up of an aluminum inner subplatter, an acrylic disc, and an aluminum outer ring. Thiele says this material combination contributes to damping and smoothing platter vibrations. The platter bearing uses a ceramic ball that runs on a circular ring, using grease instead of oil for lubrication. This combination is said to create an evenly controlled braking force that smooths mechanical motor operation.

On the rear of the TT01 is the motor controller’s power connector to the external linear power supply. In that general location, there are two fine-adjustment potentiometers for 33⅓ and 45rpm speed settings. On the opposite side of the rear panel, near the tonearm mount are a set of XLR output connectors and a grounding post. The TT01 only has XLR tonearm cable output connectors. If single-ended RCA outputs are desired, XLR-to-RCA adaptors can be used.

Viewing the TT01 from the top, you can see the three adjustment feet (one in each front corner and one in the center rear). The backlit power/speed control buttons are in the front left corner. The turntable platter takes up much of the top’s real estate on the left, while the tonearm base is on the right rear. The TT01’s 4-screw circular armboard accepts the TA01 arm base, which is connected via a center steel ball and four outer screws in a parallelogram configuration. This contact is said to produce a higher level of isolation between the tonearm and chassis.

Thiele’s TA01 is a pivoted linear-tracking tonearm that keeps tangency to the record groove via a two-point horizontal-movement design that is kept to within 0.036 degrees of angle error throughout its entire travel distance along the vinyl record. Vertical movement is like that of standard tonearms. The mechanical arm assembly material of the TA01 is mostly aluminum with wood damping added in certain areas like the headshell, one of the two-point control arms, and the counterweight. The armtube is made of double-walled carbon fiber with a special dual-component damping gel inserted between the walls.

When I quizzed Helmut Thiele about the lowest tracking force cartridge to use with the TA01, his response was to use cartridges that require a tracking force of 2.0 grams or higher. I agree with his statement. Therefore, I limited my evaluation to cartridges that operated within the TA01’s recommended lowest tracking force range of 2.0 grams or higher.

The RM01 is a grey-colored record mat that dampens stylus-induced vibrations so that they don’t smear the natural sound retrieved by the cartridge.

The DW01 Damping Weight operates on a similar principle of dampening and removing stylus-induced vibrations that travel along the tops of vinyl records so that they don’t smear the natural sound retrieved by the cartridge. The 400-gram DW01 does this by combining aluminum, ebony wood (rods and inserts), and the same two-part damping gel used in the TA01 tonearm. I observed that the DW01 has a percentage of the sonic calming effect that is generally the raison d’être of properly implemented vacuum-hold-down record-spinners.

The ADB01 was born out of a collaboration with Thiele and the Seismion vibration isolation company. This active damping platform was specifically designed for the TT01 with aesthetically matched exterior (color and footprint) and imbedded spike cups perfectly located for the turntable. The ADB01 contains special wood materials and load-bearing isolation plates. The Active Damping Base uses all analog electronics to eliminate frequency-limiting digital feedback’s latency-induced sampling delays. After power up, the ADB01 internally stabilizes for about 20 seconds. Then the LED turns amber/green to indicate the unit is functioning. Internal sensors monitor external vibrations from the floor, rack, air, and turntable itself (motor, etc.). Thiele says: “The signals of these sensors are used to steer 4 electronic analog amplifiers, where the signal is inverted. These 4 amplifiers drive 4 actuators, which compensate for the vibrations and prevent the vibration from affecting the turntable. This is the same principle as a noise-cancelling earphone.” In use the ADB01 is very effective in limiting the external influence of floor vibrations, in addition to providing a level of isolation from low-level vibration-induced noise.

Setup

The ADB01 Active Damping Base is placed in the location (stand or shelf) chosen for the Thiele record player. The ADB01’s power supply is attached to the unit and plugged into the AC outlet with the ADB01 power switch in the off position. Next, the base of the TT01 is placed on top of the ADB01, with the turntable’s three leveling feet fitted into the dedicated locations on top of the ADB01. The turntable belt and subplatter assembly are installed according to instructions. The RM01 record mat is placed on the platter, and the turntable is checked/adjusted for level. The TT01’s external linear power supply is then connected and plugged into the AC outlet.

Next the TA01 is installed on the TT01 according to instructions. At this point, there are sections in the instructions that mention making sure the platter is level before making the leveling adjustments of the TA01 arm base. This step is particularly important to the proper operation of the TA01 arm. When using the ADB01, one levels the turntable platter on the ADB01 and then rechecks/readjusts level after turning on the ADB01 to ensure the TT01 platter is still level. At this point, the TA01 arm base can be adjusted. The compatible cartridge is then installed according to the instructions for proper alignment. One follows the 27-step manual (with photos) for standard cartridge adjustments of VTA/SRA, azimuth, VTF, and proper effective length for the stylus of the cartridge mounted in the pivoted linear-tracking tonearm.

With the TA01 Zero Tracking Error Tonearm, there is a bubble level that must be set once assembled and prior to cartridge installation. This level adjustment is then checked again after the cartridge installation is completed. (The TA01 manual covers this adjustment.) In addition, Helmut Thiele provided more information about the final manufacturing assembly setting and how the TT01’s higher-mass horizontal movement works with the cartridge: “When I assemble my tonearms, I mount each tonearm with pickup cartridge installed on my turntable and adjust the four base screws which fix the base of the tonearm onto the steel center ball below it. Thereby, I make sure that one direction of the base is perfectly vertical and the other direction slightly slanted. This creates a tiny force which lets the tonearm move without affecting the position of the cantilever. I adjust the slant by checking the behavior of the cantilever when it touches the groove. If it moves to the center of the platter, the slant is too small, and the base must be tilted a bit more—and vice versa. When I find the perfect position of the base, I glue the spirit level in the center/neutral position into the base. This is the correct position for the pickup that I use (Ortofon Verismo); for other cartridges with different tracking forces or stylus shapes, it may be necessary to fine-tune this position. I explain the procedure in my manual.” That explanation in the manual covers watching the cartridge’s stylus action when lowered on a record and observing the behavior. Based on the results, adjustments to the arm base may be necessary.

Listening

Once properly set up, the Thiele record-player system provided trouble-free operation. The first cartridge I mounted on the Thiele was the new overachieving Hana SL MKII. If you read my Hana SL MKII review, the following words will give you a déjà vu moment: “One afternoon/evening during the completion of this evaluation period with the Hana SL MK II mounted to the Thiele TA01 linear-tracking pivoted tonearm on the Thiele TT01 turntable, I managed to listen to music in this order, as the mood evolved from John Williams’ Violin Concerto, Eric Bibb, Pink Floyd, Harry Belafonte, Nat King Cole, Lady Blackbird, Luigi Boccherini, Vivaldi, Kent Jordan, Ella Fitzgerald & Joe Pass, Duke Ellington, Art Pepper, and Regine Crespin performing Ravel’s Scheherazade. Each piece of music was a delight to hear, and the genre didn’t matter. As the mood shifted to selecting different pieces of music and different performers during the listening session, the cartridge adapted to the moment and output what the grooves of the LP presented with all the ease, liveliness, vigor, elegance, and emotional moods captured during the recording session.” This pretty much sums up the feeling of musical enjoyment the Thiele record player system is capable of conveying when a compatible cartridge yielding superb performance is installed. The Thiele invites the listener to experience and appreciate the performances of all types of compositions and feast on those presentations until satisfied.

More specifically, the TT01, TA01, RM01, ADB01, and DW01 allow the recording and cartridge to strut their stuff and provide a platform ready for whatever comes out of the grooves. The virtues of the Hana SL MK II were triplicated with the Umami Red and Umami Blue. The delta of contrasts with the Red and Blue were readily apparent. In short, Umami Red’s slightly warmer tone and smoother play versus Umami Blue’s more incisive and slightly speedier dynamic pacing were evident.

With music, the Thiele system allowed dynamic contrasts, truthful instrument timbre, staging and spatial cues, rhythmic pacing, and musical energy to shine. Circling back to a subset of the artists I listened to during my night of random listening, let’s take a few of the pieces and unpack the traits I just mentioned. I played a few of the LPs again with the Hana SL MKII to focus on dynamics, timbre, staging/space, pacing, and musical energy. Musical togetherness was uniformly outstanding throughout the listening evaluation period.

With less complex duo or trio performances, the Thiele record-player system maintained the qualities mentioned above. Kent Jordan’s rendition of “Stella by Starlight” on his Essence album has Kevin Eubanks on acoustic guitar, Darrell Lavigne on piano, and Jordan playing flute. This makes for a simple arrangement that is still packed with the soft dynamics of Eubank’s delicate guitar playing, which add tone color, timing, and precise string energy to the music. Lavigne’s piano playing provides a spread that spans a good bit of the stage between the speakers, with precisely identifiable key strikes that linger just long enough to delight. Jordan’s flute is front and center, mostly soft and airy, as one would expect from the instrument. The whole of the performance is mixed and mastered to create a spacious presentation that is both inviting and enjoyable when played back on the Thiele.

Contrast the Kent Jordan with the more direct recording of Eric Bibb performing the title cut from his album Painting Signs, where Bibb sings and plays guitar with Janne Pettersson playing stage strings. Bibbs guitar is closely miked and picks up his complete note, from the initial finger rub of the string to the guitar’s body to the note’s decay in a way that gives a direct, less room-acoustical sound to the instrument. Knowing it is Bibb playing this essentially single spotlit instrument with his unmistakable vocals gently telling a tale of literally painting signs, the instrumental and vocal immediacy make timbre palpable. Petterson creates a deep, spacious, multi-string tonality that moves within the rear soundstage in a slow methodical fashion. The Thiele system expressed the emotional connection delivered by the song with ease.

An example of complexity comes from John Williams’ Violin Concerto No. 2, with the Boston Symphony Orchestra conducted by the man himself and Anne-Sophie Mutter performing the violin part. Given that Williams said that the concerto’s inspiration and energy came from thinking about Mutter as an artist, it seemed fitting that her playing in this concerto is one of her most captivatingly dynamic and energetic performances. The concerto starts with a very soft introduction of strings including pianissimo pizzicatos followed by low-level arco bass and cello. The violins and violas add to the mix in sweeping energetic runs from pianissimo to mezzoforte before Mutter enters with similar energetic runs on her violin. After which, the entire orchestra launches into dynamic passages from delicate to bombastic, with the focus repeatedly transitioning from Mutter to the full orchestra. This new-age orchestral piece has it all—and that’s just the opening “Prologue.” With the Thiele system, the entire concerto sounds fabulous. The music takes the listener on a journey through a range of playing from Mutter that captivates.

Conclusion

When properly configured with a compatible cartridge, Helmut Thiele’s record-player system is a pleasure to use and operate. The system draws sonic pictures of delight with well-recorded albums. Give the Thiele a listen and decide if it is the record player for you.

Specs & Pricing

TT01

Type: Belt-driven turntable
Motor: AC synchronous
Drive system: Belt drive
Speed stability +/- 0.07%
Fine speed adjustment: +/- 5%
Dimensions: 20″ x 7.87″ x 15.75″
Weight: 37.5 lbs.
Price: $31,500 ($36,000 w/gold-plated bronze TA01)

TA01

Type: Pivoted tangential-tracking tonearm
Max lateral tracking error: 0.036 degrees
Effective mass: 14 grams
Recommended dynamic compliance: ~20 (um/mN)
Cartridge weight balance range: 4 to 20 grams
Price: Included with TT01 purchase ($14,500–$19,200 purchased separately)

ADB01

Type: Active damping base
Damping system: All-analog electronic-sensor feedback & control
Price: $20,000

RM01

Type: Record mat
Price: Included with TT01 purchase ($250 purchased separately)

DW01

Type: Record weight
Price: $1200

WYNN AUDIO (USA & Canada Distributor)
Unit 31
20 Wertheim Ct.
Richmond Hill
Ontario L4B 3A8 Canada
(647) 995-2995 (Canada)
(212) 826-1111 (USA)
info@wynnaudio.com
wynnaudio.com

Reference System

Analog tape: Otari MTR-10 Studio Mastering (¼” 2-track) tape deck with custom Flux Magnetic Mastering Series repro head and secondary custom tube output stage, Studer A820 Studio Mastering (¼” 2-track) tape deck (x2), Studer A80VU MKII Studio Mastering (¼” 2-track) tape deck, ReVox A700 (¼” 2-track and ¼” 4-track heads) tape deck (x2), Stellavox SP7 (¼” 2-track) tape deck with ABR large reel adapter, Nagra IV-S tape deck with custom large reel adapter, ReVox G-36 (¼” 4-track) tape deck, 1950 Ampex 400A tape repro electronics, Soulution 757 De-emphasis unit
Analog vinyl: Basis Audio Debut Vacuum with Synchro-Wave Power Supply, Basis Audio 2800 Vacuum, Thiele TT-01 w/Active Damping Base, TW Acustic Raven Two turntables; Basis Audio SuperArm 9, Basis Audio Vector IV (x2), Graham Phantom III, Graham 2.2, Thiele TA-01 tonearms; Lyra Atlas Lambda, Lyra Atlas Lambda SL, Lyra Etna Lambda SL, Lyra Titan-i, van den Hul Colibri XGP, Hana SL, Hana SL MK II, Hana Umami Red, Hana Umami Blue
Analog phonostage: The Raptor (Custom), Ayre P-5xe, Musical Surroundings Phonomena II+ w/Linear Power Supply, Soulution 350
Digital source: Intel i7 10th generation processor-based music server hosting JRiver Media Center, Roon, and Qobuz
Preamplification: Dual Placette Audio Active Linestage, Soulution 326
Amplification: Custom/modified solid-state monoblocks, Soulution 312
Loudspeakers: Vandersteen Model 3a Signature with dual 2Wq subs and dual SUB THREE subwoofers with M5-HPB high-pass filter
Cables: Assortment of AudioQuest, Shunyata, Tara Labs, Acoustic Research, Cardas, and custom cables
Support: Minus-K BM-1, Neuance shelf, Maple wood shelf, Symposium Ultra
Acoustics: Walker Audio
Accessories: Aurios Pro, Pneuance Audio, Walker Audio, Klaudio KD-CLN-LP200, VPI 16.5, Clearaudio Double Matrix Professional Sonic
Room: 18′ (W), 43′ (L), 8′ (H)

The negative stiffness platform is functionally the subchassis in a suspended turntable. Like the One, the Helix Two Mk3 also includes a “mechanical crossover” that creates a ‘least harm’ mechanical pathway to dissipate very high frequency vibrations. However, in the Helix Two Mk3, this uses tuned constrained layer damping and pre-stressed tuned mass dampers within the chassis itself. This arrangement is used to attenuate any vibration in the chassis caused by the Swiss-made three-phase AC motor or the inverted bearing. As these are engineered down to a fine degree, that’s not doing much in the way of attenuation, but this turntable shares the same uncompromising stance as its bigger brother so the phrase ‘not much’ does not exist on the Döhmann play-book.

It’s difficult not to start almost every sentence with “Like the Helix One Mk3…” because the two share so much in common. For example, like the upgradability from the original Helix Two to Mk3 status in a ‘no man left behind’ way. Or like the belt arrangement, which uses two clear polymer bands and is entirely hidden from view. While the installation is largely performed by someone else at this level, the belt is sited through the high-tech arrangement of ‘using a bit of string’.

The Helix Two also uses a lightweight and rigid ‘Advanced Composite’ fibre/polymer laminate floating armboard in place of the alloy one used on the previous edition. And, yet again, the One Mk3 has the same Advanced Composite armboard for both the main and secondary armboards.

The Helix Two Mk3 also uses a special record clamp with ‘RSA’ resonance control, which is found in the Helix One Mk3. This oversimplifies a record clamp that has been the subject of years of R&D, but everything that carries the Döhmann name comes with years of R&D.

Then, the HF and RFI absorption and power filtration found on the Helix One Mk3 trickled down to the Helix Two Mk3 power supply. And even the vacuum hold down option and upgrade is on the cards for both turntables.

So, there must be some differences between the Helix One Mk3 and Helix Two Mk3. Well, yes. Where the Helix One Mk3 is a fully integrated unit, where the turntable resides within the ‘PowerBase’ power supply, on the Helix Two Mk3, that power supply is a separate unit that sits below the turntable. And… It’s smaller and can only sport one tonearm.

Sound quality

Like its bigger brother, I’ve never played so many records and made so few listening notes. Every album led to another album, and still no listening notes because I was enjoying the performance so much. Tracks I hadn’t played in years came out for a session, not to ascertain what the Döhmann Helix Two Mk3 was doing, but simply because I wanted to hear them again and hear them played so well.

I could fluff this and simply refer the listener back to the previous issue almost entirely for the Helix Two Mk3’s sound quality, but that’s as lazy as it is unfair. So, let’s start the listening at the lead-in groove. It’s quiet, so insanely quiet that you have an ‘is this thing on?’ moment. Self-noise from the phono stage is way more noticeable than the Helix Two Mk3’s impact on the groove. It’s like the entire system took a deep breath and calmed down before playing the music.

That absence of noise is matched by a total adherence to fidelity. That sounds trite as it’s the supposed goal of all things ‘hi-fi’ by definition, but the Helix Two Mk3 shows how rarely that adherence is observed to the ultimate degree. The sound has master-tape levels of control and accuracy. This is coupled to a bold and powerful sense of dynamic range and both a sense of staging and presence, and a wicked sense of rhythm. In short, the turntable is so damn good that its contribution to the sound is tiny, and makes you realise just how much most other turntables contribute… and not in a good way.

This is the sort of turntable that, pitched even slightly the wrong way, would be a hyper-analytical look into the rest of the system. It’s even-tempered enough to make you hear the difference between solder in cables, but not so musically bereft that it makes listening a soulless experience. It shows that arm and cartridge are the prime movers in ‘musicality’ but does so by removing any impediment to hearing those parts of the system.

If that sounds like faint praise, guess again. The absence of character means an absence of bass attenuation, an absence of slurring and blurring of bass notes, and a precision to the attack of those bass notes that borders on the preternatural. This means bass precision, range, depth and authority that shines through on every piece of music, from the majesty of the tympani, through the swing and precision of a jazz bassist right through to the sheer ‘oomph’ of synths and dub reggae.

One record sums this up perhaps better than any other is the 12” ‘Annihilation’ mix of Frankie Goes To Hollywood’s ‘Two Tribes’ [ZTT]. It’s never going to be anything less than exciting; it’s Trevor Horn at his overproduced best, throwing early samples, impersonators and the voice of the UK’s accidentally horrific ‘Protect and Survive’ nuclear civil defence videos into the mix. It’s a dynamic and powerful maelstrom of a record, underpinned by a savage bass line and a deep, synth bass drum synced to the click-track at a disco-beat pace. It’s easy to overawe many record players and while some of that comes down to tracking, a surprising amount of that performance stands or falls on the ability of the turntable to get out of the way of the music, providing a neutral backdrop for the music to play. And that’s what the Döhmann ‘brothers’ do so well.

I haven’t been this impressed with a turntable since the Döhmann Helix One Mk3! This gets within a whisker of that top performance in all the right ways. Yes, ‘Two’ is smaller and only takes one arm, but it costs about two thirds the price of ‘One’. ‘One’ is slightly better than ‘Two’ but unless you are listening side-by-side, you’ll probably never notice. Yes, there is always that ultimate performance from the ‘One’ that the ‘Two’ might miss under extremely careful listening sessions, but for me at least, the Helix Two Mk3 is the no-fuss sweet-spot.

More extraction

So, the apple really doesn’t fall far from the tree. The Döhmann Helix Two Mk3 comes so close to the Helix One Mk3 that they perform like identical twins. The Döhmann Audio Helix Two Mk3 is all the turntable you’ll ever need.

Specs & Pricing

Type: Belt-driven turntable
Operation: Two push buttons on the table top plate for speed selection/on/off
Speed Control: Speed is constantly calibrated over 130,000 times per second to deliver precise 33.33 or 45.15 rpm (factory default). Default factory set speeds are 33 RPM and 45 RPM. Please note that 78 RPM and other custom speeds are available by request. Simple user-adjustable speed control is accessible via two intuitive push buttons on the rear of the main chassis
Drive System: Fully integrated Swiss-manufactured high torque motor (de-coupled). Dual-belt platter drive designed to reduce static electricity and vibrations
Tonearm facilities: One armboard to facilitate the mounting two tonearms up to 12” (305mm) simultaneously. All Helix Two Mk3 turntables come with two Mk3 Advanced Composite Armboards. The armboards are removable and allow simple interchange and calibration
Finish: Titanium, silver or black. All Helix Two Mk3 turntables can be fitted a carbon fibre top plate
Dimensions: (without clamp or tonearm, W×D×H) 48 × 40 × 20cm
Base/PSU: 48x39x5.5cm
Weight: 8kg (deck), 5kg base
Price: £46,000

Manufacturer 
DöhmannAudio 
dohmannaudio.com

UK distributor 
Absolute Sounds
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McIntosh PS1K Subwoofer

At the heart of the massive new PS1K subwoofer are two 13″ drivers featuring McIntosh’s proprietary  Low Distortion High Performance (LD/HP^®) Magnetic Circuit Design, which reduces distortion and improves power handling. The woofers incorporate multi-layer carbon-fiber cones for superior rigidity and resist flex even at high outputs. The PS1K is driven by two 500-watt Class D amplifiers. A sealed box design and nearly 1.5″-thick enclosure baffle assist to eliminate port noise and vibration. With balanced and unbalanced subwoofer connections, adjustable filters, and parametric EQ, it can be fine-tuned to suit individual listening environments and preferences. McIntosh’s signature  Power Guard^®  and  Sentry Monitor  technologies are built into the PS1K to protect against overloading and short circuits. Additionally, the PS1K’s eco-friendly signal-sensing and Power Control technology enhance convenience and power management. With a sleek high-gloss black finish, carbon trim, and an aluminum base.
Price: $35,000.  mcintoshlabs.com

A specially engineered synthetic thrust bearing is matched to a brass radial bearing in an oil bath. I am reliably informed that the thick rubber platter-mat, one of the best I’ve used, has acquired something of a cult following as a replacement mat for other turntables (Luxman market it as a $345 accessory). As with the 151A, I felt no need to swap mats. Assuming purchasers will have their own preferences for weights, clamps, or nothing at all, Luxman supply nothing but say the bearing is more than rugged enough to handle the heaviest ones on the market. Depending on the recording, I alternated among the Basis Audio clamp, the heavier HRS weight (no longer available—sigh), or nothing.

The motor drive-system and power supply are isolated within micro-compartments mounted to an extra-thick bottom plate insulated with thick rubber/polymer to absorb vibrations before they reach the stylus/record/platter interface. The four round, damped chassis isolator-feet are likewise an upgrade, offering additional feedback protection plus leveling—relative to which, these feet should never be screwed tight against the underside of the chassis. Leave a small gap (the manual suggests a millimeter—clearance for a few slips of ordinary paper does the trick). However Luxman have managed the combination of damping and isolation throughout the design, the reproduction is exceptionally clean, unperturbed, and quiet, with deep black backgrounds. Cue the stylus down to a stationary LP, turn the volume all the way up, and you’re met with no howl, only silence.

One of the biggest differences between the 191A vis-a-vis the 151A and 171A packages concerns tonearms. Shortly after the 151 was introduced, the integrated Jelco arm became unavailable when Jelco closed its doors (owing to the pandemic and an aging workforce), leaving Luxman searching for a new arm, which they wound up sourcing from SAEC, another Japanese firm famous for its arms (the Mk II suffix on the PD-151 tables indicates the SAEC version). This led to Luxman and SAEC collaborating on a wholly new design for the 191A. Two and a half years in development, the 191A’s arm was given a Luxman name and model number, LTA-710, because it will be marketed as a separate product. Not stock but available as an upgrade is a balanced arm cable terminated in XLR connectors. The LTA-710 has an S shape, knife-edged bearings, an effective length of ten inches, a removable universal headshell, and medium mass, making it suitable for use with a fairly wide variety of phono pickups. As with any serious arm, overhang, offset, tracking force, skating force, and arm height are all easily optimized and remain stable once fixed.

The only thing not available is azimuth adjustment. If this is important to you, your alternatives are three: a universal headshell with azimuth adjustment (LP Gear offer one, as do Ortofon and Audio Technica); phono pickups that allow for this in the design of the body (several Ortofons); or an arm with the adjustment built in. (A fourth is homemade shims.) While I am aware most vinyl enthusiasts cut pickup manufacturers a lot more slack than I when it comes to imprecisions in azimuth, I remain firm in my belief that any cartridge costing more than a few hundred dollars that doesn’t get it right should be returned. I used the 191A as supplied with at least half a dozen pickups over a wide spectrum of pricing and type and encountered no issues.

The other new feature concerning tonearms is provision for an additional armboard, another first, I believe, for a Luxman turntable. I use the word “board” advisedly. When Jeff Sigmund, CEO of Luxman American, supplied one for my 12″ SME M2-12R, it was cut from a slab of solid metal, chrome-plated, and priced at a breathtaking thousand dollars. As of now, the company supplies mounting plates cut for only five arms selected among models from SME, SAEC, Fidelity Research/ IKEDA, and Ortofon. Blank boards are available, but consumers must seek out their own metal workers to cut them. There’s an optional 4mm thick, hinged dust cover for $795—a lot, I know, but Sigmund told me he sought out custom plexiglass companies to see if it could be manufactured for less stateside; they took one look at it and said they wouldn’t even try to match its quality for that price. For what my opinion is worth, in a strictly aesthetic sense, to say nothing of the practical, the dust cover completes the package visually and functionally, nor can I remember a better executed dust cover. (It will stay open to any height and can even be closed while playing an LP.) But if you’re planning on mounting an additional arm, know that the board usurps the space for one of the hinges—in other words, it’s either a second arm or the cover.

Luxman makes a point of touting how good the stock headshell is (like the mat, it too is available as an accessory, $295). Taking them at their word, I did some swapping with aftermarket headshells, and in several instances I preferred the sound with Luxman’s: smoother, more neutral, easier on the ears. But something like this is so dependent on the arm and the pickup that global pronouncements, not to say expectations, should be studiously avoided.

Generous in size without going gargantuan—it will easily fit on most component racks (though check the specs at the end of this review for dust-cover clearances)—the PD-191A is an almost textbook example of intelligent table/arm ergonomics, the controls logically placed and spaced along the front, with a lot of room around the arm, which makes all the pickup adjustments easily accessible and quick to implement. In less than half an hour I had it unboxed, pickup installed, dialed in, and playing music. And a grateful nod, by the way, to whoever made the decision to outfit the armrest with a clip that locks the arm in place (as opposed to the typical press fit that sometimes allows arms to be dislodged too easily). If you’re at all experienced in turntable setup, you hardly need the manual.

Ever considerate, Luxman provides a pair of handles that screw into the heavy platter to facilitate lowering it into the shaft, while the belt goes around the perimeter of the platter, not under it; once positioned, a provided cover protects the exposed pulley—clearly a company that seems to miss nothing, including a gauge to set stylus overhang (something missing from the original 151A). The arm is static balanced, which means vertical tracking force is set by positioning the marker ring to zero, adjusting the counterweight so the arm floats level, and dialing in the weight by rotating the ring and counterweight together to the desired value. VTF calibration on the PD-151A’s Jelco was off by around half a gram; the SAEC’s is accurate, but I’d still recommend an aftermarket gauge. Antiskating uses the weight-and-thread method, with indented rings on an outrigger calibrated to jibe with selected tracking force (the helpful manual has an illustration identifying the value of each ring). In the absence of any industry-wide agreement as to the optimal way to set antiskating, the best I’ve found, and practically foolproof, is with the WallySkater, which also revealed the SAEC to be free from stiction (static frictional forces), worrisome friction, and unwanted bias owing to torqued arm wiring. Before I acquired the WallySkator, my typical practice was to reduce the skating value recommended by any given arm manufacturer by two-thirds to half, then trim it in by ear, listening for mistracking in the right channel. Lest there be any misunderstanding, the LTA-710 is no more, in fact, rather less vulnerable to these imprecisions than many good arms; it’s just that owing to their precision, I routinely press the Wally tools into service for every table, arm, and pickup I evaluate (see TAS 349 for my review, which also calls attention to a really good electronic stylus-force gauge that’s a super bargain to boot).

Before going on to the sound, I must appreciate again the engineering, the workmanship, the parts, style, fit, finish, attention to detail, and commitment to some of the highest industry standards of precision execution in every aspect of this superb product. Priced at $12,495, the 191A just radiates class and quality throughout, while in day-to-day use it’s one of the most completely pleasurable record-playing components in my five decades as an audiophile. Yes, yes, I know, this is typical of Luxman, but not so typical in high-end audio at large that we should pass over it without commendation.

The Sound

When I reviewed the PD-151A, I evaluated it through the perspective of four different phono pickups because I wanted to hear if it imparted any tonal character of its own to that of the pickups themselves. I used this approach because a cornerstone of Luxman’s philosophy when it comes to their electronics and their SACD/CD players is an explicit interventionist tailoring of the overall tonal balance. As conveyed to me by Jeff Sigmund, Luxman wants them to be “musical and natural, never strident or aggressive. They want you to be able to hear all sorts of detail, even at the micro level, yet without fatigue, for a rich, musical experience.” Every Luxman amplification and digital component I’ve reviewed (one integrated amplifier, three SACD/CD players, not to mention its phono pickup) exhibits these characteristics to some degree or another. However, the PD-151A does not and neither does the PD-191A.

As I had both ensembles in house at the same time for a short while, I was able to compare them directly using most of the same pickups as in the earlier review. They both performed outstandingly, neutral in the tonal sense, allowing each of the pickups to sound as I know them to sound in other setups with which I have long familiarity. That said, the two decks do not sound absolutely identical, but the differences are rather more difficult to pin down. For one thing, consistent in my experience with tables that are heavier—not necessarily larger as regards how much real estate they occupy, rather in how much mass they have, how and where it’s distributed, and how much damping—the 191A exhibited a greater impression of sheer authority. On really big material like orchestras with and without choruses, operas, hard-driving jazz and rock ensembles whether large or small, and so forth, the scale is more expansive, and grip, control, and stability are better, with a corresponding impression of greater ease, relaxation, and effortlessness. Add to this a subtler improvement in noise and the way the inevitable ticks and pops are handled: less obtrusively, less stressfully on the upper model, with correspondingly improved detail retrieval and overall refinement.

There is also a feeling of stronger pulse, momentum, forward motion, and a certain vigor, boldness, and vibrancy (where appropriate to the music), which I attribute to the high-torque motor and heavier platter. Try Ali Akbar Khan: Master Musician of India (vintage Connoisseur Society 45rpm), “Blue Rondo A La Turk” on Brubeck’s Time Out (Acoustic Sounds reissue), or the spectacular soundtrack to the Spielberg West Side Story. If you can sit still with any of these spinning on this rig, well, you’ve got a lot more self-control than I!

Now, I do not wish to suggest the differences between the 191 and the 151 are night and day. Assuming thoughtfulness in design and care in execution, a component that costs twice to three to 10 or more times another component does not necessarily perform those multiples better than a less expensive one when the less expensive one also benefits from similar thoughtfulness and care. Once a certain high level of excellence is realized, and the PD-151A certainly did that, further improvements are usually of a lesser order of magnitude. That turntables with greater mass tend to suggest a bigger, more expansive sound I’ve always attributed to the way they handle disturbances like external vibrations, whether filtering them or more effectively absorbing them into the larger structures where they are dissipated as heat. Greater mass, if implemented correctly, simply isolates or otherwise shields the stylus/LP interface more effectively. The same is true, all other things being equal, for higher torque motors when it comes to those elusive characteristics of pace, grip, and momentum. In all these ways, the 191 is predictably superior to the 151, which nevertheless remains an excellent setup.

The 191A arrived when I was in the process of evaluating several vinyl products, including three pickups new to me. Because it soon proved itself to be so reliably neutral a platform, swapping pickups with the requisite adjustments so fast and reliable, I pressed it into service for both my reviewing work and my listening for pleasure. Let’s start with the Hana SL Mono pickup (review forthcoming), which I installed in three different setups: my reference Garrard 301/SME M2-12R and both Luxman PD models (plus a couple of setups at friends’ houses), but I mostly I left it in the 191A’s SAEC, with which it formed a particularly attractive synergy: solid bottom end, rich midrange, and smooth, sweet highs. Playing the LP included in Sony’s big box Glenn Gould: The Goldberg Variations: The Complete Unreleased Recording Sessions June 1955, finds the piano perfectly focused front and center, the contrapuntal lines clean, articulated, and reproduced with new clarity, brilliance, detail, and resolution (Gould’s humming in greater evidence, his dynamic shadings more exquisitely rendered, his sometimes challenging tempos breathtaking in their combination of complete control and apparent recklessness).

The same holds for Ortofon’s Synergy G. The tonal balance of this pickup favors a full, extended bass, an even richer midrange, a mild lay-back in the presence region (reminiscent of a Gundry Dip), and a bit of lift way up high that adds a soupçon of scintillating bite and tingle. I didn’t have the 191A when I reviewed the Ortofon, which I mostly used in the Thorens TD124 DD, but the same personality emerged when I installed it in the 191A. “Day by Day” on the Sinatra/Billy May Come Dance with Me (Capitol) brings a huge big-band sound that really lifts the lid off May’s antiphonal brass, with Sinatra’s baritone caught tonally to perfection, while the G’s slight presence pullback takes just enough edge off the very bright recording to make the brass sound properly brassy but not edgy as such.

A century and a world away from Sinatra and May at their swingingest to Beethoven at his most sublime: the Budapest’s stereo recording of the op. 131 quartet in a vintage two-eye Columbia pressing. When this was recently reissued by Sony in remastered SACD, some critics remarked upon the very wide spread of the soundstage, as if this were a function of the remastering. In fact, that is how the original recording (a Columbia two-eye) sounds with the first violin far to the left, the cello far to the right, the second violin and the viola a little closer in from each extreme but never quite occupying the center. In the tonal sense the instrumental timbres are faithfully rendered, and the sense of involvement is complete.

Until recently I’ve had no personal experience with DS Audio’s cutting-edge optical technology whereby the grooves on a record modulate a pair of optical shades attached to the cantilever to vary the amount of light created internal LEDs striking a photodetector. (This is a very simplified description; I recommend everyone reading this to peruse any of Jon Valin’s DS Audio reviews in past issues for an exemplary clear description.) Inasmuch as I’ve been reading nothing but choruses of raves for the DS pickups, when Garth Leerer of Musical Surroundings asked me if I’d like to audition DS’s new entry-level model, the ES-3, with its associated phono equalizer, he didn’t have to ask twice. The raves are warranted, notably in the areas of transparency, clarity, resolution, and dynamic range, which are superior to any other pickups in my experience regardless of technology type or price. The 191A handled it with ease and rivaled my reference setup. The Sinatra/May recording it reproduced without any tonal softening, so the brass really leap out with an unvarnished brilliance that is endemic to the recording, the dynamic range really wide, the transparency unveiled.

Even better is one of the great opera recordings: Erich Kleiber conducting Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro (vintage Decca/London). Recordings of operas made yesterday, last year, over the last 40 years are scarcely, if at all superior to this 1955 Decca production staged for the then-new medium of stereophonic recording. Go immediately to the Act Two finale (side 3) to experience opera as an aural experience in the home with an immediacy, a vividness, an excitement that really does transport you to a theatre in the mind. This finale, which goes from duet to trio to quartet to quintet finally to septet, is one of the master tours-de-force in all opera. It’s a tribute to the excellence of both this recording and the reproducing chain that they all are rendered with no confusion, the three sopranos, in particular, individually characterized and so startlingly alive in flesh and blood terms. The soundstage is wide and deep, the staging of the action reproduced with rare verisimilitude, the Vienna Philharmonic in top form, with not a weak link in the cast, and Kleiber himself, at one with the idiom, conducting, by turns, a thrillingly dramatic, marvelously comic, sumptuously beautiful performance that comes as close as any of us is liable to get to what Mozart himself might have had in mind but certainly never actually heard to anything approaching the perfection of what is in the grooves of this glorious recording.

As might be expected, Luxman’s LMC-5 pickup is a no-brainer match. It has the typical Luxman sound: rich, a little weighty from the midrange on down, an extended top end, and an ever so slightly laid-back presence region that nevertheless does not preclude palpable involvement. In a sense, it’s a fully contemporary moving coil voiced to suggest a vintage mc (while tracking better than what most of the latter are capable of). Overall, the profile is musically natural, is at home with every kind of acoustic music, and still acquits itself well on rock and the more aggressive forms of jazz. I never tired of listening to it in the 151A, and it’s even better served by the 191A.

One of the reasons I was especially keen to review the 191A is that I am always looking for arms compatible with my Shure V15 V/Jico. Ever since moving-coil pickups claimed the lion’s share of audiophile attention these last few decades, it’s been more and more difficult to find arms for classic moving magnets of high compliance and low mass. (There are a number of excellent contemporary moving magnets, but they are made to be used in the medium-mass arms that suit moving coils.) The 151A’s Jelco proved an excellent match. Luxman don’t provide information as to the SAEC’s mass, but inasmuch as it looks to be medium and has knife-edged bearings, which many arms back in the moving-magnet days had, I mounted the Shure/Jico. The Shure’s much-vaunted tonal balance, essentially neutral from the powerful, well-defined bass all the way up to 10kHz, where it begins its slope, was in plentiful, gratifying evidence. Using the old Shure test record, the most reliable I know when it comes to checking by ear that arm/pickup resonances fall in the desirable 8-12Hz range, this proved a good match, especially when the Shure’s built-in stabilizing brush is used, allowing the Shure once more to assert its status as the champion tracker, sailing over that fiendishly overmodulated police whistle at the end of the Prologue on the original cast West Side Story (Analog Spark remastering).

Conclusion

At $12,495 the PD-191A falls into a very competitive price category that includes two recent integrated turntables which I reviewed with great enthusiasm: SME’s Model 12A and Thorens’ TD-124 DD. Inasmuch as none of them was ever in house at the same time as the others and the SME is now in a Mk II version, I couldn’t do direct comparisons. All the same, my reviews are detailed enough, I think, to assist in a decision to purchase should you be exploring this particular price range. Suffice it to say that since all three ensembles are easily competitive with each other and with the so-called “super” tables and arms, pickup selection will be the most significant determinant of audio performance, especially in the area of tonal balance.

So here are some practical considerations. If you’re eager to join the ranks of audiophiles who like to have two arms available at all times, the Luxman is your only option among the three. If you want a bespoke dust cover, again it’s Luxman (though you give up the extra armboard). The Luxman, as noted, is made for the fastest pickup swapping and has no quirks; the SME is its match in this regard, though the integral 309’s headshell is proprietary, not universal. The built-in arms on both the Thorens and the SME are best suited for moving-coils or other designs that favor medium-to-high mass, while Luxman’s SAEC can handle lower mass/higher compliance types.

The only thing I don’t like about the Thorens TD124 DD is that it’s so compact that arm adjustments require more fiddling owing to the tight space between the arm housing and the platter. That said, the Thorens and the SME are obvious choices if your shelf space is at a premium. If it isn’t, then the Luxman offers the most well-rounded combination of outstanding performance, features, ease of setup, convenience, classic aesthetics of mid-century modern style, and, thanks to the dust cover, a feeling that the product is really complete. I could happily live with the PD-191A the remainder of my days. It truly is that good.   

That someone is Yuki Precision’s 40-something President, Nagamatsu Jun. Before assuming that position, he was head of development and R&D division director, and, of course, his hobbies included audio equipment and classical music. He is responsible for conjuring up this clearly unique turntable design. Uniqueness is not necessarily a pathway to commercial success, as OMA (Oswalds Mill Audio) found out. The K3 that Jacob Heilbrunn reviewed in these pages remains among the most original-looking turntables, its shape the result of function not fancy. I admired the K3’s “Guggenheim Museum topped with a construction crane” looks as much as the company’s owner/founder was offended by that description in my review (published elsewhere). I’m not sure how many—if any—K3s have sold, and not because of the expense or because it’s not among the world’s best-sounding and -performing tables. Its looks put off the vinyl enthusiasts I know who can afford it.

I can’t predict your reaction to the AP-01’s industrial design. However, the marketplace spoke, and the AP-0, the first run of Yukiseimitsu turntables, sold out. The AP-01 is the replacement. The revised model incorporates changes to the electronic drive system and is said to better deal with static electricity buildup, which apparently was a problem in the original design. The new model also features improvements to 60% of the parts.

I spoke with Jun-san at High End Munich two years ago, and what’s most fascinating about this project is that it’s the company’s first self-conceived, fully developed offering. Its business has always been as a contract player building-to-order parts and components specified by others for their projects. Designing and building a useful product that could showcase the company’s manufacturing prowess and build “team spirit” was the project’s original intent, but enthusiasm was muted until the turntable idea surfaced. Records, turntables, and vinyl seem to have a magic about them that drives crazy digital enthusiasts, who just don’t get it, crazier. Maybe that’s part of the magic!

Project development began behind the back of the then CEO Otsubo Masato with a team of young “CD generation” engineers, who didn’t “get” the turntable project until they visited Jun’s home and heard how great records sound. After spending a few months with the AP-01, I concur with the marketplace’s appreciation for both its looks and its sonic performance, though the 9″ “underhung” (minus 15mm), non-offset tonearm breaks every known proper geometry rule, so first let’s get that out of the way.

A Call to Arms

How best to minimize LTE (lateral tracking error) in a pivoted tonearm was “settled law” almost 100 years ago. The problem to be solved is that the cutter head describes a radius across a lacquer. Pivoted arms describe an arc. LTE is the stylus’ deviation from groove tangency as it moves across the record surface.

The mathematicians examining the problem determined that minimizing LTE required the arc described by the stylus to “overhang” the pivot-to-spindle distance (the arm’s actual length) by a specified length. That length (pivot-to-spindle distance plus “overhang”) is the arm’s effective length. The longer the arm, the lesser the LTE, but longer arms create other issues, and like everything else in audio (and in most everything in life) you choose your poison.

In addition to the math guys (foremost Löfgren in 1938 and Baerwald in 1941) who did the geometric work, a British audio scientist/journalist named Percy Wilson is said to have devised the idea of an offset angle either at the head shell or created by bending the arm into an “S” shape. Both arm types exist in varying lengths to this analog day, and both help keep the stylus closer to groove tangency than it otherwise would be.

Both Baerwald and Löfgren geometry produce two “null” points across the record surface where LTE is zero (each geometric solution locates the points differently). Where those points fall and how much LTE there otherwise is across the record surface is mathematically certain (two other geometric solutions, Stevenson, and more recently UNI-DIN offer two alternative solutions more useful for classical music and modern records not cut as close to the label as older records are).

Then why did the AP-01’s designer opt for an “underhung,” no-offset-angle tonearm? The other force at work in pivoted tonearm design is “skating.” That is a vector force that causes the arm to “skate” inward as it travels toward the record center. The longer the arm, the less the arm skates, because longer arms require less “overhang.” Yes, put somewhat more simply than is actually true, but true enough for our purposes, “overhang” causes “skating.”

Properly designed and executed anti-skating mechanisms (weights on strings, magnetic repulsion, springs) produce a counterforce that effectively but not perfectly compensates for “skating,” which varies across the record surface. Not applying an anti-skating counterforce guarantees the stylus will ride the inner groove wall across the entire record surface—not good for records or styli or sound.

A design faction centered in Japan claims that while overhang and offset do lower LTE, skating’s negative sonic effects are more obnoxious than those produced by LTE and that eliminating skating produces more pleasing sound by eliminating the severe skating side forces that negatively impact, among other things, elastomer suspension performance critical to how cartridges track and sound. However, as I demonstrated (to myself), underhung, zero-offset arms like the AP-01’s still skate, though differently and with far less force. Place the AP-01’s arm at the beginning of a grooveless record and the arm begins to skate inward, stopping close to the record center. Place the arm near the label and the arm skates outward, stopping close to where the “inbound” arm stops, but in either direction the movement is leisurely compared to standard skating, and that’s the “underhung” arm advocate’s point. The elastomer suspension is far less stressed and/or laterally squeezed.

End of Lecture

Geometry aside, the AP-01’s static-balance arm appears to be precision made, as you’d expect from a company with aerospace and medical bona fides, though it also looks “basic”—no tapered tube fabricated from exotic materials, no elastomer-isolated counterweight, obviously no anti-skating mechanism. Azimuth is adjustable at the headshell, and since it has no offset, the adjustment will not affect stylus rake angle (a good thing). An online feature list says the arm incorporates a stabilizing, non-contact, magnetic braking system. It is an application of hysteresis brakes used in industrial products. This is the first time the technology has been applied to a tonearm. Arm height can be varied 10mm to adjust VTA/SRA. The arm has a solid feel and is easy to set up and use.

At High End Munich 2024, the company introduced an armless AP-01EM edition for those who want to mount their own arm choice in the prime position. The original and EM versions feature an addition rear arm position.

The turntable drive features a “spring-loaded” dual-opposing pully, a single DC coreless brushless encoder feedback-controlled motor design that uses a knotted non-elastic Teflon thread to rotate the 12-inch, ¾” tall, moderately heavy (almost 9 pound) aluminum platter at 33.33, 45, and 78rpm. The pulleys are substantial grooved metal cylinders.

Again, like the arm, the platter doesn’t make use of any exotic materials, sandwiched construction, embedded brass cylinders, or elastomer damping. The platter, however, is made through a unique manufacturing process. According to Yuki, “Although it looks like an aluminum platter with no ingenuity, it has an interesting feature in its manufacturing process. These machined platters were initially manufactured by cutting plate sheets into rounds. However, plates are manufactured by extruding them laterally, so the aluminum’s microstructure is stretched laterally. Cutting it round means that the platter will have a lateral directivity. When developing the AP-01, we wanted to pursue a more correct condition, so we prepared a base material of aluminum that was arrived at by extruding a large round piece of wood. We then cut it into rings and used those rings. This way, the structure is longitudinal and not oriented to rotation. This ingenuity is possible because Yuki is a company that specializes in materials processing.”

The platter includes a superbly machined peripheral outer ring (“superb” because unlike so many others, it fits precisely, so there’s no need to push it around to center) you can use (or not) to limit outer edge warp and to increase effective platter mass and improve inertial drive. The platter is conductive to suppress static electricity and is designed to be used without a mat. Yuki also supplies a relatively high-mass record weight.

The platter bearing is a magnetic-repulsion, radial, non-contact type, featuring a permanent magnet which is in contact with only one sphere at the lowest point. Magnetic repulsion maintains a constant spacing around the bearing, enabling quiet, sustained rotational motion without bearing noise. The unusually long cylinder running from base to the platter itself rotates rather than there being a rotating spindle within a bushing. It is unique in both mechanical design and looks. Somewhere among the company’s literature it’s described as a self-stabilizing spinner, similar to a top. And indeed, if you give the platter a lateral nudge, there’s some “give” to the entire mechanism. (To make that point, at High End Munich 2023 the company gave away miniature, precision-machined tops.) So yes, the AP-01 is unique in looks and design. I’ll also point out here that this table’s isolation from impulse-type interference (the “tap test”) is among the best I’ve encountered. The upper platform tap produced just a slight and quickly ended high-frequency impulse from the speaker. Nothing I could write about the AP-01 can adequately convey its exquisite machining and superior “fit ’n’ finish”—it’s one of the visual cues beyond its outrageous design that drew the Munich crowds.

Setup And Use

Setup is quick and relatively easy. The AP-01 basically comes assembled and ready to use—once you place the platter onto the spindle. The control box’s left side features an IEC AC jack and an on-off switch. The RCA jacks and ground lug are built into the right rear support. Level the feet, place the knotted Kevlar string over the spring-loaded pulley’s top with the platter in place. and once you’ve installed a cartridge, you’re ready to go.

A rotary switch atop the control panel starts the platter spinning, while an adjacent lever selects 33 1/3, 45, and 78rpm. Each speed has an associated pitch knob that memorizes the setting. However, accidentally brushing the knobs with your hand will change pitch, and you’ll need a strobe disc to re-set it, so best to be careful. A “lock” feature on the AP-02 would be nice!

Speaking of speed, while a knot in the thread would seem to be an impediment to speed accuracy it really isn’t—at least in a spring-tensioned, double-pulley design like this, which produces surprisingly strong torque. The shake ’n’ spin results were extremely good, including W&F RMS 0.02/Jitter 0.094%.

The Yuki AP-01 with peripheral ring, record weight. and additional counterweight for heavy cartridges is $44,975 without tonearm and $49,975 with.

Max SLP (Surprising Listening Pleasure)

Figuring the relatively low-mass arm might work best with a high-compliance cartridge, first up was a Shure V15VxMR mm cartridge fitted with one of JICO’s unusual Morita wooden cantilevered spherical stylus replacements for the no-longer-available Shure original (though mine is almost new). I figured I’d go for the full “low detail/high distortion spread.”

I was writing an annotation for the upcoming Analogue Productions UHQR reissue of Steely Dan’s supposedly tech-plagued Katy Lied release (the dbx noise-reduction system) so it was one of the first records I played (admission: I got an advance copy but pressed on black non-UHQR 180g vinyl). I’d played it more than a few times on my reference OMA K3 prototype fitted at the time with the Audio-Technica AT MC-2022 cartridge—the one with the Orbray one-piece lab-grown diamond cantilever/stylus. It’s difficult to compete with that cartridge’s dynamic slam (also used in DS Audio’s Grand Master Extreme optical cartridge), so I wasn’t making a comparison on that basis.

Aside from noting the stability and certainty with which the stylus entered the groove of every record I played, what was immediately impressive and obvious was the Yuki/Shure/JICO combo’s midband timbral neutrality. It delivered a different kind of detail compared to my reference, perhaps not in terms of transient precision where it was less resolving (though not objectionably soft), but timbrally all the instruments in the midband, which amounts to most of them, were presented cleanly and convincingly separated with unforced ease. “Everyone’s Gone to the Movies,” one of the Dan’s creepy/salacious songs, has vibes/marimba, sax, and Fender Rhodes piano, as well as three backup singers all operating in the same territory, and all were effortlessly well separated out.

I’ll skip a list of records played using the Shure and just conclude that whatever noticeable detail the spherical stylus was losing didn’t diminish listening pleasure (and was beneficial on a few nasty recordings), but more importantly the increased LTE distortion presented itself as a pleasing minor additive, much like second-order-harmonic tube distortion. Rather than fighting it, my ears dove right in, especially attracted to the AP-01’s rhythmic grip, which more closely resembled that of an idler or direct-drive turntable because of the no-give Kevlar thread “belt” and spring-tension double-pulley system that produces the aforementioned high torque. The combination of rhythmic certainty, suave timbral balance, and the second-order kiss produced the most inviting Shure V15VmxR performance I’ve experienced. (Usually it’s “I respect it, but I’m bored.”)

There was one too many variables for the Shure to be useful in the context of this review so next I installed the Audio Technica AT ART20, which is in many respects the MC-2022 with a more standard boron cantilever/line-contact stylus (I also used it in a video review for the TAS website of the Auris Bayaderer 1 turntable). Despite what appears to be a low-mass arm, it was sufficiently high to produce a vertical resonant frequency in the desired 8-12Hz range. That established, I set about serious listening.

In my review of the Masterline 7 phono preamp (Issue 355), I used an AudioNautes reissue of the BIS release La Spagna (AN-1401). After turning in the review, I ordered off Discogs an original pressing (BIS LP 163-164). I used the AP-01 to compare the two pressings. Wow. God bless the late Stan Ricker, but though he claimed no EQ and I believe him, either his rig adds bottom end elsewhere or the original cuts it, because the original is far more open and transparent and has far greater attack precision and longer sustain on high-frequency percussive transients. And the bottom end on the one track containing a small Spanish drum that excites the recording space is far more natural on the original. It’s bloated on the reissue. Glad I made the small investment.

This comparison demonstrated the table’s overall neutrality, its resolving power, and its exceptionally low noise floor. Listening through the entire double LP brought the kind of listening pleasure Nagamatsu Jun surely intended. It brought me into the space.

As I was about to turn in this review, an Electric Recording Company treasure arrived: Schubert Sonata for Arpeggione and Piano/Bridge Sonata for Cello and Piano (ERC 108) performed by Rostropovich and Benjamin Britten himself and engineered by Gordon Parry and Kenneth Wilkinson. It’s a reissue of Decca SXL 6426. People complain about ERC reissue prices, but the least expensive original pressing on Discogs is around $800, shipped from Iceland, and it’s only VG+. A mint one from the U.K. is around $1000. The cover has some age spots, but who reading this doesn’t? The now sold-out ERC, an edition of 300, costs around $500. Set against a jet-black backdrop, Rostropovich’s cello and Britten’s piano were reproduced with no audible distortion artifacts. With precisely drawn pizzicato plucks, the enticing sheen from Rosty’s cello, and lingering wow-free sustains massaged all pleasure zones throughout the two sides in ways, I’m here to tell you, no digits deliver, and it did so, despite the underhang, minus any audible analog blemishes or less than epoxy-solid imaging.

Before packing it in and declaring another review complete, I had to check out this table’s bass capabilities, so out came an old audiophile warhorse I’ve not played for decades. Don’t ask why I chose Michael Murray Playing The Great Organ in the Methuen Memorial Music Hall (Telarc 5035 DD-2), a direct-to-disc record with measured response down to 16Hz, but I did. The Yuki sounded firm, full, clean, and in complete control all the way down. When I repeated on the OMA K3/SAT CF1-12 arm combo, there was a difference in brute-force scale and wall-shaking extension, so yes, the big gun delivered the bang.

Conclusion

This double decker is surely one of the coolest pieces of analog kit. It doesn’t take up a great deal of space, and the top platform offers real estate for accessories. The build-quality and ease and pleasure of use are off the visual and tactile charts. Even the peripheral ring is easy to use thanks to the precision machining.

I’m overwhelmed by the underhung tonearm and still processing how and why it sounds so convincing and full of life despite the added distortion, but it’s no doubt like why tubes entice (as long as the distortion is even-order and held to a dull 2-3% roar). WallyTools’ J.R. Boisclair posits that the lack of elastomer stress is key to the arm’s sonic performance, despite the added LTE. I now understand why some designers make the underhung choice.

The arm’s seeming simplicity is a big plus both in setup and use. Its stability in the groove (and the soundstaging results) must be due to the magnetic braking system, the details of which are not available. It also must be related to one odd behavior: Occasionally (only a half-dozen times) throughout the many months the Yuki was in the system, the arm just stuck in place. A tiny nudge freed it. Otherwise, it tracked as if on rails at 1 gram with the Shure, at 2 grams with the Audio-Technica, and at 2.6 with the Ortofon Diamond, which also worked really well on this table.

I’m also overwhelmed by the unusual background quiet. I’m used to quiet backgrounds from top-tier turntables. The AP-01 is in the top tier of the top tier of quiet.

I hope you get to see, touch, and hear the Yuki AP-01. If you’re budget stretches to $50k, it’s worth considering, especially if your space is limited. For those who can drop this much on a second turntable, this one gives you something new and different that you’re sure to appreciate. 

Specs & Pricing

Yuki AP-01 Turntable

Drive: Non-elastic thread drive
Motor: DC coreless brushless motor with encoder feedback
Speed: 33 1/3, 45, 78rpm
Bearing: Magnetic bearing (magnetic repulsive radial non-contact)
Platter: Aluminum 12.2 inch diameter, 0.78 inches tall, 8.8 pounds

Tonearm

Type: Static balance, straight arm
Length: 240mm
Overhang: –15mm
Arm height: 0–10mm adjustment range
Output: RCA jacks
Dimensions: 560mm (22″) x 213mm (8.3″) x 352mm (13.8″)
Weight: 65 pounds
Accessories: Two counterweights, peripheral ring, adjustment wrench, overhang gauge, record weight.
System price: $44,975 without tonearm; $49,975 with tonearm

YUKISEIMITSU AUDIO
370 Enzo Chigasaki-shi
Kanagawa, 253-0084
Japan
audio-yukiseimitsu.com

AXXIS AUDIO (U.S. IMPORTER)
2190 Nolensville Pike, Suite C
Nashville, TN 37211
(866) 295-4133
axissaudio.com

Associated Equipment (for this review)

Loudspeakers: Wilson Audio Specialties Chronosonic XVX, Acora VRC
Preamplifier: darTzeel NHB-18NS
Power amplifier: darTzeel NHB 468 monoblocks
Phono preamplifier: CH Precision P10
Phono cartridges: Audio Technica MC-2022, Audio Technica AT ART20, Shure V15VmxR, Morita stylus, Ortofon MC Diamond.
Cable and interconnects: AudioQuest Dragon & TARA Labs The Zero Evolution & Analysis Plus Silver Apex & Stealth Sakra and Indra (interconnects), Hovland Music Groove phono cable, AudioQuest Dragon, Thunder and Dynamic Design Neutron GS Digital (A.C. power cords)
Accessories: AudioQuest Niagara 7000 (line level), Niagara 5000s (amplifiers) CAD Ground Controls; AudioQuest NRG Edison A.C. wall box and receptacles, ASC Tube traps, RPG BAD, Skyline & Abffusor panels, Stillpoints Aperture II room panels, Stillpoints ESS and HRS Signature stands, Thixar and Stillpoints amplifier stands, Audiodharma Cable Cooker, Furutech Record demagnetizer, Orb Disc Flattener, Audio Desk Systeme Vinyl Cleaner Pro X, KLAUDIO KD-CLN-LP200T record cleaning machines, full suite WallyTools

In Rega World, both low- and high-mass systems improperly executed create problems. Low-mass, mechanically soft ones can vibrate like drums at high frequencies, and that’s obviously not good, while high-mass ones can generate resonances at low frequencies that are difficult to stifle and so linger and produce an unacceptably muddy, “slow” sound. Mass alone can’t sink low-frequency resonances.

Rega’s argument has always been that light and stiff obviates the need for high mass, and that deep bass production has nothing whatsoever to do with high mass. The goal is to produce a turntable that accurately reads the vibrations produced by the stylus coursing through the groove, while not reading extraneous ones produced by motors or bearings or coming from the outside world, or perhaps most pernicious of all, vibrations produced in reaction to the ones produced by the stylus/groove interface.

Of course, there’s more to producing a great turntable than a light, stiff plinth that effectively holds the bearing in place. Bearing quality itself is critical both for accurate platter rotation and low noise and low vibrational energy. And because what’s being measured is stylus velocity/displacement (unless the cartridge is optical or strain gauge, in which case it measures amplitude), speed consistency is as critical as speed accuracy. Motors vibrate and there are “steps” between motor poles that must be smoothed out. Rega prefers belts (round “O-ring” types actually, but not actually “O-rings”) to help smooth out motor vibrations.

Platters must have sufficient mass and stiffness to further reduce motor-produced vibrations and to deal with bearing-produced ones. Mass properly placed on a platter enhances flywheel behavior that further improves rotational consistency.

Tonearms present their own set of performance variables that most readers here have explored, so let’s not get into those in this admittedly simplified overview, other than to remind you that Rega values rigidity over adjustability, so there are no adjustments for azimuth or VTA/SRA.

In 2017 I visited Rega for the third time and got to see the then still in the experimental stage Naiad, which represented and still represents the ultimate in Rega’s thinking. Though it was originally intended as a non-production design akin to what automobile manufacturers display at car shows, due to fan demand Rega made and sold a few $45,000 Naiads.

Based on Naiad research and using today’s highest-tech materials, Rega has over the past few years produced a series of high-performance, lightweight turntables that are its best performing yet: the Planar 8 and Planar 10, both of which I’ve reviewed. They are super-rigid and super-lightweight, and their motors are controlled by sophisticated electronics that allow for speed to be precisely adjusted and motor vibrations minimized, with each motor “tuned” to its PSU mate.

The Planar 8, which offers a lightweight plinth, with rigid RB880 tonearm and Neo PSU that provides electronic speed control and fine speed-adjustment, costs $3495 without cartridge. The Planar 10 is more “Naiad-like” and features an even lighter and more rigid plinth, an upgraded ceramic-oxide platter, a newly developed machined-aluminum subplatter and hardened-steel spindle riding in a brass bushing and a new RB3000 arm. It sells for $5695 without cartridge, and as with the Planar 8, package deals with Rega cartridges produce considerable savings.

Naia Ups the Performance, And the Price

Like the Planar 10, the Naia is based upon Rega’s hand-made Naiad, but it kicks everything up more than a few Emeril Lagasse-like notches, bringing it closer to the Naiad technologically and, unfortunately, in price. At $12,995 without cartridge, the Naia is more than double the cost of the Planar 10 and by far, Rega Research’s most expensive normal production turntable ever.

Why the price jump? The Naia uses a graphene-impregnated carbon-fiber skeletal plinth with a Tancast 8 foam core sandwiched between the graphene outer skins. The Planar 10 uses the same Tancast 8 foam core, with a not as stiff a high-pressure laminate skin. The Naia uses two ceramic-aluminum oxide braces, one on top and one on the bottom, instead of the Planar 10s single ceramic brace on top and phenolic brace on bottom. The second ceramic brace adds further stiffness that allows Rega to cut away even more plinth. Not quite to Naid’s hero sandwich look, but closer to where the arm and platter dominate.

Before delving further into the tech, I have to pause to say that the minimalist Naia look takes it into five-digit dollar territory. Does the performance merit the price? Read on!

Rega further upgrades its familiar-looking tonearm to the RB Titanium, which includes a one-piece titanium vertical bearing, a titanium vertical spindle assembly, and a tungsten counterweight and counterweight stub. These are more than cosmetic changes, as anyone who’s experimented with various metals in these positions can affirm.

I can. I just evaluated two versions of a cartridge, one with a titanium body and one of aluminum, with the same inside guts and they sounded completely different from one another, timbrally and dynamically.

A new ceramic aluminum oxide platter features a larger center opening compared to that of the Planar 10’s, to accept the new aluminum subplatter’s mount, featuring a spindle and central bearing manufactured from ZTA (zirconium toughened alumina). That’s among the Naia’s most significant performance upgrades and a major cost driver.

ZTA is an abrasion-resistant ceramic material developed for industrial use that Rega says is perfect for a central bearing assembly, except that it’s extremely costly and difficult to manufacture. It starts life as a powder and after a complex process not necessary to detail here, gets fired for three days at 1600 degrees Celsius. The finished bearing must then be honed to precisely fit the ZTA spindle. The “perfect fit” matched pair remain together and are then assembled within the Naia plinth.

Because the spindle and bearing are manufactured of the same exceptionally hard material (as opposed to the typical stainless spindle/brass bush bearing), wear is minimal to non-existent, especially since the spindle runs on a super-thin layer of synthetic oil. Rega claims this produces the longest-lasting, most accurate bearing assembly it has ever produced. No doubt it’s also the costliest. Obviously such a smooth-running, precision assembly reduces friction to a minimum and thus unwanted vibrations.

The triple “O-ring” aluminum sub-assembly is by far Rega’s most complex. I put “O-ring” in quotes because Rega’s round belt made of EPDM (ethylene propylene diene monomer) is not your typical, irregular, half-construct “O-ring,” though it sort of resembles one. Instead, the company has paid its usual fanatical attention to R&D to produce rings that won’t beat one against the other in a triple line-up and do more damage than good to speed accuracy.

Three years of work produced a new specially cured rubber drive-belt compound that exhibits a consistent elasticity and is manufactured on Rega-designed tooling that the company says produces “perfectly round” and “dimensionally accurate” belts, necessary for “perfect speed stability.” Anyone who considers this level of attention to detail plain old audiophile “snake oil” posturing hasn’t taken the time to consider the infinitesimal dimensions of groove etchings and how important all these nuanced improvements can be to improving sonic performance.

The literature doesn’t make clear how or if the Naia “Reference Power Supply” that drives the 24V low-noise bi-phase AC motor (also used on other less costly Regas) differs from what’s used on the Planar 8 and Planar 10, but it drives the motor using a crystal-controlled DSP square-wave generator that produces a “near perfect” sine wave. Each paired motor/PSU is hand-tuned to minimize vibration and fine speed adjusted. If need be, though it’s not likely, you can fine-adjust speed in 0.01rpm steps or return to the factory setting.

Some readers think a plinth-mounted motor means noise. The P10 I reviewed elsewhere used a new motor mount system developed from the Naia that was claimed to be even more effective. When I listened with a stethoscope, motor turn-on produced a very-low-level turn-on sound that was then barely perceptible when the platter reached speed.

This wasn’t sufficiently satisfying for some of the peanut gallery (though outboard motors mounted on pods often produce more noise depending upon how well they are damped and upon what surface they are placed), so how about this? While it was difficult to find a Naia surface upon which to place a stethoscope drum, when I finally did manage, there was no audible noise with the motor at speed and a ridiculously low amount upon start up.

While the online P10 manual includes specifications like PSU weight (3kg), dimensions, and turntable weight (4.7kg), the Naia manual printed and online doesn’t provide this information, so I couldn’t confirm that the PSU used on both is identical, but I assume it is.

New ultra-low mass “skeletal” aluminum feet complete the product description. Oh! And there’s a very useful, easy to use, space-saving dustcover that protects platter and tonearm, which is a good idea since in keeping with Rega consistency, the mat is a dust-attracting fiber one like what’s used throughout the line. I’m not trying to be “smart” here. I appreciate the line continuity. I just don’t like the mat, especially when it clings to the record upon lift off, breaks free, and threatens the stylus’ health and well-being, and is a dust magnet.

The Rega Aphelion 2 Moving-Coil Cartridge

Rega’s latest premium moving-coil cartridge is a third-generation design of a unique construction that does not require the usual rear-mounted tie wire to secure the cantilever assembly, or the usual elastomer damper held to a specified degree of tightness to the coil former, the front part of which produces the system’s fulcrum and all of which determines the cartridge’s compliance. Instead, Rega’s design uses a long cantilever, here boron, wherein the joint pipe that holds the cantilever is inserted into a larger diameter “holder” that fits through a rhomboid-shaped elastomer (red), which serves as both the system’s fulcrum, and the cantilever’s placeholder. For obvious reasons some sort of arrangement must be involved that prevents the cantilever from rotating on its longitudinal axis within the elastomer.

To one end is affixed (cemented) a nude “fine line” stylus, the radii of which Rega doesn’t provide in its specs. It appears to be Ogura-sourced, but that isn’t certain. At the other end resides a “hand wound” magnetized micro-cross former wound with 0.018mm wire (I assume copper).

Because the sides of the precision-machined, “zero tolerance” aluminum housing are open and protected with a transparent laminate of some kind, you can see inside, where what Rega claims is “the world’s most powerful neodymium magnet” (the green structure in the photo) is affixed to the end of a bolt threaded into a structure that holds it in place.

The distance from the coil former to the magnet can be adjusted, but what can’t be adjusted is the relative positioning of the bolt and the opening through which the cantilever goes, and the lateral positioning of the bolt holder itself relative to the fulcrum point opening. All must be perfect or the ship sinks.

Of course, by “hand-wound,” Rega means a trained individual works using a precision coil-winding machine. You wouldn’t want a genuine “hand-wound” coil on your cartridge—if that’s even possible.

A long cantilever can spell cleaning person, child, or cat trouble, but Rega has carefully thought this through. The front of the body features a curved paperclip like protrusion that both partially protects the cantilever and acts as a holder for the stylus guard that easily slips over it.

Suggested tracking force is 1.9–2.0g, and as you can see, in this construction deviating much from that can easily degrade the magnet/coil relationship. Input load impedance is 100 ohms; output impedance is 10 ohms; output voltage is 0.35mV; channel balance is equal to or better than 0.1mV; and “separation” is rated at equal to or greater than 29dB.

The Aphelion 2 costs $5545. Bought in combination with the Naia turntable, the total price becomes $16,995, meaning you’re getting the cartridge for $3995 or a considerable $1545 saving. That means before you go for the Naia/Aphelion 2 combo, you might consider other $4000 cartridges and spend the same $16,995.

Setup

With the cartridge pre-installed, the Naia was out of the box and ready to play within ten or so minutes (on a perfectly level surface). Carefully lower the platter onto the hub, install the counterweight, balance and set tracking force, set anti-skating to second position, plug multi-pin connector into the PSU, and you are ready to play records! It’s one of the easiest to set up high-performance turntables there is—and so lightweight.

Keep in mind that Rega’s three-bolt alignment produces a “quasi-Stevenson” alignment that compared to Löfgren or Baerwald variants produces more distortion over most of the record side, while helpfully moving the second null point considerably closer to the label than either of the other two. With “Rega/Stephenson” if you play mostly older classical records, you can often get to or past the big difficult-to-track finales before distortion escalates beyond the second null point. If you mostly play newer records or double 45s that are cut to nowhere near the label, you’re getting more distortion with no benefit!

It’s easy enough to remove the front screw and using a good alignment protractor (like the WallyTractor) try other alignments. If you don’t like the results, just replace the third screw, and you’re back in business.

Quick Cartridge Exam

When I reviewed the original Apheta cartridge introduced in 2006 (the first Rega cartridge to employ the unique no tie-wire design now in its 3^rd generation), I appreciated what it did well but not an annoying upper midrange sonic ledge that break-in didn’t eliminate. The stylus assembly’s orientation also didn’t help.

Happily, the Aphelion 2’s channel separation and balance met specs. SRA was approximately 92 degrees and VTA usefully low. That is how a cartridge should measure when supplied by a company whose arms don’t allow those parameters to be adjusted! Using the Hi-Fi News test record, the horizontal resonant frequency was ideal at 9Hz and vertical was around 7Hz (between 8Hz and 12Hz is where you want them to fall). What’s more, on the Ortofon test record’s trackability bands, while every other mc cartridge I’ve tested slid off the 100µm peak band, the Aphelion 2 tracked it! A bit of buzzing, but it tracked it. That’s a first.

Turntable Housekeeping

Don’t worry: How Naia sounds is coming up. But first, look at the speed measurements using the Shaknspin app. I must repeat every time I use it that it’s not a “lab-grade” instrument, but it’s still very useful, and its limitations apply to all turntables measured using it. The factory speed setting according to the app was 33.32, close to perfect, but the average speed was even better: 33.331, with a percent deviation of 00.00%. I don’t recall ever before seeing all zeros.

Impulse-type “tap tests” don’t necessarily define turntable isolation, but they are helpful. I’ve had some big heavy turntables here with elaborate isolation feet that passed everything, especially low-frequency components of both platform and plinth taps. Footer cosmetics don’t isolate.

Naia’a low-mass, hollowed-out feet isolated effectively, especially at the lower frequencies, and the plinth (what there is of it), was in most locations equally effective, producing a “tight,” fast, quick-to-dissipate “pip” instead of a “thump”—less “tap” was transmitted the closer to the tonearm you tapped, which was not at all surprising given the location of the double ceramic braces. The RB titanium was also extremely well-damped. Tapping on it with the volume well up produced silence.

In other words, I went into the listening part of the review filled with optimism.

Me No Denia the Naia

I exited the review feeling the same way I went into it, so let’s avoid any drama. The Naia is the turntable Rega has, for decades, been aiming for, which is not to say the ones below are not successful designs! The Naia epitomizes, and its sonic performance confirms, the design philosophies so fully explored in the book referenced at the beginning of this review.

No, I did not have a Planar 10 here to “A/B” with the Naia, so there’s that, and the Aphelion 2 is new to me, but when you hear a turntable that produces this kind of quiet and obvious speed stability and accuracy, you hear it. It actually helped, not hindered to have two $200k+ turntables on hand during this review. I could hear where the far less costly Naia competes and where it doesn’t.

I used multiple phono preamps including the inexpensive $439 Schiit Skoll at the bottom of the price ladder and the $52,000 Ypsilon VPS-100 (SE) (silver wound transformers, silver internal wire, and silver connectors) at the top, in conjunction with various step-up transformers that will be reviewed shortly, as well as with Ypsilon’s own large MC-16L and MC-26L.

Before listening to anything I was determined to add to the review how the Naia sounded with other cartridges, but once I got into the review, I found the Aphelion 2’s sonic and mechanical performance so attractive and satisfying I decided to just review the “as delivered” combo, especially considering that anyone can pretty much unbox and perfectly set it up in a matter of minutes.

The Aphelion 2’s timbral balance—at least when used with the Naia, is as neutral a moving-coil cartridge as I’ve heard, which is not to say it matches or betters in all ways the best I have here that cost as much as the turntable. If the Naia sounds this good with Rega’s own cartridge, I’m sure if you choose to pair it with something more costly and exotic, you’ll get the desired results (but only if you send the cartridge off to WallyAnalog for a complete evaluation and appropriate shims to correctly set VTA/SRA, azimuth, and even zenith angle).

One of the first records I played was Vivaldi in London (VALDC017), a brand-new double direct-to-disc title from Chasing the Dragon performed by Interpreti Veneziani and recorded at Air Studios, a venue I was lucky enough to visit for another Chasing the Dragon Production, so I have a good handle on the large open space’s acoustics. Side B’s Concerto for violin, strings and harpsichord presented the nine-musician ensemble as shown in the jacket art, though not with each in an exaggerated space but rather as a coherent ensemble in a well-defined space. You could more easily “see” the cello and double bass off to one side but still well integrated with the picture. Instrumental textures were supple and delicately drawn, and timbres were accurate. The violins were never screechy, the double bass and cello never suffered bloat. A testament to the recording engineer too, of course, and to the room, which was offered in impressive relief behind the musicians and a series of arrayed baffles.

But I played the same record on two 20-times-more-expensive rigs, where cartridges alone were Naia-priced, and while you’d easily hear the differences, the Naia/Aphelion combo produced equally stable, well-defined, and fully satisfying images and soundstaging. Rock-solid and well-focused. Especially impressive was the Naia’s attack-delicacy on the strings.

Joe Silva’s Band on the Run 50^th anniversary edition review (published on the TrackingAngle website, and the capital E is how he spells it) piqued my curiosity, so I laid out the $50 bucks and bought a copy. I’m generally not a fan of Miles Showell’s ½-speed-mastered cuts from digital files, though it’s difficult to know who’s responsible, Miles or the engineers who prepared the digital files. In this case, they all did an excellent job overall, re-inventing the record for 21^st century ears. It’s an enjoyable listen filled with detail surprises and clarity, though as usual, attack subtlety, sustain, decay, and especially instrumental textures take a hit, and depth flattens. All the microdynamic cues that differentiate “real” from “mechanical” get lost. If you don’t know they were there, you won’t miss them.

Compare Paul’s bass on “Mrs Vandebilt” on the original versus the reissue. One is “deep bass,” and the other are bass strings vibrating. The Naia dug out and effortlessly presented all these differences in ways that only better turntables manage. If you want Paul in the room, or to hear the percussion on “Bluebird” sound startlingly real, or to get the full bass textures, then get an original U.K. It’s got space and three-dimensionality and is filled with sonic “love” in place of “clinical precision.”

The Naia laid bare all those differences and when I compared them again and listened to both on the Naia and on the 20x-priced rigs, what most impressed about the Naia was its bottom-end control, speed, and clarity. It didn’t exaggerate and produce false bass-extension mud; nor did it truncate or attenuate the bottom end.

On the original Band on the Run pressing, the Naia expressed every one of its positive qualities, including the superiority of the drum smacks on the title tune and, especially, the subtle echo behind the vocals. On “Jet” that nasty opening diesel-truck-like synth accent had full weight and snarl backed by a deep bass accent. The sixteenth-note piano fills on the tune were cleanly presented, and most importantly the entire presentation hung together three-dimensionally in all the ways only great turntable and cartridge combos manage. I think Geoff Emerick would approve (but perhaps not so much with the reissue).

To hear the full benefits of this turntable’s background quiet and speed accuracy and the Aphelion 2’s exceptional tracking abilities, check out a well-recorded and pressed solo piano recital like The Lost Recordings’ double-LP stereo release Emil Gilels Amsterdam 1976, recorded at Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw. It’s limited to 2000 copies, but it appears a few remain. Kevin Gray cut from carefully prepared high-resolution files, and here the goal was not to “modernize” but rather to present what’s on the tape, which I guess needed some digital domain prep. Whatever the reason or reasons for digitization, the stereo sound puts you in the hall, with the piano presented with three-dimensional clarity and stability. The large reverberant space behind amplifies the reality without interfering with either the well-defined piano image or with Gilels macro- and microdynamic expression.

Finally, after reading somewhere about a botched digital transfer of Benny Carter’s Further Definitions (Impulse AS-12), I pulled out and played the original, mastered by Rudy Van Gelder. Recorded in 1961 by Johnny Cue, with whom I’m unfamiliar (a different engineer gets credit for the mono edition), it features Coleman Hawkins, Jo Jones, Phil Woods, Charlie Rouse, Dick Katz, Jimmy Garrison, and (guitarist) John Collins (in parenthesis because I never heard of him either). Four saxes, piano, guitar, bass, and drums impeccably arranged by Carter and performed by greats, many from the “old school” but some like Garrison, Woods, and Rouse (who was moonlighting from Thelonious Monk’s group) still in their 20s or 30s. (Garrison would join Coltrane the next year, but by the time this was recorded he’d already played with many greats.)

A fun big band record in which the saxes can either sound hard and somewhat brittle or sail on smoothly, as they did through the Naia/Aphelion 3 combo. On Duke Ellington’s “Cotton Tail,” there’s subtle guitar comping center channel throughout, Katz’s cleanly recorded piano on the left channel, with plenty of surrounding space, and sax solos by Carter, Rouse, Woods, and Hawkins, the four spread two left, two right. On “Body and Soul” with no drums, Garrison’s bass carries the rhythmic load, each pluck cleanly rendered oh so subtly center channel. Truly black backgrounds spotlight the delicate interplay.

This Mat Not That

The Italian company Sublima Audio Research manufactures and sells Mat Chakra in Standard (190 euro) and Limited Editions. You have to get past the stones and other products that will turn off many visitors, but please plow through to the mats! You’ll find a link to a review and an explanation of how this sandpaper-like mat works, which I wrote elsewhere. I used both for much of this review, in place of the supplied standard white-fiber mat. If you own a Planar 8 or Planar 10, I encourage you to give this super-thin, stiff mat a try. The difference it made on the Naia was substantial IMO, good as the sound was with the standard mat. The Mat Chakra intensified the black backgrounds, produced better-defined transients (especially bass transients), and to my ears made everything sound more precise, three-dimensional, and vivid.

Conclusion

The Naia presents an exquisitely tight ship for a record to sail on. Both the arm and table take Rega’s thinking to the limits without totally breaking the bank to Naiad territory.

Stopping at Naia makes sense because according to Rega, while Naia can be a production-assembled product, Naid cannot, and because once you’re in $45,000 territory there’s very serious (but not as stiff) competition. I can’t say the Naia is twice as good as the Planar 10, but I can say with complete confidence that it’s much better in every way than the Planar 10, and the measured performance demonstrates that.

Because the Aphelion 2 is more advanced than the original Rega mc’s I’ve heard, the combination produces timbrally neutral, well-balanced sound, and it tracks better than any mc I’ve tested. The cartridge is a fitting Naia companion. If you encounter reviews claiming the Naia/Aphelion 2 is “all you’ll ever need” or “performs as well as turntables costing 10 times as much,” well those reviewers are either satisfied at a different performance level or have been listening to the wrong top-tier turntables. There are some not-so-good ones that the Naia beats, especially in speed stability, rhythmic polish, and background quiet.

Put it all together and you have a remarkably compact, lightweight, high-performance package that at $16,999 is costly but not impossibly so and that, out of the box, can be perfectly set up and playing records within 10 minutes. If there’s another turntable that combines all these attributes at the Naia’s price I haven’t seen or heard it—and I’ve seen and heard plenty!

Specs & Pricing

Type: Belt-drive turntable, tonearm, and cartridge
Tonearm: RB Titanium
Cartridge: Rega Aphelion 2 MC
Plinth: Graphene Impregnated Carbon Fiber and a Tancast 8 polyurethane foam core
Motor: 24 V low noise motor with NAIA reference power supply
Dimensions: 13.8″ x 4.5″ x 16.5″
Weight: 17 lbs.
Price: $16,999

Soundorg (North American distributor)
1009 Oakmead Drive
Arlington, TX 76011
(972) 234-0182
soundorg.com

The new ‘table incorporates many features found on the more costly ‘table including the 1200G’s copper-topped triple layer 7+ pound platter, combined with the 1200GR2’s iron-coreless type double rotor/single stator motor and ΔΣ Drive that the more costly 1200G lacks. While the SL-1300G’s 30 pound plinth is not identical to the SL-1200G’s, it is upgraded in key ways compared to the 1200GR’s.

The video includes illustrations explaining some of what can’t be seen on the outside and an illustrated Technics historical timeline. Lots to look at and consider.

Also in this video is a considered look at the new Technics SC-CX700 Wireless Speaker System, which incorporates some interesting new tech and is far more than a typical “powered loudspeaker”.

Following the presentation I got to hear both the SL-1300G and the SC-CX700 loudspeaker. Despite the less than optimal room conditions, the bottom end produced by both the 1300G through a pair of floor standing Technics SPG90 Mk2 loudspeakers and the 1200G directly into the powered speakers, which includes a built-in MM phono preamp.

It was an impressive and useful presentation, especially when, at the conclusion I asked whether it might be possible for me to get all three turntables to compare. That’s what readers have asked for and that’s what I hope to get. Yes, as Voss pointed out, that would be a major undertaking, but it’s one I’m willing to do!