Roksan Radius 1

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17-11-2017, 18:19
Svend N

Roksan Radius 1

As I may have mentioned in some previous posts, I am slowly acquiring select pieces of audio gear to get our eldest daughter set up in her first proper apartment. A Roksan Radius deck recently popped up in the local classifieds, and it looks intriguing. This is the first version of this model, so has the charcoal grey finish, dual layer plinth, separate power supply, etc.. It's fitted with a Rega RB300 arm, not the stock Tabriz arm (not sure if that's good or not; which is the better arm?).

Unfortunately, there is almost no information about these early Radius models out there on the web. Does anyone here have any insight into this unit?

What little I have been able to find out, is that the early Radius and Xerxes models were prone to plinth sag, which is fixable with (presumably) a little bracing. Otherwise there are no reviews or comments about any reliability issues or even about their sound quality. On paper it looks to check all the boxes -- nice bronze bearing and hardened spindle shaft, a good motor which is mounted below the plinth on a sub-base for isolation, and an external speed controller / power supply. But how that translates to reliability and good sound is another thing.

Any feedback or comments, pro or contra, greatly appreciated.

Many thanks in advance!
Svend
17-11-2017, 18:45
Breezy

Hey Svend, here we are again!

I don't know too much about the Radius, but the Xerxes is suspended on "blobs" rather than springs, which do sag after a while and I think the only fix is to replace. The good news though, is that Roksan is a good manufacturer and is still in business, so should be able to provide some support - info@roksan.co.uk

Have you actually acquired the deck? Will be interested to see how you get on with this. Mind you, if your daughter wants something simple and trouble free then it might be better to look for a Rega 3 or even Rega 6, which are as simple as they come yet still sound good. Good luck!

Cheers,
Steve
17-11-2017, 18:59
Svend N

Steve! We meet again :)

No, I haven't bought the Radius. Wanted to poll the group here to see what feedback came at me before I pull the trigger.

I think the Radius design (as far as I can tell) is not a suspended design. Rather, it is two solid plinths separated by some vibration absorbing shims, presumably rubber material of some sort. The platter, bearing and tonearm are attached to the upper plinth, and the motor is secured to the lower base plinth (if that's the correct term for it). The pulley pokes up through a hole in the upper section to drive the belt. Interestingly, some people have modded their Rega decks like this, and there is one company in the UK (SRM-Tech) which makes a sub-base for Regas that drops the motor mount to the lower section. In principle it seems like a good design, but I'm curious to know anyone's experience with this early Radius model to see if it actually sounds good and has any reliability issues (other than the plinth sag mentioned above).

Regards,
Svend
17-11-2017, 19:04
forsell

Quote:

Originally Posted by Svend N

As I may have mentioned in some previous posts, I am slowly acquiring select pieces of audio gear to get our eldest daughter set up in her first proper apartment. A Roksan Radius deck recently popped up in the local classifieds, and it looks intriguing. This is the first version of this model, so has the charcoal grey finish, dual layer plinth, separate power supply, etc.. It's fitted with a Rega RB300 arm, not the stock Tabriz arm (not sure if that's good or not; which is the better arm?).

Unfortunately, there is almost no information about these early Radius models out there on the web. Does anyone here have any insight into this unit?

What little I have been able to find out, is that the early Radius and Xerxes models were prone to plinth sag, which is fixable with (presumably) a little bracing. Otherwise there are no reviews or comments about any reliability issues or even about their sound quality. On paper it looks to check all the boxes -- nice bronze bearing and hardened spindle shaft, a good motor which is mounted below the plinth on a sub-base for isolation, and an external speed controller / power supply. But how that translates to reliability and good sound is another thing.

Any feedback or comments, pro or contra, greatly appreciated.

Many thanks in advance!
Svend

Hey there, low budget design intended to compete with Linn Axis: grey painted MDF-plinth (both layers) suffering from a sag, plastic sub-platter, not sure about the outer platter nevertheless it is ultra-thin, nearly zero flywheel-effect...

"nice bronze bearing and hardened spindle shaft"

You find it in all decks, even in todays ultra chip Rega 1 player as well, hence it says nothing about decks "manufacturing quality" and how it translates into sound quality.

Buy it now price for one advertised on ebay at the moment: GBP 635. Crazy - it is higher than original price back then in early 90-ies for a "non-hyped"- "non-collectible" piece of gear that someone is going to get rid of.

Outdated design by modern standards. IMO.
17-11-2017, 19:18
Svend N

Karich -- thank you. Some great feedback. That's exactly the kind of insight I was looking for. To be honest, I did raise an eyebrow at the seller's asking price -- C$750 -- which I thought was a bit steep considering the age of the deck. But the Roksan name has a bit of caché here, presumably because of the Xerxes model. Some pretty high prices being asked for some rather ageing Roksan gear in these parts. Sounds like this early Radius model is not worth it. As Steve suggested, better to stick with a simple Rega and add a few sensible mods to it.

Thanks! I think I'll take a pass on this one... You saved me from buying a dud.
Svend
17-11-2017, 19:24
forsell

Quote:

Originally Posted by Svend N

Karich -- thank you. Some great feedback. That's exactly the kind of insight I was looking for. To be honest, I did raise an eyebrow at the seller's asking price -- C$750 -- which I thought was a bit steep considering the age of the deck. But the Roksan name has a bit of caché here, presumably because of the Xerxes model. Some pretty high prices being asked for some rather ageing Roksan gear in these parts. Sounds like this early Radius model is not worth it. As Steve suggested, better to stick with a simple Rega and add a few sensible mods to it.

Thanks! I think I'll take a pass on this one... You saved me from buying a dud.
Svend

Just out of interest, what is your max budget you are willing to spend on a entry level turntable for you daughter...?.
17-11-2017, 19:33
Svend N

Quote:

Originally Posted by forsell

Just out of interest, what is your max budget you are willing to spend on a entry level turntable for you daughter...?.

I haven't really set a budget, but for a starter deck I would not want to spend more than C$600 to $700. I can easily get a used Rega P3 with good cartridge for that, or a solid Japanese DD like Technics 1700/1800 or similar for much less. If she really takes to vinyl and starts to acquire an LP collection, then we can move up to a better unit a few years down the road.
17-11-2017, 20:05
forsell

Quote:

Originally Posted by Svend N

I haven't really set a budget, but for a starter deck I would not want to spend more than C$600 to $700. I can easily get a used Rega P3 with good cartridge for that, or a solid Japanese DD like Technics 1700/1800 or similar for much less. If she really takes to vinyl and starts to acquire an LP collection, then we can move up to a better unit a few years down the road.

Hi again,

you can NOT do wrong with a Rega deck for an entry & mid level system -no matter which one you take depending on your budget. They all represent extremely good value and sound for pound. I do not own a Rega player but have a lot of listening experience with them. The good thing is that you can start out with a "factory unit" and then upgrade step by step. There are hundreds of Rega mods and tweaks out there, which -going by todays audiophile price standards -are relatively cheap and improve sound quality significantly

Newer decks sound much better than older ones -even carrying the same "number logo". For example a current production Planar 3 -this is where I would start with if I were you- is a completely different design to RP3 from 10-20 years ago. At this price level I would combine a Rega deck with a Goldring cartridge from their 1000-series, the 1042 at best. With a Funk Firm Achromat platter mat -that was developed for glass platters to dampen typical "glass ringing" -and with a 1000 -series Goldring cartridge you get a no-nonsense cracking analogue combination that is more than the sum of parts... All the best!

All the best!
17-11-2017, 20:06
Svend N

Quote:

I haven't really set a budget, but for a starter deck I would not want to spend more than C$600 to $700. I can easily get a used Rega P3 with good cartridge for that, or a solid Japanese DD like Technics 1700/1800 or similar for much less. If she really takes to vinyl and starts to acquire an LP collection, then we can move up to a better unit a few years down the road.

Further to the above comments, I have listened to some new decks in this price range, but have not been particularly impressed by their sound. It seems one has to spend at least C$1200 to $1500 to get into good sonic territory in a new machine. I think we're better off getting a used machine with a decent cartridge, than a low-priced new deck with entry level cartridge. The rest of the money is better spent on a good amp and decent DAC. She will undoubtedly use her PC and iPhone for most music listening.

For the amp, I have my eye on the new Rega Brio. For a DAC perhaps the Shiit Modi (I think I have that name right?) or a little Dragonfly. We'll see...

Cheers,
Svend
17-11-2017, 20:15
Svend N

Hi Karich -- yes, some very sensible advice there. And I hear you about the new Planar 3 -- a very nice unit. But at this point I really don't want to spend close to C$2000 for a starter deck for my daughter, which is what a new P3/1042/Achromat would cost here. She does like the vinyl sound, but let's start at the low end and toss an older Rega or Technics in there and see if it sticks. If she's really into it and starts collecting records, then by all means a new P3 would be wonderful. Hopefully by then she'll be able to afford to buy it herself :)

Cheers,
Svend

PS -- good tip about the Achromat. I have a old P3 sitting waiting to be installed into a basement system that will be coming this winter, and it has a glass platter. One of these mats might be perfect for it.