Originally Posted by
Ali Tait
Not heard the Roksan, but have both a 401 and a 75. If I was to make a bit of a generalisation, idlers are generally more bass driven than belt drives. Slightly smaller sound stage, but make up for it with a musular, more "driven" sort of sound, whereas belt drives can sound a little airy fairy by comparison. Better sound staging though..
Kind of like the difference between SE and PP valve amps I guess.
Whichever you choose, unless you are buying a finished project which will cost a lot more, you'll be needing to do a bit of DIY. If you can though, both these decks offer pretty much unrivalled VFM.
I see where you are coming from with respect to the comparison of SET with PP valve amps. The latter are usually more punchy but lack the finesse and detail of the former. What one chooses is a matter of preference, although the ideal would be the combination of the two in one package.
Going back to the TTs, I would be interested in doing a bit of DIY, but I suppose it is important to start from a solid foundation. So, if I supposedly go for a Garrard, where can I find a good 401 and what would be its cost? How can I be sure that it will be worth the asking price, since I am inexperienced on that field?
Cheers.
System1: Lenco L75 with custom plinth, SLAT, sph bearing, SG4 external power supply + Alfred Bokrand AB-309 tonearm + Denon DL103R (aluminum body) + Well Tempered 12" tonearm clone + Denon DL103R (wooden body), ASR Mini Basis Exclusive HV, Marantz CD6005, LAB12 DAC1 SE+, Hattor BIG passive + active pre, Lab12 Suono power amp, Falcon LS3/5a Gold Badge, LAB12 Gordian, Belden 8428, Black Cat Red Level Triode, LAB12 Knack MkII
System 2: Roksan Xerxes original (HiFi Inspire plinth) with Maxon ReMax motor + Audiomods Series6 + Ortofon Cadenza Black microridge retipped, ASR Mini Basis Exclusive, Marantz CD6003, Croft Micro25R + Series7R monoblocks (110W/ea), Harbeth SHL5 Plus 40th Anniv.
System 3: Marantz CD6003, Croft SuperMicroII ('R' spec by Croft, Tesla E83CC in phono)+ Series7, Snell Type EII (with bypass caps, new internal wiring, WBT nextgen 0703Cu), Mark Grant HDX1, Atlas Hyper 3.0