The Most Beautiful and Ugliest Turntables

[Mike Reed]

I like it personally very neat and does not take two much room, always likes the notts analogue for its clean looks the notts analogue arm and the oragami look nice together, I see a red urushi? on the orgami whats the other cartridge

Well spotted. Urushi Vermillion. Think the other might be the Benz Ebony, though it might also be my Transfig. Proteus. I swapped then around a bit. Different presentations with each cart. between the unipivot and the gimbal (both 12") Actually, the Dais is quite a big t/t, as well as weighing around 44 kg.

[Vrajbasi]

Beauty in the eye of the beholder and all that. Sound quality wise the AMG Giro destroyed the Oracle.

The Brinkman looks a lot like the AMG Viyella or the AMG looks like the Brinkman.

The amg was the brain child Werner Roeschlau who previously manufactured turntables and components for other companies, most notably Brinkmann - which may explain why they look similar.

It is enough to see the shape of the Brinkman Balance or even more so Bardo to spot the similarities. Brinkmann’s Balance uses an external motor and control unit and the Bardo incorporates a 'magnetic direct drive' system, the AMG Viella integrates its belt motor into the main chassis. The main bearing is also different. The AMG table uses the hydromechanical characteristics of the lubricant to simplify its bearing design. I met Werner at a show once he was a delightful man with many great ideas sadly not around any more. The AMG turntables certainly delightful always liked them over Brinkman personally. Not very well represented in the UK sadly

[struth]

Another Michell design, the Focus One was lovely; nice clean lines... Think it won the TT award here as nicest deck a few years ago

[Mike Reed]

The best sounding turntable I've ever heard (by a long way). Rockport Sirius.
It looks impressive, if maybe not beautiful.

Heard/saw this at one of the Heathrow shows in the nineties; Stonking deck; stonking price. Nineties esoterica with bells on.

[Vrajbasi]

Not a fan of the look of earlier versions, but love the later Mk7 of the Townsend Rock.

I was never a fan of the Rock 7 I actually purchased one for a bit of fun not very well made I had to get a replacement twice, I liked the Rock V though I should have bought one as not many were made.

[Vrajbasi]

Heard/saw this at one of the Heathrow shows in the nineties; Stonking deck; stonking price. Nineties esoterica with bells on.

I remember meeting its designer at that show think it was the Heathrow Penta show back then, and remember him telling me that the motor drive had something to do with Nasa he showed me pictures of the custom made drive system seen nothing like it. I phoned him a year ago and said if one was to be made today it would be in the region of £400000 or thereabouts so would not bother producing them again dont blame him, I could never afford one.

[Barry]

The Oracle's never really done it for me, Neil. But I like the AMG

The Brinkmann 'Balance', for me, is also a rather nice-looking T/T, certainly beautifully engineered:

I'm 2/3 of the way there - I have the arm and a 'nuded' EMT cartridge (upon which the Brinkmann Ti is based).



PS Voltaire lived in the 18th century. The French spoken then was not the quite the same as would be spoken today.

[mikmas]

Another Michell design, the Focus One was lovely; nice clean lines... Think it won the TT award here as nicest deck a few years ago

Love it!

[mikmas]

The rare and definitely vintage IMF Transcription Turntable is striking. Not sure I'd call it beautiful though.

Excellent - although it does look a bit like something a lab technician has knocked together in his spare time

[jandl100]

Interesting, Geoff - I'd never come across the IMF before. Presumably they just badged it? Or maybe it really was just knocked together by one of their lab technicians, as Mike suggests!

Curiously similar looking platter to the magnetically levitating Gale 201, an iconic 70s design if ever their was one,