Brinkman Balance Comparisons

Also I have a feeling it is system dependent & cartridge/arm dependent. I would love to hear your impressions.

Rick,

The Raven definitely does not have too much bass. If you hear a bass hump it will either be the tonearm match with the compliance of the cartridge. It could be the system but that you will know comparing it to a CD source you are familiar with.

I have played with 3 arms on mine and noticed that you hear everything you put into your system. This means that if the arm has a certain signature it will show. If the cartridge exacerbates the signature of the arm then it will show more. More likely than not if the arm is not high enough in mass the bass will become muddy. If the arm and cartridge match is truly synergistic it will shine. I honestly believe that everyone here wondering if the Brinkman Balance, LaGrange, Galiber or TW Acustic are better or worse are spliting hairs as they are all top flight. It is a matter of design and flexibility at this level. The Raven sound can be changed by the addition of a mat. So can the Balance. In the end of the day the bearing is the most critical. The bearing needs to optimized to the weight of the platter etc.

PS the Raven manufacturing process is a full in house operation. Thomas (the designer of the Raven) does not want to farm anything out to reduce cost as this will reduce quality. His bearing and bearing sleaves are made one at a time and matched. This means you can not just replace the bearing. You must replace both if you damage it (it is almost impossible to damage). You should look at the TW website.

Also, there is a lot of exceptional audio equipment that has long waiting list due to the fact that they are made in house and the quality control is at a very high level.

Rwd,

I was listening to a Nottingham Hyperspace w. a SME V. I used a Koetsu Urushi with the Groove and a VdH Condor w. a custom phono stage. An excellent table at its price point in its time. Once the Urushi broke in there was magic that made me stop listening to CD. Once the Urushi broke (cleaning woman) I went through a bunch of changes. Then I went after total neutrality which the Raven has in spades. I strongly suggest you look at the phono stage as an integral part of your analogue setup. People disagree but my suggestion is that cartridges are too often judged out of context as the phono stage is part of the synergy. I will report more later on this but not for now. I know people who love the XV-1s and those who don't . Very polar opinions. I believe this is phono stage dependant. The new Tri Planar is lower mass than the original VII. The Graham can be adjusted from my understanding. Hope I help you with your decision.

Gladstone,

Is the Continuum that good a turntable? Is the Walker? Have there been no turntables that approach what they do?? Are they so far ahead of other turntables to make a great former design sound broken? I would suggest Albert Porter chime in here about the sound of his Tape vs. LP. I think LP as a medium is limited. We can spend more money to move up the chain but at a certain level the jumps get smaller. It then makes more sense to place our money elsewhere in the chain where the audible ROI is maximized. If you sacrifice a great phono stage for a world class turntable you are not even getting close to hearing what your turntable can do.

Congratulations! Save the Universe for the Schroder and blow your mind. I wish you could hear what I have going on to know how happy I am. I have a choice of either front row (Jade) or in the middle of it all (Univ). Carlos Santana seems to be hanging around in my house these days, jamming oh so beautifully. If you need setup advise feel free to email me (I don't know the Triplanar though) but do know the table.

What cartridges were at the shoot out. PS, cartridges are a funny lot, until you get them setup just right you would never know you have a sleeper in the bunch. The arm synergy & setup are as important if not more than which cartridge you choose.

Rick,

I am good friends w. Thomas the owner of TW Acustic. He came to visit me in Aruba. He has a Breitling from my store. I guess TW owners own Breitlings as well. I am wearing the Breitling for Bentley Mark VI with blue dial these days.

I had 3, Boston, Millenium & now use Living Voice. I much prefer it to the other 2. But the platter itself is very good.

Audioblazer,

The copper platter & Living voice mat are very very close. The other mats change the sound much more. The sound loses a touch of the dynamics w. the mat but also the treble rolls off but becomes more natural (so so so very slight). The Boston made everything fuzzy. The Millenium rolled the treble off too much to my liking. I really spent a lot of time doing these comparisons. These are easy to do. I kept VTA same for all of these. You don't need a mat, it is just nice.

Audioblazer,

With the digital control on the motor I doubt an aftermarket power cord will make a difference. I do use the grounding bolt on the side of the plinth below the platter to stop any static from affecting the motor & it does help. It is digital & records get a lot of static in my environment.

I guess that maybe a PS Audio Powerplant or the likes might make things a little more constant but the motor is easy to adjust.

Rememember there is a stock cable that connects the motor to the power supply so that any aftermarket cord is nulified by the next connection point. Correct me if I am wrong.