DPS/Schroeder Ref. Turntable

The DPS is an interesting table but falls short of the performance of designs from Galibier, Teres and TW Acustik.

When I auditioned the DPS/Schroeder Ref/Airy3 the detail and imaging were good, however timing and dynamics fell short of the others mentioned above.

The Schroeder Reference is virtually unobtainable new (ask anyone who has ordered one how long they have been waiting). The Schroeder is at its best reproducing small ensembles of acoustic instruments but is bettered on rock/pop (where bass guitar and drums feature) by the Tri-planar and Dynavector DV507 (although the latter isn't the best at imaging I prefer it to the Schroeder for rock music).

The Verdier is widely respected although I get the impression that many owners upgrade the motor/speed control units in pursuit of better attack and speed stability. There are better options available for your money IMO.

Before you pull the trigger, check out service, support and warranty for the DPS - their motor controller is proprietary and complex. I chose the Galibier, not just because it sounds better, but because the motor controller is a simple circuit using very common components. The only part with a failure risk is a regulator costing $2 that will be available indefinitely. The rest of the table is built like a tank and will last for ever.

A Tri-planar is all the tonearm that anyone would ever need ($4k) so with $4500 left to spend you could have yourself a new Galibier Gavia with Serac platter. I know the Schroeder new retails at $5500, but that just makes the Tri-planar even better value in my view.

The great thing about the Galibier design is the mylar belt which delivers rock solid speed stability (compared to the DPS's rubber). The DPS has an AC motor (vs DC) so will be prone to cogging and it needs that stretchy belt to counter this - the result is you don't get the dynamics and absolute pitch stability of the Galibier. Also compare the bearings between the two tables.

And you would have the pleasure of owning a new piece that was built especially for you.

Warning - reading this board may damage your wealth! :)

It's nice to be in like-minded company where it's okay to own a choice of arms and cartridges! A couple of years ago I was attempting to make the choice between Schroeder's DPS or Reference, it was an either/or situation. Lead time on these made the Tri-planar a no-brainer.

Notwithstanding Thom's claim that he can tweak his filaments to make the arms sound alike, I have yet to be fully convinced by a Reference on rock music, particularly bass guitar. Although for its looks and tactile pleasure the Reference takes some beating.

Don't take this personally Gary, but I'm always amused when a dealer/manufacturer says something along the lines of "the power supply upgrade makes a real improvement."

I don't understand why they don't just make their design sound as good as possible in the first place. Instead they box up a few hundred bucks worth of bigger transformer, regulators and caps then add a zero on the end of their costs to get to the selling price.

Ebalog, you are astute in picking up the sentiment in my post. Power supply components are not massively expensive and it would be possible for a manufacturer to incorporate a better specification for minimal increase in price.

On your point about the risk of buying a piece made by a small volume manufacturer, I think it's minimal. In the case of Frank's arms, because there are no bearing surfaces there is nothing that can wear out. In the case of Thom's Galibier turntables, the mechanical parts are massively over-engineered and are likely to never wear out and the few electronic components in the motor controller are generic.

I have a Lenco that must have been built over 30 years ago and nothing on it shows any sign of wear, although it's reassuring to know that there's a small company in Sussex, England that keeps a stock of most of the parts! The point I'm trying to make is that, apart from stylii, nothing else on a turntable ever wears out or fails.

Contrast this with the Technics SP10 MkII - arguably the most advanced turntable ever built - many of the ICs in the controller are out of production and unavailable. Also, most cassette decks still in existence (built by large corporations like Sony, Aiwa, Technics, Nakamichi, Denon, etc.) can't be repaired because parts are no longer available. It's not the longevity of the manufacturer that's the issue - it's the life cycle of the components the manufacturer incorporates in his design that's significant.

I have a Fidelity Research FR64s tone arm that I bought nearly 30 years ago that's still going strong - the fact that Fidelity Research disappeared decades ago is irrelevant. Because this arm has a great reputation and is still in demand it would be worth having a specialist replace the bearings and rewire it at some stage (if necessary).

I also have an old Grace F9 cartridge that I could have rebuilt indefinitely (should I choose to) like George Washington's ax, because it is designed in a way that enables other skilled cartridge builders to maintain it.