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Nottingham vs. Wilson Benesch turntables?

I have assembled a great 2 channel system (Verity Parsifal Ovations, Luxman 509u integrated & D-06 cdp), and it is time to add analogue for vinyl 50's & 60's jazz, chamber music, solo piano etc. The 509u has a good phono stage, and so I need a TT, arm, and cart.

A couple of options available locally are the Nottingham Analogue Ace Spacedeck (or the similar Space 294)and their respective NA arms, the Wilson Benesch Full Circle (complete with arm and cart), the Avid Diva II (and Volvere), and Thorens.

The Nottingham and WB turntables have a certain appeal at a similar price, and I was wondering what you would advise for someone getting back into analogue?
toronto416

Showing 3 responses by sibelius

sibelius
256 posts
 
For what it is worth, I live a few miles away from the North American Distributor (The Analog Room in San Jose)and hang out there quite a bit. The owner (Brian) thinks the "sweet spot" in the Nottingham line-up is definately the 294. Great bang for the $. You can then add the Heavy Kit and Wave Mechanic power supply down the road and you should be all set for a long time.

I had a 294 (with heavy kit) and traded up for a Ana-log. While I believe the Ana-log is a better table the 294 is IMO the better value and is the table I have recommended the most.
sibelius
256 posts
 
Another happy Nottingham owner. I originally bought the 294 with heavy kit and have since upgraded to the Ana-log. As mentioned, the Notts are not the table for those looking for extreme neutrality. They have a romantic sound that is slightly dark. Some like the Nott tonearms and some don't. I use the spacearm with a mono cartridge in a dual tonearm configuration. My primary stereo tonearm is a SME 312 which I prefer. I think Notts are extremely well built, musical and provide good value.
sibelius
256 posts
 
I'll chime in on the mat issue. I tried the Boston Audio Mat 1, a cork mat, a copper mat from TT weights, and no mat. In the end, believe it or not, I prefered the cheap felt mat that came with the Nott TT's. My (subjective) impression is that the more expensive mats added some detail and clarity at the expense of some liquidity. I'm sure this is very system dependent. Overall, I spent about $400 trying different things out and ended up back where I started. Live and learn.
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