Opinions on Semi or Automatic Turntables


As a vision impaired audio nut, I find using a fully manual turntable to be a delicate, unnerving experience. As a point of reference, I'm currently running a Brinkman with a Koetsu Urushi Blue. Very nice, but somewhat inconvenient, and of course there's always the fear of a nasty mistake in operation. Is it possible to find a semi-automatic, or an entirely automatic TT that offers exemplary performance? Any suggestions are most welcome.
frontier1

Showing 2 responses by stanwal

Not at the highest level that I am aware of. In the past tables like the Thorens 126 and the Revox gave very good performance with automation. The Duals were also quite good. The small Technics linear tracking tables were surprising good. I have forgotten whether the Dragon turntable was automatic, I only remember that it automatically centered the LP. They would not equal the performance of a modern top turntable but you might consider picking one up and seeing if the level of performance was good enough for at least part time use. The investment would not be excessive and could be recouped if you were not satisfied with the results.
There is a Revox 790 currently listed for $429. You might want to check on it and see what cartridges will fit its arm. The reviews of this table were quite favorable.