Does any Audiogon member have a Holbo air-bearing turntable?
I am fascinated by the Holbo air-bearing turntable with its linear tracking air-bearing arm and air bearing platter system. I have not read an unfavourable review, and many reviewers recommend it as a reference-level turntable at an audio bargain price.
If you have one, what has your experience been like? What country are you in? Is yours the Mk1 or the Mk2? What was the set-up experience like? What cartridge(s) have you used, and what would you recommend? How do you keep it clean? Has it been reliable?
Looking forward to hearing real-life experiences!
"I guess you could put together an ET2 plus table for less, but hardly a turnkey LT solution like the Holbo." Yeah, there's plenty of options for what I could do, it's just one of something different that has my attention. The plug n play of the Holbo is very attractive, and the company seems ready to support even though they're not represented domestically. Thanks for the dimension info. I'd probably reach out to one of the made to order companies here on Agon for a cover. |
The rest of us might wish to @frazeur1 ’s experience. |
Holbo does offer a dustcover, which appears to be made of acrylic or maybe perspex. I have seen one in Australia and it is a lift on and off affair, with a cutout to accommodate the rear projection of the arm. It cannot be closed when playing a record. I'm spoilt by the cover on my SME plinth for my Garrard 301, which has resistance hinges and can be closed when playing a record. To my surprise, it does not seem to affect the sound quality whether up or down! Freight of a Holbo cover to Australia is very expensive and I think I prefer the idea of a cloth cover. Maybe an anti-static black velvet, if there is such a thing. |
Thanks Tim From what I have read, the big difference between the Mk1 and the Mk2 is that the Mk2 has a single box to house the power supply and the air pump, making it easier to house them and synchronise switch on. The Mk1 has separate boxes for the power supply and the air pump. Nothing I have read suggests that these changes make a difference to the sound signature of the turntable system. Given a constant supply of clean air and a 12-Volt power supply, the design of the table itself looks hard to improve. The Japanese DC motor is very close to the platter rim so there is only a small amount of drive belt that is not tightly controlled. I assume that the platter air bearing surface is the large stainless-steel ring and that air bleeds at the periphery to provide horizontal positioning for the platter, with an air gap around 10 microns wide. In other words, the only spindle is there to hold a record and a puck. The bearing for the arm seems equally simple in principle, giving frictionless movement up and down and sideways at the stylus tip, while keeping the cartridge firmly square and at the right distance. All this with no mechanical connection except a very thin layer of air. Given the air separation between the plinth and both the platter and the arm, mounting the relatively small motor to that relatively big slab of MDF would seem a good way to reduce any motor vibrations |
