holbo MK 2 turntable

@rsf507 

So(u)lution 787 tturntable

I had not come across this before, though they do make an Equalizer for DS Audio optical cartridges, so I recognise the brand.  At the Munich show, they had two turntables, one fitted with a very expensive DS Audio optical cartridge.

I'd just comment that the mechanism to keep the stylus in the groove differs markedly.  The Holbo feeds air into the tonearm bearing, which allows it to float friction free on its support rod.  The T-shape keeps the arm rigidly at right angles and it is just side pressure on the stylus that keeps the tonearm lined up.  I have just acquired a record which is off centre, and the entire Holbo tonearm visibly moves smoothly back and forth sideways without a touch of drama.  The moving parts weigh around 40-grams compared with 5,000-gms for the platter!

The motor that drives the air-pump is metres away from the deck itself, and is inaudible to me.

The Soulution on the other hand has to move a very weighty platter.  It needs some sort of servo assisted motor to do this.  The sensors that control the servo need to get an error signal, which almost certainly comes from some horizontal rotation of their tonearm.  The fact that they quote Horizonal Tracking Error ranges supports this bit of reverse-engineering!  Their arm also swings aside at the end of play.

Now consider the extra sources of vibration introduced by the servo-controlled motor, plus the friction of the sideways sliding platter.

In this case, I think the KISS principle might well win.

Just from your verbal description, the Soulution tonearm sounds very much like a modern version of the Rabco SL8E, which was probably the very first LT tonearm on the commercial market, dating back to the 70s.  It was invented and marketed by a guy who lives in my area, but it was widely accepted and he probably sold a lot of them. As you say, the arm wand is allowed to describe a tiny fraction of an arc. As it rotates on its anchored pivot, it eventually actuates a tiny electric motor which drags the pivot point along a rail until the arm wand is at the extreme of its arc toward the outer grooves.  Then the process repeats itself, thus generating a series of tiny arcs at the stylus tip, as the cartridge progresses to the run out grooves. Goldmund marketed a higher quality replica of the SL8E, they called the T3F. The T3F was standard on their massive TOTL turntable, the Reference, which is still highly prized.

Richard,

This quote I also find it particualry interesting as well and have seen the basic concept in several different reviews of the Holbo MK 2 in different forms.  

"I find it interesting that the Holbo is compared with tables costing 20 or more times as much, yet it is often regarded as a reference system!"

I have currently narrowed my personal "audition" listening search down to just two typical belt driven set up options after listening to about 9 different decks with as many different cartridges and tonearms. Some in particular, are a very good match to the deck.  However, to my ear I have found that the less massive decks, but not super light weight, seem to apeal to my "ear".  The two I really like are in the 45-50 lb range. I am reluctant to just say what those are on a more public blog like this.  But, it is attractive to me that for a much less costly deck and tonearm I could maybe put a much better cartridge in place and spend more on the phono stage with this potential "giant killer" deck with some very well executed engineering that is an air bearing platter and air bearing tangential tone arm, for the same $$$ that I would like as well or maybe much more. 

But, I am also very reluctant to try this Holbo deck out as I have no personal exposure to it, and no one I know where I am has one.  I believe in the general advice on high end audio gear, "you need to listen to it yourself" especially with analog things like turntable systems, and a particular emphasis toward the fact that if you can arrange it,  where you are going to listen to it. 

I have asked Bostjan at Holbo (long email thread) about a referal to someone in the Pacific NW with one I could go listen to.  No go so far.  I have just asked again.  So the question;  do you think I should just order one, set it up with a willing dealer of other things (the cartridge and phono stage) and try it out?  What do think I can expect to find out with my ears?  "Giant Killer" or not?

I know this might be a bit much to ask, but I am a little frustated in this case with the "direct to consumer" model.  I do have many components I have bought on that principal in the past, Legacy Audio and Anti Cables for instance. But it just seems like analog turntable systems are in a differnt catagory. 

Sincerely, 

ACR

@reynolds537 

I think I must be a bit of a risk-taker, but I do as much homework as I can before taking the plunge.

The basic equation is: you can pay twice as much at a dealer, or risk half that much with a direct purchase.  The way I see the US dollar going (down, down) you would not be losing much if you hated it and wanted to sell it later!

Holbo is much better established in Australia than in the US and the review that convinced me was Holbo Mk II Airbearing Turntable Review | StereoNET International.

Believe me, with the Holbo you are mainly hearing whatever cartridge and phono stage you choose!

Out of the sturdy, double cardboard carton, you lift an almost fully assembled unit.  Only the drive belt and the arm balance weight have to be added.  Beneath is the single box power supply and air pump.  

Now a test on whether you need help setting it up or not.  Have you ever successfully followed IKEA instructions?  Holbo’s are better, very simple with good diagrams.  The hardest bit is bolting on the cartridge of your choice, especially if it has separate nuts and washers!  But even that becomes easy when you realise the tonearm can be rotated 90-degrees sideways, so gravity holds the cartridge and bolts in place leaving your two hands free to tweezer the washers and nuts into place.

You have to tweezer the four connectors onto your cartridge.  Again, the ability to rotate make that easier than usual.

There are other tips I can give you for levelling, although the three feet make this straightforward.  Just pick one foot, and align a spirit level to the reference foot. Do the same with the last foot and you are done.

It is actually far easier than the pivoted systems I have seen.  Apart from anything else, you don’t have an anti-skate system to worry about.

You will need a stylus gauge to set the tracking weight.  I like the digital ones and got a cheap one on Temu - they probably all come from the same factory.  Also useful is a marked-up perspex block for adjusting the azimuth and VTA.

It might not be obvious, but final adjustments must be done where the table will sit!

As Aussies say, "She’ll be right"

Holbo mk2 vs CS Port = 5500usd vs. 65000usd. I'm very interested in which tonearm has the ability to change VTA while playing and precise azimuth settings.

Neither of these turntables has the ability to adjust VTA without the stylus moving off tangent.

If you adjust VTA on your Holbo whilst playing, the stylus position will move away from the tangent. This is basic geometry.

The Eminent Technology tonearm is far superior - it uses an arc block holding the air bearing, so that when you adjust VTA the stylus remains on the tangent point.

I believe the ET is the only air bearing tangential tracking arm that provides true VTA adjustment whilst keeping the stylus at the tangent point.