Brinkmann Bardo vs Transrotor Fat Bob Reference


I'm wondering if anyone can tell me the differences between these two turntables? They are similar in price & both have hydrodynamic magnetic bearings, although the Brinkmann is direct drive as opposed to the more conventional design of the TR. Any opinions or experiences would be appreciated!
melbguy1
Glai, I apologize if I sounded offensive or aggressive. I thought you had written something to the effect that you "noticed" improved speed stability when you introduced the AC regenerator. This to me meant that you looked at the little strobe device on your SP10 and could see that the orange and black display was noticeably more stable, which is what prompted my remark about capacitors. On the other stuff, it seems we are in agreement.

By the way, please don't laugh, but my SP10 Mk3 is still sitting on the floor in my office/study. I have yet to put the plinth together and have been quite happy with my Kenwood L07D and my Lenco, in the meantime. I did make some progress over the weekend, and there's not much left to do except to drill the armboard.
I tried the Bardo. Almost bought it. Hesitated and ended up buying buying a Simon Yorke
As a recent buyer of a Transrotor Fat Bob, I agree with all that was said about its performance above. Fit and finish is superb, and it is as quiet as I have ever experienced. dynamics are startling. Well worth the purchase price. Currently using a Monster Alpha 1 cartridge. While my listening time has been short, I have not found any area of complaint yet.
03-15-11: Melbguy1
I received this reply directly from Transrotor in response to a question asking why they decided on the belt, as opposed to direct drive approach:
"We chose the belt drive because we think it is the best way not to bring resonances from the motor to the platter. The negative aspect of the belt drive (the belt slip) is compensated by the magnetic drive, the TMD"
I trust the Transrotor turntables are good sound products based on what was commented from earlier posts. I also think the TMD is a clever idea for belt-drive. But I'm surprised by their response to why they chose belt drive. Isn't direct-drive in itself a form of magnetic drive? Just think of the TMD is driven by coils instead of outboard motor using a belt. And if the DD motor is spinning at 33rpm, half Hz, isn't it innately quieter than one or three motors spinning at, say, 300rpm to 1800rpm, isolated by a belt or not? The only noise issue with DD is the quality of the bearing, which applies to ALL turntables. This is just another case of someone who does not understand the workings of direct drive. Let's face it, building quality DD table is expensive and, more importantly, requires a lot of knowledge in electronics beyond just mechanical engineering. I have no problem with them saying they simply prefer the sound of belt-drive, instead of using the, by now, really tiresome argument against DD. The horse is dead, stop beating on it.

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