Fit'n'finish were outstanding, and setup was quick and simple. It has a vinyl platter mat, a polished granite base, and the superbly designed and machined spindle and bearing used in Brinkmann's more expensive Oasis, La Grange, and Balance models. The Bardo is a direct-drive, suspensionless turntable with an eight-pole, speed-controlled motor. "The Brinkmann Balance remains one of a handful of the finest turntables being made today." Brinkmann 12.1 tonearm adds $7500, Brinkmann EMT-ti cartridge adds $4300. Adding Brinkmann's optional RöNt tubed power supply ($4300) produced cleaner, better-articulated mid- and high-frequency transients, said MF. Combined "deep, tight, articulate" bass performance with "the lightest, airiest, purest" soundstages to breathe new life into MF's favorite LPs, adding "greater holography of imaging but without etch." Recent upgrades include a new motor and new power-supply electronics. Its high-tech feet are designed to effectively isolate the supporting base from horizontally and vertically induced vibrations, and its platter's speed can run at precisely 33.3 and 45rpm. The ready-to-play Brinkmann Balance is a plinthless "table with an attractive, low-profile base available in a variety of sizes and configured for specified tonearm masses. "A striking, innovative success," Art enthused. Though it lacked the bottom-end heft of AD's Thorens TD-124, the dps showed unsurpassed pitch stability and revelatory soundstaging abilities. Bauer prevents energy storage by combining a resistive bearing with a high-torque AC synchronous motor, this powered by a three-phase power supply custom-made by Ayre Acoustics. The body is a laminate of six separate sheets: two layers of lossy damping material sandwiched by three sheets of Baltic birch plywood and topped with a layer of cork the platter is acrylic. "In Willi Bauer's handsome dps, an aluminum plinth houses three shallow PVC cups, filled with elastomer buttons, that act as supporting springs for the rest of the turntable. Reviewed with AMG 12J2 12" tonearm and Cherry wood skirt.
Used with a Lyra Atlas cartridge, the Viella 12 produced a rich, detailed midrange nimble, well-controlled bass and smooth, clean highs, said MF. Made in Germany, the Viella 12 is a belt-drive turntable with an ellipsoidal plinth of aircraft-grade aluminum a two-piece black-anodized aluminum platter a two-pulse, low-speed, 24V DC motor, acoustically decoupled from the plinth by five mounts of rubber and metal and a 12" tonearm with a unique, dual-pivot, vertical bearing system. Stereophile's 2006 "Analog Source Component" and "Overall Product of the Year." (Vol.29 No.1, Vol.31 No.3, Vol.35 No.7 WWW) The ultrarigid Castellon stand, made of chromed, aircraft-grade aluminum, costs $25k on its own (pheww). "Better than sex!" cried Mikey's wife, though compared to the Onedof turntable, while the Caliburn offered greater dynamics, transparency, and impact, it sounded slightly ragged and less stable, said MF. While the only serious competition for the Caliburn is the Rockport System III Sirius, MF decided, "The Caliburn beat the Rockport's overall performance by a considerable margin," adding an "emotional majesty" that made the Rockport seem analytical.
"Part New Jersey diner, part Wurlitzer jukebox," the 160-lb Caliburn is the brainchild of Mark Doehmann, whose clever, purposeful design is based on rigorous scientific methodology using finite-element analysis computer programs.
Editor's Note: We strongly recommend those interested in LP playback visit our sister website, which is edited by Michael Fremer.Ĭontinuum Audio Labs Caliburn: $200,000 with tonearm and stand ✩