The Oracle Delphi is an outstanding turntable - I traded my Denon DP-80 for one back in the 80s.
Mine was a Series III.
Setup is a little tricky because you need to get the suspension springs to work pistonically for best results, but it gets easier with practice. Earlier models used a counterweight under the plinth - rather than springs - to balance the turntable.
Later models look much the same, but have a broader subchassis, which has improved stability. One change I did make to mine was to replace the plastic armboard with a metal one, and that made a big difference.
I sold my Delphi to a friend who still uses it with my old FR 64FX arm. It still sounds great. Its weakness is in the lowest bass, which isn't a big issue for him in his system.
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I was an Oracle dealer for many years. I have setup well over 50 of their tables. I have personally owned at least 10 Oracle tables and still use my Delphi MKIV with Zeta (van den Hul) arm and Zu Audio/Denon DL-103 daily.
IMHO, the older versions, (and current crop of Oracle tables) still hold their own with most out there.
One of my favorite tables... |
mofimadness: Thanks and can I ask did you ever run another TT? How did that compare? Oracle was your one an only (several one's)? MKIV seems to be the point where they started to get it really right and I don't read many excellent reviews so how do I render that? Set me straight? Links are welcome. |
I have owned so many different table/arm/cart combos that there is no way I could even name all of them.
Analog systems (table/arm/cart) setup was kind of my forte in the high-end business, so I have pretty much seen/heard/setup it all, (well many anyway).
IMHO, budget plays more into this than anything. Remember you will also need an arm, armboard, cartridge, headshell (maybe), phono cable. This adds up really quickly.
If you’re asking me if I would go out and buy (at $10K retail with Turbo power supply) a new Oracle Delphi MKVI-Gen2, no I wouldn’t. There are several other tables around that price that "I" would rather have, but again, that’s "me".
The Oracle Delphi is an absolutely wonderful, world class table and makes a great platform for a super high-end analog system. Only you can decide if it’s right for "you"... |
I owned a Delphi MKIII with SME IV arm for years back in the 80's early 90's.
Smooth midrange was the only plus.
Soft bass and poor match with most cartridges.
Went to a VPI TNT III with JMW-10 and never looked back, which ran all over the Delphi. |
I owned a Delphi MKIII with SME IV arm for years back in the 80's early 90's.
Smooth midrange was the only plus.
Soft bass and poor match with most cartridges.
Went to a VPI TNT III with JMW-10 and never looked back, which ran all over the Delphi.
Now that's a Yin and Yang difference if there ever was one. Two pretty much totally different tables. All depends on what sound you are looking for. |
I certainly don't have the expertise of Mofi but I have owned a few tables. No the bass is not as impactful as other tables I've owned, the SOTA Sapphire for example. The midrange and high frequency performance is beyond what I would see as smooth, but very airy and lifelike and a serious reason to consider an Oracle. I can't comment on the relative value compared to other tables but when properly set-up this table is unlikely to ever be the weak link to achieving a highly musical and satisfying system. I have a mk iv with SME 345 arm. |
I own both an Oracle Delphi MK3 with Audiomods Series 5 tonearm and a Yamaha GT 2000. The GT 2000 was always preferred over the Oracle when I had my Oracle SME 345 tonearm installed, however since I switched tonearms to the Audiomods the Oracle is the equal of the GT 2000.
In fact at the moment with the Shinon Boron Red installed on the Oracle and an Audio Technica AT ML180 on the Yamaha, I am finding that I am playing the Oracle a lot more than the GT 2000.
I also use a Spectral Reference on the Oracle which is even better than the Shinon, unfortunately that needs some attention and is out of rotation for the moment.
As for the bass impact of the Oracle, it goes plenty deep and is very close to the mighty GT 2000 in this respect. In fact it generally comes down to the cartridge that I am using which makes the most difference.
In fact I did notice that when I changed from the SME 345 to the Audiomods arm the bass tightened up, deepened and there was a lot more attack and "life" to the presentation.
In summary the Oracle Delphi is not only a beautiful looking turntable but it is also capable of very high levels of musical reproduction. It also has the ability to be improved upon with factory modifications such as the MVSS or Micro Vibration Stabilizer System.
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+1 ^
ORACLE DELPHI II Gold/Black (and III Standard Aluminium) w/ original GROOVE ISOLATOR using SME III and HQ MM carts (SHURE ULTRA in particular) beats LUXMAN PD 444, Goldmund Studio and ORACLE DELPHI IV by a country mile in all the SQ areas IME over the decades. As a very well suspended deck DELPHI is much less sensitive to external vibrations but does benefit from isolation (tables/decks). Easiest and cheapest way is simple maglev feet w/ appropriate fit to deck´s mass i.e. the smaller the gap between magnets and thus stronger the repulsion (magnetic field) the better sound quality. |
The Oracle is beautiful in a way that few other tables are - that gets it a lot of customers as long as the sound is at least decent, which it was.
I had a Delphi 2 so can't comment on how the latest version, but it seems to impress the reviewers.
I know that other tables I had after the Delphi easily bettered it sonically - Sota Cosmos. VPI TNT6 etc., but as an object of metal sculpture, the Delphi has few equals. Maybe a Michell...? |
Hah ! Michell is a toy and actually apes ORACLE and its suspension is just a clumsy effort. DELPHI and PREMIERE are true high tech and High-End decks, in every aspect like its hanging suspension system in particular, one of the finest suspended deck there ever was. Naturally the suspension must be perfectly balanced to get the best out of an ORACLE. Not an easy task for novices. If you don´t adjust it properly the sound easily becomes awful. Furthermore, a DELPHI could be tuned for a certain sound but that´s another story.
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I am looking at an Oracle Delphi right now with view to purchase.
What points do I need look for?
Potential problems or flaws?
This one has a Magnepan Unitrac 1 carbon tone arm and Denon 305 included.
Thank you
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Brooks Berdan was an Oracle guru ( RIP )
we carried SOTA which as others have noted had better bass and much more resistanr isolation wise.
I would not hesitate to buy a well maintained and sorted Oracle... |
And that seems to be the issue I have, defining a well maintained Oracle.
What to look for?
After reading a couple of threads on the Magnepan Unitrac arm I may have found one major issue to begin with (on the one I was looking at )
It appears the seller has "cut the ends of the tonearm lead"
Not 100% clear just why yet but by all accounts it is near impossible to run a new tonearm cable through this arm?
So that would mean a new arm for sure I think.
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I owned an Oracle I with II suspension and many mods with an Alphason arm for years. For the last 2 years, using an Oracle IV SE, changed the bearing bottom to Mk V, using with a Graham 2.2t arm installed on a Delrin disc. Very fussy to set up, but once set.. very stable. Changing the belt especially frustrating. Love the sound. I can't see using a no suspension table unless a lot of effort is spent on isolation. I suspect some of the comments on soft bass may be the SME arms.
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The one I was looking at ( now I have looked at the Oracle website Legacy products) appears to be the very first incarnation of the Delphi, the Delphi AC, just one year I think.With a bit more research it might be more prudent to look at much newer tables without 40 years of usage?
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