Is the Acoustic Research Ax Ta ecc Really an overrated Poor mans Turntable?

bdp, Your story is interesting to me.  I would have said that the TD125 came way after the AR XA and was much much better, although not without its own warts.  I guess this tells us that I am older than you. I owned both, at different historical timepoints in my own evolution, or devolution.  I think it went AR first of all, then Transcriptors Reference, then TD125, then etc. Because of the long production run enjoyed by the AR XA, it could be placed differently according to the age range of the audiophile, kind of like the Highlander of turntables.

I can see why my post was confusing Lew. The AR XA I modified was not my first, it was one I got in the 80’s. I got my first AR new in ’69, then the Thorens TD-125 in ’72 (with an SME 3009 Mk.2 Improved mounted on it). I sold the 125 and replaced it with the simpler TD-150, which I had for quite a while. I was out of hi-fi for a while, and then as I said got the second (used) AR in the mid-80’s, modifying it for the Mayware arm. I then replaced it with the reissue AR ES-1 and a Rega 300, which I had until I got myself a VPI HW-19 in the very early-90’s. The VPI sold me on high mass turntable design---Eric.

vinny, don't know why you have a burr under your saddle about the AR tables?  But I wonder how much you know about them and if you ever even heard one in a decent playback system?

The AR-XA was introduced in 1961.  That was a time dominated by rim-drive systems such as Garrard, Thorens, Dual, Lenco, etc.  As we learned years later, those models were capable of much better performance with higher mass plinths and other upgrades.  But at the time the AR offered a high level of performance relative to its modest price, primarily reducing feedback present in most other tables.  Similar designs by Linn, Ariston, etc. came later and were copies of the AR engineering, albeit with some improvements.

Moving ahead in time the AR tables became recommended because they were plentiful, reliable, inexpensive, and offered good basic sonics.  Yes some elements could be upgraded, mainly the arm, but a stock unit restored to proper playing condition is still a musically satisfying component when matched with an appropriate cartridge.