Pheonix Engineering Road Runner

Sorry, I mean to ask, if a tonearm should be my sole focus or if a roadrunner tachometer would make any sense with a Thoren's belt drive TT?The way I understand this thread is that a tachometer would show the inconsistencies in my rotation speed but it wouldn't offer a way to correct it.

has2be, you’ve posted a practical statement which, I would guess, most are capable of understanding. I’ve been in the process of modifying a Thoren’s TD 145 but still haven’t replaced the weakest link, the TP-16 tonearm. So to offset the tonearm’s limitations, I’ve mounted it with the AT 33 mono cartridge.I wish I could spend $30,000.00 on a turntable however like most, I cannot. So I’ve learned to expect and accept certain limitations from my TT. I would say that my greatest dissatisfaction comes from wow and flutter and from vintage offset pressings.
So this is where digital comes in and given that I have a good analogue sounding DAC and that almost all classical recordings are currently in digital format, it’s a no brainer.
So any recommendations on which replacement tonearm I should consider?

If I'm not mistaken, the Falcon would detect a basic sign wave and would adjust the rotation speed if the form and curve of the sound wave was irregular. Or maybe I'm thinking of a different unit.

’Some is music you simply can’t find on other formats. ’ has2be,
this is why I started investing in mono classical vinyl, due to its unavailability in the digital (remastered) format. I have some great original vinyl from the 1950’s as well as newly remastered and repressed mono vinyl.The inherent nature of owning this formatted type of recording is to realize the benefits of mono while excepting its limitations (though subjective). Which leads me to conclude that all recordings are limited in some way. John Cage was quoted as saying that "a recording of Beethoven’s 5th ain’t Beethoven’s 5th."
It’s hard to imagine a future reality when recorded music will equal or exceed the listening experience of a live performance. Even from an aesthetic perspective. This being a reference point, I then have to evaluate the very nature of a tube tuner vs a solid state tuner, electrostatic vs. dynamic speakers, an active line conditioner vs a passive one, etc..This being said, I don’t much see the point in getting just a tachometer to mount onto my turntable platter. It reminds me of the oscilloscope on the Marantz 10 B, something to watch in terms of visual stimulation. One might as well by fine art instead.With the Roadrunner, Phoenix and Falcon in mind, I’d like to also mention that an external device with the ability to make platter rotation corrections is intriguing however I would need to hear it in operation, or at least be told the audible advantages to owning one before buying the thing. And in today’s world where most transactions are done via online, these devices become very inaccessible. In other words, I’ve yet to be convinced of the audible advantages of hooking this equipment up to my Thoren’s belt drive turntable which might explain why the company went finito.

Hi Lewm,
You stated, "I assure you that your Thorens is not so speed stable as you would like to think it is now and that you would benefit, or rather your listening experience would benefit, if you were to install a Roadrunner in combination with a Falcon (which ought to have enough power to drive your Thorens motor).’ But as I mentioned in my post, how will I benefit? What noticeable improvements or characteristics will I hear and by what degree? We’ve chatted in the past and I’ve always valued your insight but I believe you’ve overlooked the central point of my comment. What I’m getting at is that I cannot install the unit to determine whether I notice any so called improvements and through my past inquiries with Phoenix Engineering, I was simply told that my sound would improve.

Thanks lewm,
This is the first time anyone's described the beneficial characteristics of owning these components. My thought also would be that this technology will grow further and become more common as time passes. Hence, the suggestion that SOTA purchased the intellectual property to these devices and will incorporate the into their product line.

I have seen the Roadrunner and Falcon being sold on eBay or other websites via HiFi Shark. But as I mentioned in my previous post, would I benefit most from the Phoenix Engineering devices or from a new Jelco or SME tonearm?