What do you mean you “heard” the turntable


I don’t get it. Maybe I just don’t have the biological tool set, but I read all the time how someone heard this turntable or that turntable and they comment on how much better or worse it sounded than some other TT, presumably their own or one they are very familiar with. 

Thing is, they are most likely hearing this set up on a completely different system in a completely different environment. So how can they claim it was the TT that made the difference?  The way “synergy“ is espoused around here how can anybody be confident at all considering how interdependent system interactions are. 

Can someone illuminate me?
last_lemming
Something that use to amaze me in some of the UK mags' reviews of turntables is when the review included a comparison to a competing table, and the other table was fitted with a different arm and cartridge!

last_Lemming

Google .....Goldilocks and the three turntables

and for a visual....

click on the big, bad wolf, then go to Picture 8 on system details.

The TT's are not supposed to ''sound'' so if one hears sound

differences those should be ascribed to the records. Those

may detect what is wrong with the turntable.

nandric

The TT's are not supposed to ''sound'' so if one hears sound differences those should be ascribed to the records.

No audio component is completely transparent, and that's especially true with turntables, pickup arms and phono cartridges. Turntables most definitely have a "sound" to them, even if they're designed to be neutral.


@bdp24  I find most magazine reviews and reviewers to be next to useless for evaluation purposes, the UK ones doubly so. Poor methodology, watered down criticism, flavour of the month recommendations, editorial constraints etc leave them barely fit for entertainment purposes.

Online reviewers have many advantages. Here's one of the better ones, HiVinNiws channel.

https://youtu.be/ogiWnw5X0ZI

For me, the sitting of the deck is the most important factor. With good placement even a budget deck can yield good results, and then there's the old stylus assembly super glue trick. 

Amazing how seemingly large differences suddenly start closing up after a little care and attention. 

As for magazine reviewers, I would never trust them after leading us up so many blind alleys - the sorry speaker spikes fiasco being one of the worst. Talk about the blind leading the blind, these self appointed dabblers in pseudoscience are regularly corrected by the readership. At least those they dare to print.

It's good to see reason prevail and some manufacturers now also offering decoupling rubber cones in addition to the regular (but misguided) steel spikes.