The subjective loggerheads of neutrality versus musicality I suspect lies mostly, but not entirely, outside of the domain of turntable as appliance – that part starting from the stylus on back. In this, I’m pretty much in agreement with Lewm. But even the turntable as appliance – the drive train that sets the speed and support of the vinyl spinning under the diamond, can play a great part in presentation. Without belaboring all that we’ve come to know, the Lenco as appliance, brings all to the table that anyone would want of a drive train – a heavy platter acting as stable flywheel, cranked by a powerful, but quiet motor. You only have to think of the Technics SP-10 with it phase servo dc motor cranking a near 7 lb. platter, the Garrard 301, and the Teres heavyweights to know this is a given and very desirable aspect of what a turntable should be as an appliance. And the Lenco comes to play in this same league. What we do in terms of coupling and isolation only improves the Lenco platform.
Now what we mount as the retriever combo over this superb spinning base, that is the black arts & craft end of the deal. That tiny microphone on a boom comes in many more flavors than Baskin & Robbins, all trying to cant for every angle in the approximation game.
After reading this head-to-head between the Jean’s Lenco and Richard’s SME, I wondered where this whole Musical/Neutral issue would have landed had Jean brought his RS Labs RS-A1 to the meet. I had the good fortune of listening to this tonearm on Jean’s system about 18 months ago. (By the way, it’s currently getting some good play over at Lenco Lovers with Ian’s acquisition of one).
This rickety, physics-defying contraption was outfitted with a Denon 103(E) – or was it the Decca? At any rate, the speed of the transients in play, coupled with a forward front sound, and utter black background had me wondering where Jean’s SACD player was hiding for this simulcast – it was that unvinyl-like. Was this neutrality over musicality or colouration? I’m not sure. I suspect it was a potpourri of a lot of subjective elements that culminated in a rendition that can only be expressed in a greater subjectivism - “stunning”.
A bit later, Jean popped in his beloved Grado Platinum Woody into a Moerch and we we’re back into obvious phono staging – lush and warm with slamming bass.
This is not all to maximize the importance of the retriever at the expense of the turntable as appliance, but to state that the Lenco, “dressed up to the nines”, can come close to being all things to all people packing various armaments.
- Mario
Now what we mount as the retriever combo over this superb spinning base, that is the black arts & craft end of the deal. That tiny microphone on a boom comes in many more flavors than Baskin & Robbins, all trying to cant for every angle in the approximation game.
After reading this head-to-head between the Jean’s Lenco and Richard’s SME, I wondered where this whole Musical/Neutral issue would have landed had Jean brought his RS Labs RS-A1 to the meet. I had the good fortune of listening to this tonearm on Jean’s system about 18 months ago. (By the way, it’s currently getting some good play over at Lenco Lovers with Ian’s acquisition of one).
This rickety, physics-defying contraption was outfitted with a Denon 103(E) – or was it the Decca? At any rate, the speed of the transients in play, coupled with a forward front sound, and utter black background had me wondering where Jean’s SACD player was hiding for this simulcast – it was that unvinyl-like. Was this neutrality over musicality or colouration? I’m not sure. I suspect it was a potpourri of a lot of subjective elements that culminated in a rendition that can only be expressed in a greater subjectivism - “stunning”.
A bit later, Jean popped in his beloved Grado Platinum Woody into a Moerch and we we’re back into obvious phono staging – lush and warm with slamming bass.
This is not all to maximize the importance of the retriever at the expense of the turntable as appliance, but to state that the Lenco, “dressed up to the nines”, can come close to being all things to all people packing various armaments.
- Mario