Ultimate Idler Drive


I own several idler drive turntables-Garrard 301,401,501. Presto T-16, Thorens TD124 MkII, Rek-O-Kut L34.I own several DD too-TEAC TN 400, Technics SP10MKII, Monaco Grand Prix. I have to say though I heard the Saskia Idler drive TT at Oswalds Mill Audio the other day. Well if you havn't heard it you must. It furthers the art of turntable design beyond your imagination. I don't know many details, but I do know if you want rock solid music flowing from your speakers, so Louis Armstrong is actually sat about 12 feet away from you in your living room, this TT with an LP like "Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington For The First Time"|is the only way to go!
Maybe Jonathan Weiss, or the Winn Tinnon can tell us more details.
128x128Ag insider logo xs@2xrobyatt
I have tried many MC's including the Stupid(!) expensive ones, none had the speed emotion and musicality of my (Decca)London Reference...until the PW. It is not as romantic as the London, but OH so neutral everything else sounds wrong! In terms of extracting what is in the groove with the most musicality and even handness the PW eclipses them all. That observation, is in any arm I try it. actually I recently tried a Kuzma Stogi/Stabi S table. I mounted a denon 103-very nice budget table. For fun I mounted the PW in the Stogi S. That took the table into a completly different league. It made me re-think: cheaper table, and a PW, will outperform a more expensive table with any other cartridge!
I am evaluating another MC at the moment that holds great promise. The Otono-Edison,Shilabe. I do know the Otono-Edison Premium Mono is the best I have heard. In fact it is so good I didn't listen to a stereo LP for a week, while I listened to my whole mono LP collection!
Your enthusiasm for the Ortofon caused me to try to learn more by Googling it. All I can find is text that refers to their 2M model, which apparently had design input from a person named Per Windfield. I found no reference to an Ortofon cartridge formally named after "Per Windfield", however. Can you elaborate on the cartridge, your source for it, etc? Maybe Ortofon uses a different naming system outside the US, where I reside. Thanks.
http://www.needledoctor.com/Ortofon-Ortofon-MC-Windfeld-Low-Output-Moving-Coil-Cartridge?sc=2&category=378
Robyatt, have you had any experience with the Soundsmith Strain Gauge system. Im going for a Garrard 301 and thinking of using a Tri-planar with Strain Gauge pre/cart combo. What phono-amp do you use with the Windfeld?