Raven Black Night

The table will retail for around $40K. It has some very novel features. I didn't want to post as it would come across as advertising but since some are asking let me go for it. What is a forum for but to share information. That is how I find out about a lot of new product before it is "formally released".

The motor is a different implementation that what has been done in the past. The motor is 3 motors in an individual housing w. both a/c & d/c battery supplied power. Imagine the motors looking like a second baby turntable to the side of the table. Due to the new motor implementation and more massive platter the speed stability is incredible. I would assume the Black Night has increased detail, more top end air and an increase in dynamics. From what I understand the platter doesn't lose speed for several revolutions even after the motor is turned off. It also includes newly designed isolation feet for the turntable that are proprietary and made in house. The plinth is made from a solid block of anodized aluminum. The platter is mostly copper and weighs (if I remember correctly) 50 lbs. The table has something that I consider critical for most VTA tweekers out there. VTA is adjustable from the turntable with zero variation in HTA while adjusting VTA. This for me is the “cats meow”.
It is hard to imagine something being better than the Raven AC but the Black Night is so over engineered that it leaves me lusting. Maybe one day but this is an off year for me. My focus is room treatements, and little doodads (spelling?)

Aluminum plinth, 50# platter, baterry powered motor. I'm no expert but it seems to be taking on a little more similarity to the Galibier tables (esp. Stelvio)which is the other table I'm considering as a real option. Just my simple minded observation.

Dgad you forgot to mention the ceramic main bearing.

Sonofjim,

I don't doubt the Galibier tables are very nice. But there are a few major differences. These include material selection, certain motor calibration and syncronization differences, and lastly the main point is the bearing. TW uses a very different bearing than every other table that I know of. Also, the adjustable VTA is critical for me. This will help w. some tonearm that are difficult to do repeatable VTA or any VTA such as SMEs, Schroder loses a bit of HTA on adjustment, and my Ikeda which is so difficult to do as it is just a locking collar to move up & down freely.

Pcosta,

I understand the bearing to be mostly similar on the Black Night w. a slight change to accomodate the increased weight. I know the inner part of the bearing is changed compared to the Raven AC. The part inside the platter. I forget what material is used.

Also voicing of the turntable has a lot to do w. cartridge selection and phono stage, preamp etc. I am in the middle of a love affair w. the Colibri.

Dgad,
I realize my comparison is simplistic and unscientific. I'm just a kid with a crayon connecting the dots before I can see the whole picture. No disrespect for TW Acustic is intended at all. In fact, the pictures of your setup make the Raven look very good indeed. I can't help making comparisons between TW and Galibier because they're the two companies my search for a "last" table has led me to. No doubt there will be more differences than similarities. (Sorry, but don't the chief designers for both companies spell their names T-H-O-M?)