Brinkmann Bardo vs Transrotor Fat Bob Reference


I'm wondering if anyone can tell me the differences between these two turntables? They are similar in price & both have hydrodynamic magnetic bearings, although the Brinkmann is direct drive as opposed to the more conventional design of the TR. Any opinions or experiences would be appreciated!
melbguy1
@Lewm,

"(Did I read somewhere that some Transrotor aficionados prefer to pass up on the TMD option? If so, that's telling.)"

Not from me:)-. I cannot substantiate that statement. I went from a non TMD bearing assembly and then upgraded incrementally until I had no more upgrades to make. I started with the 80mm platter (teller auf Deutsche) and the TMD bearing assembly. My initial impressions of that first upgrade to the TMD and larger teller; increased transient response, better attack, and more bass.

I am very happy with these upgrades and thus cannot relate to any negatives about this type of setup. I love to listen to music, what you and others all do, and at the end of the day, equate such mods, as basics for men in particular, as my wife has stated, the same as modding ones Harley Davidson or Corvette.

On another note. I just love what you did with your DP80. I have a DP62L that needs some serious work, I want to bring it back into service for our living room system. I do not know where to start. It spins, but the front Denon light is inop and the arm is bent ( a result of a very Psychotic ex-wife). I only have one arm, the bent S arm, and only one weight. I hope to revive it someday, I need to find someone who can do some repairs. Do you have any tips? Thanks.

Ciao,
Audioquest4life
Tips on Denon restoration:
(1) Send it to Bill Thalmann at Music Technologies in Springfield, VA, for a complete evaluation and repair as needed. If the strobe is inoperative, it may mean that the one IC used in the Denon circuitry is at least partially damaged. I can help you to find an NOS one.
(2) I will be happy to supply to you the drawing I made in order (in pdf form) to have a piece of slate cut to fit the Denon (all Denon DP chassis' have the same shape, I think). I can tell you where I bought my slate slab and where I had it cut by waterjet, too.
Hey, you live in my area. You can come by any time (with some advance notice).
Lemn,

Thank you for the information. I will take you up on your offer. I will send you a private e-mail soon.

Ciao,
Nick
Dont know about the Brinkmann, but my Fat Bob is dead silent, stays on speed, is built like a brick s___, and sounds great.
Hiho, my apology for taking your comment out of context. You sound like you are an enthusiastic vinylphile and have a good understanding of different drive systems. I can appreciate those that find certain systems (eg: idler drive) fascinating and enjoy such tables. The matter of which system is "best" is murky water. To firstly answer Lewm's question, the feedback I got from my Dealer and directly from Transrotor is that the TMD bearing is superior to the non-TMD bearing & contributes to greater speed stability and lower noise. As Transrotor put it "we chose the belt drive because we think it is the best way not to bring resonances from the motor to the platter. The negative aspect of the belt drive (the belt slip) is compensated by the magnetic drive, the TMD."

Just regarding TR's FMD bearing. I can tell you up close it is awesome and if engineering has anything to do with it, it just appears far superior to TMD. I asked TR commented "..most important the FMD bearing. Which works like the TMD bearing with a magnetic coupling but has a total separation between the driven platter and the main platter."

Regards, MG