Are there other Artisan Fidelity TT owners aorund?


So after being an audio hobbyist since my uncle got me going down this demented path some 17 years ago I finally purchased a TT. I had flirted with the idea for a very long time but honestly I've heard a number of TT's at shows and at buddies homes and none of them moved me. Now obviously many many variables are involved. Lets start with, was their TT setup correctly (superlatively).., I don't know. Was the arm/cartridge combination simpatico.., again, I don't know. Was the phono preamp just so-so or great and if it was great was the cartridge loaded correctly.., you get my drift.

So with my digital down through the years easily besting (to my ears) the analog I'd been privy to, I found no reason to spend the money required to involve myself with analog. My former Bidat easily dispatched a SOTA Cosmos Vacuum TT in a head to head listening session. Ditto for my former Dynavox Dynastation.., same with my AMR DP777...etc.

At Axpona last year I listened to the $170K Clearaudio TT along with about $85K worth of Pass Amplification and perhaps $200K worth of JM Labs speaker and cabling only to be more moved by the sound from the Playback Design MPD-5 in the same room.

Finally I realized the only way I would ever find out for myself would be to purchase my OWN TT and make sure it was expertly setup and dialed-in. I had a rare chance to purchase a latest-revision-pristine example of a Graaf GM70 Phono Preamplifier. I have a soft spot for Graaf as Mr. Mariani simply builds the finest gear I have laid ears on. So now I have this phono pre sitting in the box for a few months when I see a SP 10 MK III come up for sale in Agon. So, I threw caution to the wind and contacted Chris at Artisan Fidelity; after some conversation I hung up having just commissioned the building of a SP10 MKIII Next Gen TT.

I was happy for about a month then the fear started to creep in, "what have I done?". What if this thing SUCKS!!!! and my digital system which is very very very good if I do say so myself stomps it!

During the build I researched and read tons of user reviews (I don't really pay attention to so-called pro reviewers) on arms and cartridges. I finally settled (with a lot of talking to Chris and other friends and a lot of late night web searching) on the Kuzma 4 Point and the Ortofon MC Anna.

So, here we are today and I have had my TT for a little over 3 weeks now and I have about 150 - 160 hours on the rig. Early on it sounded ok, you know.., good but nothing special. I liked it but my digital was fully up to the task and in some cases much better :) (now I'm scared)

Ok, so fast forward to 100 hours.., ok, I think I'm starting to understand all this analog hype :) better and better. now we are at 150 hours.., the word SUBLIME comes to mind. The spaciousness, openness and natural continuity of the analog is addictive. The dynamics seem to go on forever along with a naturalness that is very difficult to put into words. I did purchase the Furutech Demag, the Destat II, a scale..., all the toys to go along with it :) Again, I wanted to know for myself and the only way to do that was to take the plunge.

So how does my digital hold up? Well, my well run-in long time AMR DP777 has NOTHING to be ashamed of. It sounds great and I can easily go from the TT to the DP without too much shock (the AMR guys are big vinyl heads and use vinyl as a reference when designing) BUT... when I have two equally well recorded pieces of music (Best of Eva Cassidy comes to mind or Diana Krall Live in Paris 24/96 vs 180g/45) as good as my digital sounds the SP10MK III simply walks away. Again the digital is not trodden underfoot and indeed 20 seconds of the digital and you will be into it fully, but the analog rig beguiles with its effervescent ease and infinite continuity of musical flow.

Ok, so to end this long synopses.., I am now deeply into analog and have been going to local used record stores and burning up my cc on Music Direct and Acoustic Sounds...etc.

The folks at Artisan Fidelity are the real deal and they built me a museum quality +180 pound Porsche Basalt Black TT/piece of art that sounds AMAZING!!!!

I also ordered a Bassocontinuo Apogeo rack for the table which should arrive in about 2 weeks. I am enjoying my foray into the land of analog!!!

THANKS CHRIS!!!!!!!
audiofun
Lewm, you may be right. Based on what I have been reading/hearing idlers are very musical and fun sounding tables and the Ikeda is not the most neutral of arms, so you may be referring to something I wrote with these ideas running through my mind. For example, it may be too much to place an Ikeda/Shilabe in the 401.., but then again it may be fantastic...
Thought I'd chime in again and say that the Origin Live Illustrious Mk. 3c tonearm that Christopher Thornton suggested and mounted on my 401, is an excellent performer and match with the table. I've had a few carts mounted on it (currently a Lyra Delos) and it has sounded great with all of them.

BTW, Audiofun if you're interested, I have a Clearaudio Maestro Wood that I sent to Soundsmith to have the Level 2 retip done on sitting in my closet right now (never used). PM me if you'd like too discuss further.
Beatlubum, thanks for the advice about the Origin Live tonearm. I have heard/read that the Origin Live/401 combination is very good. Thanks for the heads up on the cartridge. I am leaning towards a Shilabe for the 401 or a Decca Ref.., I want something different to play with on the 401 :)

In the end, who knows what I will end up with on that table.
For the sake of full disclosure I am a dealer is South FL who is a big fan of Chris' beautiful restorations. Each one of his tables should be considered one of kind pieces of art (IMO) which not only bring out the best in beloved classics but do it in exquisite execution and attention to detail, truly deserving to be alongside all other high end tables and gear. I personally own one of his restored Technics SP10MKII and absolutely love it.

Congrats Audiofun ! Be nice if you could post your system once you have your rack.
Just dropped my MKIII off at Chris's this weekend for NG upgrades and spent a couple hours seeing a few things he has in the works. As impressive as the plinths are, they're really doing some amazing metal machining. Constantly looking for ways to make it better too.
It was also my first look at a Kuzma 4 point which is an impressive piece of machinery in itself. I have no idea if that arm will ever fit into my system or budget but it certainly inspires gear lust.