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MARCH 2012 WWW.HIFINEWS.CO.UK q OUEEN -l wrrirerHEPuLsE . PLUS18 pages of music reviews, news and features.V|NYL FRONTIERThe latest 1809 releases .VINYL RE-RELEASE Grateful Dead'sA mericanBeaufyo4qg,O MITESTONE SME's SeriesV arm .OPINION 10 pagesof letters&cutting-edgecommentoREADERS'CLASS|F|EDSHFfibargainsgalore uK:4.,0,9.1r.: I?..?141,:.9.?:?l ,l|lllll|LllUll[[[[[L|l fiilt Belt-driven turntable with electronic speed control Made by: Thorens, Switzerland supplied by: UKD Ltd Telephone: Or753 652 669 Web: www.thorens.com; www.ukd,co.uk Thorens TD 20351TP92 (fzees) Now in a choice of glowing colours, with a new shape and Thorens' own tonearm, this latest'Acrylic' player is designed as an eyecatcher, but it deserves a hearing too Review: Steve Harris Lab: Paul Miller n hi-fi, the newest trends seem to look back the furthest: witness the revival of interest in the idler-driven turntables of the 1960s. Thorens, with the longest history of any turntable manufacturer, has seen it all, been there and done that, and the belt/idler Thorens f D124 is still the aristocrat of vintage vinyl players. After 1965, though, Thorens followed the beltdrive subchassis principle pioneered by the late Edgar Villchur at Acoustic Research. Thorens still uses the suspended subchassis, for example in its heavyweight toD model, the TD550. lts most recent and unusual suspended deck, the TD309 [HFN Jun'10], addressed some subchassis issues by using a special control system for the springs, and by mounting the motor on the subchassis rather than on the main plinth. But in the earlier 2000s, following the revival of the brand by its dynamic new owner Heinz Rohrer, Thorens had also begun producing simpler models with no subchassis. These rely instead on the damped mass of a heavy platter to minimise the effects of external disturbances. And the latest in this line of develooment is the Thorens TD2035. lt replaces the long-established TD2030 [HFN Jul '1 1], while the sister model TD2015 replaces the old TD2010. IMPRO\TED CONTROL In the blue 2030 plinth, the tint was in a thin middle layer between two clear acrylic pieces. Now, in the 33mm-thick TD2035 plinth, a clear middle section is sandwiched by thinner coloured acrylic layers top and bottom, with a slightly matt or frosted finish. As well as the red seen here, you can choose blue, black, yellow or white. Colour options aren't available for the TD201 5, which just has a single-layer clear acrylic plinth, 25mm thick. As before, the deck sits on three solid-looking feet with points, and as RIGIIT: Basic layout is unchanged from the old 2030, with freestanding motor rear left. Seen here in red, the TD2035 also comes in black blue, yellow orwhite acrylic 22 i www.hifinews.co.uk I MARCH 2012 before the drive comes from a weighty, cylindrical free-standing motor unit, placed in a circular cutout at the rear left. The vee-grooved motor pulley drives the platter through a thin square-section belt - this needs care to avoid it twisting in set-up. Said to be improved for the new models, the seDarate control box that enables two-speed switching also provides an initial power boost to get the 6kg platter moving reasonably quickly, reaching 33.3rpm in around seven seconds. As before, the platter is of aluminium, weighted and damped by a dense composition filling underneath. Also unchanged is the main bearing, the polished radiused bottom end of the shaft resting on a Teflon thrust pad. That curved front gives a certain passing resemblance to the Acoustic Signature Barzetti. There rs a historical link, in that Acoustic Signature's Gunther Frohnhoefer, an advocate of the 'mass turntable' approach, was for a time associated with Thorens desiqn and manufacture. But the Acrylic range models have developed significantly since then. ARM DESIGN with no arm (when, as traditionalists would expect, it's called the TD2035BC), at t2595, or order it with an SME M-2 or 309, but the primary option is the Thorens TP92, as here. Although the TPg2 was created within the cost constraints of the TD309 player package, its designers tried hard to give it the best performance the budget allowed. Its bearings are four miniature ball-races sourced from MMB (Micro Miniature Bearing Company) in Japan, said to be a type used in measuring instruments, and chosen to give very low stiction when starting to move slowly. For a You can buy the TD2035 tonearm, this is more important than good performance at high speeds. Bonded into the bearing block is a straight aluminium arm tube. The cartridge is mounted on a separate, nicely-machined a t'.i* ,f*-s r w,% lll Jlt rIl q l l carrier Diece, attached in turn to the tube by a single hex bolt. This resembles the design used by Clearaudio, except that the top of the TP92 carrier is shaped to locate into the arm tube so that it cannot rotate laterally. A slot for the hex bolt (concealed by an oval washer) allows adjustment of a few millimetres along the length of the arm. Provided the arm oillar is mounted in the correct place this should give enough adjustment to align any cartridge. This makes setting-up more straightforward, as you are only adjusting the overhang, without trying to change the arm offset angle at the same time. At the other end, the satin-plated brass counterweight is cored with a rubber-type bush to give some decoupling, and simply screws on to a coarse-threaded rod. This is placed at the height of the record playing surface, rather than aligning with the arm tube. There is no playing-weight calibration but Thorens supplies a natty and accurateenough plastic stylus-force gauge. Bias compensation is applied magnetically, with a small knurled adjuster. Although the lift/lower mechanism worked flawlessly, I didn't quite like the way the arm clipped a little too tightly into the soft and springy plastic arm rest. Perhaps this could be made to work more gracefully. Finally, although there's no provision for a hinged turntable cover, you do get a useful dustcover for the platter and arm, resembling Michell's Unicover. ABOVE: Plinth's threelayer construction, with clear centre section, is visible if viewed edgeon, but from other angles it appears filled with colour. Tonearm is the Thorens TP92 uj, ErroRTLEss to be overwhelmed by the low-end weight of the bass and make this recording sound sluggish, but the Thorens certainly wasn't guilty of that. lt gave you Wasserman's beautifully-judged slow walk with a full-bodied sound, and never made it sound like a plod. As for the upper registers, the Thorens had a nicely open and free quality, with Warnes'vocal coming over with an unrestrained, liquid freedom. On Backless, Clapton's 1 978 opus [RSO RSD 50011 lfelt the Thorens deck did a commendable FREEDOM After fitting a Roksan Corus Silver MM and with a low mid-December sun streaming in through the window, I put on the Faurd Requiem, in this case recorded by the King's College Choir and New Philharmonia Orchestra IEN/l ASD 2358]. In the ever-enriching Agnus Dei', the Thorens allowed the music to flow out with effortless beauty. At the bottom end, the bass was powerful and extended, but with an open and unforced quality, giving full weight to the orchestral basses and at the same time helping to reveal the space and systems seem "'Watch Out For Lucy" swayed wrth sprightly conviction' depth in the recording. By the time I got to the final 'ln Paradisum' I was all but transported to the Trinity College Chapel where this lovely 1968 recording was made. Next I turned to the superbly recorded double-bass of Rob Wasserman on Duets [CRP 97 1 21], with Jennifer Warnes, on 'Ballad Of The Runaway Horse.' Some Cosmetics apart, the big difference between the TD2O35 and the old TD203O is the use of Thorens' own TP92 tonearm, replacing the Rega-sourced TP3O0 used before. This arm first appeared as part of the TD3O9 player, created with the help ofthe Essen-based FinkAudio Consulting design grouP, headed by speaker guru Karl-Heinz Fink. Simple as it looks, there is a subtlety in the design of the arm tube that reflects Fink's work with loudspeakers, particularly with BMR (Balanced Mode Radiator) technology. looking at an armtube's resonant behaviour, he says, you'd ideally choose to mount the cartridge some way along the tube rather than at the end, but of course this is impractical. Instead, a vibration-damping ring is added to the tube at a specific point along its length. Thorens cautions users against moving this ring and thereby spoiling its effect. job pulling out the brighter threads from what often seems a rather dark tapestry. On 'Walk Out In The Rain' it gave the bass a truly gripping authority, but again, with clarity and musical sense. By the same token, 'Watch Out For Lucy' really rocked and swayed with sprightly conviction. In the midrange, the sound was detailed and open enough to reveal the subtleties of the bar-room Diano which augments the rhythm as well as the contributions of Eric's then-current girl singer, Marcy Levy. It seemed like a long time since I'd listened to Rickie Lee Jones [Warner K566281 but, apart from anything else, just had to hear Red Callender's double- I bass intro to 'Easy Money'. lt wasn't a disappointment, the double-bass soft and furry yet convincing in the feeling of fingers plucking huge and heavy strings. The whole track came up freshly here, as the Thorens seemed to allow the music to flow nicely. Accompanying instruments, however understated. had realistic timbres. After G, MARCH 2012 i www.hifinews.co.uk i 23 ,.2 TURNTABI,E TIIORENS TD2035/I?92 ABOVE: Rear view shows the simple screw arm mounting, which allows height adjustment. Motor is powered via the cable from a separate twcspeed control unit this, the Thorens TD2035 faithfully recreated the cavernous sound world of bass, drums and multiple guitars as Rickie Lee pulled into her magnificent 'Last Chance Texaco'. On Oliver Nelson's The Blues And The Abstract Truth pasmine JAS20l, the Thorens captured this 1961 jazz classic's sense of concentrated impact - urgent yet poised, with no wasted notes. On the opening 'Stolen Moments'you could only marvel at the intensity of Freddie Hubbard's commanding trumpet in the first of an arresting series of solos. While the Thorens revealed such production details as the addition of reverb to broaden Nelson's sax sound in his own solo, it also conveyed the almost magical luminosity of the ensembles. CII.ANGING CARTRIDGES To see how the TD2035 and its TP92 tonearm would fare with an MC, I installed the Benz Micro Clider SL. One of the least exoensive models in the Benz range, it still has an admirable combination of tidy accuracy and engaging musical coherence. Moving on to this after the excellent Corus was like taking a ride in a luxury car after a massmarket one. Listening to 'Sultans Of Swing' from Dire Straifs [Vertigo 91 02 0211 actually gave the impression of travelling smoother and faster, with a subtle feeling of richer timbres, from the bass line, where there was a better feeling of real unexaggerated extension to the lowest frequencies, to Knopfler's vocal, now with more gravitas, to the lead guitar, now even more bril lia ntly expressive. Turning to classical music again, Barenboim with the Mozart Piano Concerto No.21 [EMl ASD 2465], a warm and quite welcoming rendition, with the woodwinds full of subtle character. for example. An extended, open bass quality gave air to the sound. By way of contrast, I put on the Crateful Dead's Dead Sef [Arista DARTY i 1], a stadium concert recording from 1980. Here the Thorens/Benz combination sounded informative and engaging, bringing sense and clarity to the efforts of the two drummers, while conveying the deeoest sounds of Lesh's bass. With Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'Tin the result was Alley'from lexas Flood [Pure Pleasure PPAN 38741 Tommy Shannon's bass was huge and weighty but never overpowering, Chris Layton's cymbals insinuating, as they created that doomy acoustic for SRV's miraculous guitar sound and gripping vocal. Here it was indeed 'pure pleasure'. 0 Pan ffi-iffi (r 2 e e s) Comparisons with the earlier TD2030A IHFIV Jul '1 1] are instructive especially as both decks appear to employ the same, or similar, synchronous AC motor, square-section drive belt and damped, 6kg alloy platier. Speed accuracy was pretty good with the TD2030A but low-rate cyclical speed variations (wow) were a little high. With this sample of the TD2035 the situation is reversed: wow is brought under control at just 0.02%, as evidenced by the sharp peak in Craph 2, but the absolute speed .l% is nearly slow, illustrated by the displacement of this same 31 50Hz peak to 3 1 1 8Hz. While this is likely to exhibit some subjective effect, if not a straghtforward reduction in pitch, as motors tend to s/ow with age rather than speed up, any effect may become more obvious over time. Sample variation may be the root cause, but Thorens should check out this batch of motors and/or PSU units, Despite the common bearing configuration, our TD2035 also displayed a higher rumble than the TD2030A, if only by a few dB. In this case, differences in rumble measured through the groove (with and without Thorens'felt mat) and directly via the bearing itself were minimal at between 65-67d8. This is some 5dB shy of the best decks and is largely attributable to a 150H2 component [visible on Craph 1, below] picked-up via the new TPg2 arm and cabling. Owners should level the turntable's platform rather than the plinth itself as the motor sits separately and, if angled relative to its cut-out, may touch the chassis and increase rumble still further. Readers may view a full QC Suite report for the Thorens TD2035 by navigating to ww,vll. hifinews.co.uk and clicking on the red 'download' button. PM @ -4 F 0 20 rl{ 60 80 t00 120 Frequency >> 1,10 160 180 Unweighted bearing rumble from DC-200H2 (black infill) versus silent LP groove on metal platter (blue infill) and on mat (red infill) re. l kHz at scm/sec ABOVE: @l o t@ IIt -10 I -20 + ,l -30 I E4 -50 -70'l* 3100 3t50 3000 3200 3250 << Frequency >> Despite its apparent simplicity, ABOVE: Wow and successful if placed on a solid support or floor. This acrylic deck now shows off the worth of the TP92 arm, with a fine uncoloured very low but our deck was running feet as a Rega combination, or even Thorens'TD309, but it is foot-tapping and consistently enjoyable. And it looks great. Sound sec (plotted 3300 E flutter re. 31 50Hz tone at 5cm / t'l50H2, 5Hz per minor division). Wow the TD2035's heavy-platter, rigid-plinth concept is sonically mid and excellent bass. lt might not be quite as light on its 200 @] Turntable speed error at 33.33rpm Rumble (sllent groove, DiN B 1% is slow 33.01 rpm (-0.98%) wtd) Rumble {through bearing, DIN B wtd) Hum & Noise iunwtd, fel. to scm/sec) t)uatity: 80% MARCH 2012 i www.hifinews.co.uk ; 25 Opera Seconda & Ouinta Loudspeakers Thorens Beautiful curved cabinets TD-2o35 in luxurious real wood and leather. Finish options Turntable Award-winninq turntable, available in a v-ariety of beautiful colour acrylics. include cherry, mahogany, black high gloss & white high gloss. rHoRElEi ffi& Unison Research Simply ltaly Integrated Amplifier Unison Research 55 Integrated Amplifier To mark ltaly's r5oth anniversary Unison Research have created this wonderfully stylish valve amplifi er. Simply Stunning. "This Unison Research Amplifier is a tenific buy. We defy anyone not to fal I for its charms." - What Hi-Fi ta495. Lrr{ts*h{ fi i:ii:3,L,::ia UfiN,$0f\l 1i:.ti.:\!.i-1" Pathos Acoustics lnPol Remix Onix Amplifier XIA-16o Integrated Amplifier roWatts of pure Musical Pleasure. Reference Dual Mono, Lro)) ,,,L<9' orcu ^ Amplifier. Exceptional pedormance, exceptional value. Check out the range. 'Atruly brilliant pedormer." - what Hi-Fi (note: iPodTouch not included) Cfnlx PAI] OI