So, if you believe like I do that in this resurgence of vinyl/turntables, that much of the engineering know-how from the golden age of records has gone missing, and "mass loaded" MDF plinth tables with rubbery feet as the suspensions aren't the pinnacle of what's possible, read on....I think the Townshend Rock stands apart from much, if not most, of what's available in this price range for packing some genuine innovation that is awesomely effective in hoovering more music from the grooves of your LPs: * Inverted bearing design
* Acrylic platter
* The plinth itself is a heavy combination of steel and acrylic suspended internally by Townshend's Seismic Sink... an air bladder inflated just enough to isolate all the way down into the subsonic frequencies, not only from external vibration but also isolating the motor from the plinth.
* Developed out of research at the Cranfield Institute of Technology in the U.K., the Rock employs viscous cartridge damping. While not completely dissimilar to the Well Tempered concept (another personal fave), the Rock is damped at the cartridge end by an outrigger paddle in a trough of silicone vs. the Well Tempered being at the pivot end. In absolute terms I think the WT may be even slightly more effective in terms of just the arm, but taken in combination with the table itself the Rock pulls ahead in offering some of the most ghostly quiet backgrounds you will ever hear from an LP. In reviewing the Rock, Robert Greene concluded: "The combination of the Mark III and the Townshend Excalibur arm sounds far different from most turntable/arm setups. Layers of resonant coloration are stripped away. Background is extraordinarily silent. Surface noise is minimized. The mechanical noises and resonances that usually accompany vinyl playback are so nearly gone that the effect is close to hearing mastertape. What happens for the music listener is an enormous increase in perceived detail and purity of sound, accompanied by a decrease in harshness and distortion. I am hoping that more people will get the message: Greater engineering can do quite cheaply what lesser engineering cannot accomplish at any price. The mind is more powerful than the pocketbook. Don't buy a turntable without hearing this one-or should I say, almost for the first time, not hearing it?" This Rock is in great condition cosmetically. I'd grade it 8/10. Some very light scratches/swirls in the shiny black acrylic from cleaning and a small chip on one corner of the armboard (which is drilled for the original Rega style mounting). It hasn't been used in some time but was in perfect working condition when last run. Note: you may eventually want to replace the inner tube in the suspension. They can dry out over time. I'll pump it up to confirm it's currently in working condition before transacting. The table will come complete with everything originally provided as pictured, including a brand new belt, air pump, two vials of silicone damping fluid (additional available from Townshend if needed), bearing oil, outrigger paddle, original factory box, and original owner's manual. Asking $950 + shipping/PayPal (if applicable). At the asking price (and only at the asking price) I will also include an optional second external Seismic Sink on which Robert Greene commented in the same review "The system of Mark III plus Sink apparently isolates the playback from structure-borne vibration almost completely, and the Sink is definitely a worthwhile addition to the basic Mark III." Finally, for any who might be interested I also have a Roksan Tabriz arm (again complete with everything including original box) which in this humble listener's opinion is the most sophisticated and capable of the Rega mount compatible arms and notably better than Townshend's own Excalibur arm (which is a lightly modded Rega). I will only ship within the continental U.S. to your registered PayPal address. Local buyers are welcome to see the table prior to purchase or I am willing to meet within a ~90 minute radius of Columbus to transact. Note; while I haven't listed a lot here in awhile, I do have extensive feedback on USAM (same User ID), Audiogon (User ID = Markraile) and Ebay (User ID = Mfectd_2007)
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