Don,

I am biased but I would consider getting a DPS table ;) - It has much of the strengths of an idler with the strengths of a modern deck. Interestingly, it is a based on a Well Tempered Classic turntable as well just like your WT is an evolution of the earlier WT.

Other than that, I would consider an Garrard, EMT, or similar to play around with. I owned several Thorens (TD150, 166) but never a TD125.

Regards,

Rene

Thanks Rene. I know you love your DPS, and for good reason I'm sure.
I have another buddy who loves his too. It seems to be his go to table, and he has had an Amadeus, and now has an Amadeus DV500. I have been thinking vintage, mostly Garrard, Thorens TD 124...! Then found out these models by Dobbins or Artisan are a bit out of my $ range. Worth every penny, I am sure though. I know the DPS , generally sells with the Schroder arm, which I don't think is a good fit for me. I was thinking more of a high mass arm such as the 12" Ortofon RS, Thomas Schick, SME M2-12R.... Of course,after learning about the TD125's, I realized they were actually a belt drive. I didn't know if the
Willi Bauer DPS could accommodate those high mass 12 "ers.

DB, I'm sold. I just spent time be-bopping through the site for Artisan Fidelity, which I can't link here, but people can search for! Kudos! Very nice stuff. I'm looking into the 301!

While I'm not in a position to comment on the different tables mentioned in this thread, I just wanted to offer my opinion on the concept of a 2nd turntable.

If I was to add a second table, it would be one of two things: either completely different than what I have (like a mass-loaded rebuilt Lenco), or a "project" table to tackle rebuilding from a hobbyist's perspective.

If you like your table so much that to choose a 2nd one would be to choose one of a similar design, my suggestion would be to instead use a tonearm with interchangeable armwands or headshells. It would seem a poor allocation of both space and finances to go with 2 similar tables - although I suppose there are situations where it would be fun.

Franklin,

I just love that Artisan 301. I talked to Chris at Artisan the other day.
He says the Garrard sounds stunning. But with so many things to spend money on for my systems and the fact that my TD125MKII LB sounds great already, I can't see making the leap for quite a while. His 301 is not cheap. But it is the most gorgeous table I have ever seen. The table he built for me is beautifully constructed and flawless.

I have it on my Garrard 401 with a plinth I made. (excuse the dust :oops-0030:)

http://www.analoginstruments.co.nz/p...ureId=13469328


I was very disappointed with the Shilabe at first, and came very close to selling it, after having used it for a while with a Thomas Schick arm.

However, the combo I have with it now is pretty stunning, and the SUT has made all the difference. The arm is made here in New Zealand by a guy I know and is his interpretation of the Da Vinci Grandeza called the Analog Instruments Apparation. It is an awesome arm, and bests my Thomas Schick by a country mile - not even close.

Edit: It sounds pretty darned good on a modest Origin Live Silver mk2 as well. More punch than with the Schick.

So many choices...my hammertone 301 is collecting dust waiting for me to make a decision about how to build it out...

There's the LignoLab Plinth + Shindo Platter/Bearing/Mat upgrade
There's the Artisan Fidelity Route
And Last but not least the Shindo 301 Playback System

None but the Shindo come with a Tonearm/Cartridge so there's another set of decisions to make...
EMT 997, SME 3012 v1, other 12" arm??
And cartridges!?!?!

I'm so overwhelmed by all the decisions and with a table of this caliber the decisions are not cheap...

Why does this hobby hate my bank account so much...

I had a pretty mint SME Series 1, and it was not up to modern arms performance standards.

I too am entertaining a similar project. I was thinking along these lines:
301 / 401. Building my own plywood plinth (as per instructions on Art Dudley’s column) Thomas Schick Tonearm. EMT cartridge . Also considering the Solidcore One to Ten SUT . Art Dudley seems to like his similar combo – that may or may not mean anything. But it seemed to be a relatively cheaper way to get into the direct drive door. Anyone have experience with the Solidcore SUT?

Doug

Feel free to ping me re. a Schick if you are interested.