I fear to think what could happen, if we equip the Thales drive with a cartridge from the 20-30 thousand zloty range. And the used cartridge is by far not the summit of what can be purchased, with its price around 10000 zlotys. The midrange, although pushed slightly higher, still presented timbres of exquisite analog, and the lower frequencies enchanted with even the smallest vibrations of the contrabass strings. The accessories of the percussion players shone like dew on the grass in the morning, and there was not even a trace of detachment between the higher frequencies and the rest of the frequency spectrum. The resolution was unobtrusive, but very high, often unreachable for many CD players. This was still a very smooth, very natural and pleasant to hear musical spectacle. In CD players bringing timbre up usually results in a tiring vividness of the sound, but there were no such issues with the Swiss turntable paired with the Kuzma cartridge. ![]() All this with a slightly upped timbre, which is probably determined by the cartridge. I could continue naming them one after another. Resolution, palpability, homogeneity, selectiveness, contours, etc. I expected some quality jump, but not in all aspects of the sound. But I was not prepared for what happened. Placing the disc on the platter I was prepared for the effects, that would confirm the pricing of the turntable in question is right. So I am even more happy to verify the claims of analog gear manufacturers, comparing them with my digital set made in Japan.īeing set for nirvana I took quite randomly a disc from the shelf, which turned out to be “Oregon in Concert” Glen Moore, Ralph Towner, Collin Walcott and Paul McCandless in an American pressing from 1975. Only recently my Feickert made a small step in that direction (with the phonostages Theriaa and Phasemation), but it is still half a step behind the digital competition. Looking from my perspective, I think, that I have some experience that allows me to make this test, like owning a very good digital system, which surpassed my analog setup with the way it presents music (palpability and three-dimensionality of the stage). Somebody trying to test such a device without proper preparation will not be a fully reliable source of information, but there is always a first time, also for me. Encounters with other products at the same level allow to have an idea about the overall performance, but only a test in your own system can really be conclusive. I knew, that when I would need to give the Swiss product back, it would hurt, but the urge to hear another world in my own system, something from my beloved analog world, compensated for this suffering by far, so I had no concerns placing the first disc on the platter.Ī man, skipping over a few levels of initiation, becomes exposed to the danger of become overly excited about a device, what can falsify the true level of performance of that unit. Maybe this was no “running over” the competition, but you could easily hear a better class of the sound. This all does not reveal the fact, that this turntable will move us to another level of reproduction and perception of the sound, which could not be matched by my Feickert. ![]() This can be done using special (supplied) tool via holes in the front of the plinth. Like many similar devices, the Thales has an option to adjust and fine tune the speeds. On the top of the plinth, to the left, two silver buttons with amber rings were placed, used to initiate 33 or 45 rpm rotation. Due to the battery power, on the back of the plinth there is a three position switch (0, I and II), which allows for playing while charging batteries (as a rescue option, it is recommended to disconnect the PSU during playing), standby or operation without connection to mains. As a final touch we get a disc stabilizing clamp, not very heavy, but still effective. The whole is placed on an anti-vibration platform – two MDF plates separated with something that looks like an air chamber (an air pump is supplied as standard). The plinth in an irregular, oval shape is a sandwich made from many different materials (the platter and subplatter are also sandwich constructions), the DC engine, powered from batteries and is placed under the platter and a proprietary tonearm which minimizes the cartridge error angle down to 0.008 degree. ![]() In fact the turntable is absolutely not simple, this is a piece of engineering designed to eliminate unwanted vibration.
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