SME Model 20/2
The compact Model 20/2 features all of the same design principles as its big brother, the Model 30/2, including the main bearing, platter design and suspension system. But at less than half the price of a 30/2, the Model 20/2 delivers an opportunity to have reference-quality playback in a small, affordable package. The outboard power supply includes electronic speed control for 331?3, 45 and 78 RPM.

View the Model 20/2 @ Acoustic Sounds

SME Model 30/2
Compact and weighing in at 90 pounds, the SME Model 30/2 is one serious table. This heavyweight employs high-mass, nonresonant materials and speed stability in the motor/bearing assembly to provide playback that will astonish you with sheer dynamics, clarity and noise-free background. The outboard power supply includes electronic speed control for 33 1/3, 45 and 78 RPM.

View the Model 30/2 @ Acoustic Sounds

SME Model 20/12

New from SME: the 20/12 turntable system. This monster's construction starts by stretching an SME 20/2 in width and depth. Next, add a thicker top plate, a heavier platter and a newly tuned suspension. Finally, include the 312 S tonearm, which is the true centerpiece of this new rig. Constructed of magnesium, this engineering marvel results in a tonearm of significantly lower mass than other 12-inch arms while retaining structural rigidity. The 12" effective length reduces tracking error and distortion, bringing you ever closer to the truth of the music.

View the Model 20/12 @ Acoustic Sounds

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manufacturer's website: http://www.sme.ltd.uk/
SME products not sold in areas where there is already an authorized dealer. [find dealers]

VPI TNT MK-VI Hot-Rod
Uses the same two- motor assembly, platter and inverted bearing as the HR-X, and the periphery ring are available as an option. The clamping assembly provides vacuum-like coupling of your LP to the platter. This rig also includes VPI’s Synchronous Drive System for speed control and power line filtration. All of this makes for a table with rumble, wow and flutter specifications below the limits of current measurement. The TNT Hot Rod version comes with a JMW 12.6 tonearm mounted directly to the chassis, thereby eliminating the need for an armboard.

View the VPI Hot-Rod @ Acoustic Sounds

VPI HRX Reference Turntable
The culmination of a quarter of a century of turntable engineering and manufacturing by one of the most respected names in the world of audio.

Incorporating several refinements that blur the line between master tape and the LP, the new TNT-HR-X is stunning in both sound and industrial design.

Built on a composite, triple-laminated acrylic and aluminum chassis, a new inverted bearing with a Teflon thrust plate was chosen for its frictionless performance and immunity to wear. A radical outer-periphery record clamp flattens the LP to the acrylic platter without the complexity and problems associated with vacuum systems.

Designed for ultimate analog LP playback, the TNT HR-X incorporates an integrated dual motor drive and flywheel to allow a footprint of only 25in by 19in. And the chassis’ air suspension will reject 98% of acoustic feedback in real world conditions without additional and elaborate isolation platforms.

A celebration of the art of analog, the TNT HR-X comes complete with a JMW-12.5 tonearm and SDS Synchronous Drive System.

Call for special package pricing.

"I cannot tell you that the VPI TNT HR-X and VPI 12.6 are the best turntable and tonearm combination in the world, only that it is the best I have yet heard...Harry Weisfeld has taken a great set of earlier products, and evolved them into a superb and highly synergistic set...Why is the VPI TNT HR-X and VPI 12.6 combination so good? In simple terms, because it does less to color the sound of a record than the competition, and does so with absolute reliability and consistency with virtually all of today's top cartridges and even with records with moderate warp and/or surface noise...The VPI TNT HR-X and VPI 12.6 are also by far the best-looking product VPI has ever made, and arguably a candidate for one of the best-looking audio products ever made." - Anthony H. Cordesman, The Absolute Sound, December 2004/January 2005

View the VPI HRX @ Acoustic Sounds

VPI Super Scoutmaster
All of the features of the Scoutmaster (dual plinth, inverted bearing, JMW-9 tonearm) but with the addition of the HRX-dual motor assembly, periphery ring clamp and SDS speed controller. This is one killer turntable!

View the VPI Super Scoutmaster @ Acoustic Sounds

VPI Scout w/JMW-9
This remarkable new turntable and arm package from VPI sets the standard in reference-level performance at an affordable price. The Scout includes the just-released JMW-9 tonearm and the same isolated motor drive as its larger siblings. All of the VPI hallmarks can be found in the Scout: smoothness, lack of grain, voluminous soundsstage and the ability to reproduce live ambient space. Benefiting from the VPI's quarter-of-a-century of experience in building turntables, the sonic quality of the Scout/JMW-9 was simply not possible at this price until now.

Accessories available include a custom dustcover, VPI dedicated tonearm-cable, SDS (Synchronous Drive System) and many high-quality phono-cartridge options. Give us a call for special package pricing.

"Just wanted to let you know that my Scout arrived yesterday. Everything was in perfect condition and setup was easy. The sound is great. I’m hearing detail in my records that I never heard before. I enjoy just looking at the Scout. It’s a thing of beauty." – Jeff Taylor, Acoustic Sounds customer

View the VPI Scout @ Acoustic Sounds

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manufacturer's website: http://www.vpiindustries.com/

• Achroplat (pat pend): Improving on acrylic, it is the perfect Achromatic (non-resonant) support.
• Inverted Sapphire Bearing. Very hard, very highly polished. Seen in the highest performance decks.
• DC Motor drive. Low vibration and optimally matched to the platter’s inertia for consistent drive.
• Sorbothane connected feet to isolate critical midband energy from the outside world.
• Achroplat V: A precision 0.75º dished platter and gorgeous clamp to optimize disc contact.
• Vector Drive (pat pend): Simply "State of the Art" …for any turntable. Conventionally, a belt yanks at the bearing/platter. As the platter rotates, this continually causes bearing jitter, seriously degrading low frequency resolution. To balance and linearize the drive to bearing and platter, Vector uses an asymmetric triple pulley arrangement. Permitting a faster servo loop, the motor now has less work to do and so gets on better with its job of smoothly turning the platter. All this is of little use unless it actually benefits us in listening. Well, with noticeably enhanced low level, low frequency resolution, Funk Vector is clearly a superbly engineered giant killer of a design!
• Funk Vector is finished in a sumptuous lacquered Metallic Burgundy paint floating on crystal clear feet.

View the Vector @ Acoustic Sounds
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manufacturer's website: http://www.thefunkfirm.co.uk/

Clearaudio
Solution with SME 312 tonearm
Beautiful design is but one characteristic of Clearaudio's turntables. Another is the use of carefully-selected materials and resonance-avoiding construction. All these virtues are evident in the Solution. All Solution models allow the analog aficionado the ability to mount up to three tonearms. Includes a Silicon/Acrylic 30-mm platter with inverted bearing design, GS-Acrylic open-plinth and outboard motor. Tonearm sold separately.

View the Clearaudio Solution @ Acoustic Sounds

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manufacturer's website: http://www.clearaudio.de/

Thorens TD350 Turntable
The revival of Thorens' unique subchassis concept is startling with their new TD 350. The TD 350 represents the perfect symbiosis of a mass drive and a subchassis turntable and unites the benefits of both technologies. Experience the rebirth of a unique technology with the most modern materials and the latest knowledge inside the TD 350. Thorens calls is "IDD" (Independent Double Damping) and speak of the way the subchassis is suspended inside the massive wooden plinth. This kind of suspension damps the vibrations and excursions in the horizontal and the vertical completely independent of each other. In combination with their nine-pound heavy platter and the new low-friction bearing, this drive has got such an incredible stable and calm rotation that results in high resolution and big dynamics. The built-in electronic unit controls and stabilizes the speed exactly.

View the TD350 @ Acoustic Sounds

Thorens TD2010 Turntable
Thorens' more than 100 years of knowledge in turntable manufacturing lead to this highlight. And what a highlight it is! The TD 2010 is made with the most up-to-date manufacturing technology and the latest tools in research and development. The chassis is made of 25-mm polished acrylic and the platter is a more than 4 kg heavy polished piece of aluminum with a backside coating for vibration damping. The external motor is supplied by a state-of-the-art motor drive unit. The new inverted silent run bearing is also an integral part of Thorens' design philosophy. This bearing runs dry without any maintenance during its entire lifetime. With its technical features and outstanding design, the TD 2010 is a timeless masterpiece.

View the Thorens TD2010 @ Acoustic Sounds

Thorens TD2030 Turntable
From whichever side you look at the new TD 2030, you're in for a surprise. A brand new sandwich technology has been used to create the absolutely stunning look of the TD 2030. From above or from the side, you'll see a warm, colorful blue. From the front you'll see a clear and transparent turntable.

Thorens has used their 100-plus years of knowledge and tradition to create this - the maximum. The brand 38-mm aluminum platter is backside coated with a vibration-damping material. The platter runs in a new silent run bearing which is maintenance-free for its entire lifetime. The external motor has no contact with the chassis and therefore no vibrations are transferred. It is supplied by a state-of-the-art electronic motor drive which completely decouples the motor from the mains power supply. The 33-mm sandwich chassis is standing on damping feet to absorb any vibration. All of this put together guarantees perfect function and sound quality which far above the rest.

View the Thorens TD2030 @ Acoustic Sounds

Thorens TD 850 Turntable
The chassis is made of 19-mm thick high-density wood. This is flexibly bonded to a 15-mm thick steel plate and a second 19-mm thick wood plate. The newly invented sandwich is so much better than ordinary construction in signal behavior and resonance absorption that you will immediately hear the difference. The steel plate has precision laser-made cutouts to make sure that no magnetic distortion influences the audio signal. Standing on three polymer-damped adjustable feet that are also height adjustable, the chassis is decoupled and isolated from the mounting surface. The Thorens silent run bearing is made of two sinter bushes with a polished stainless steel axle running inside. The tungsten ball at the end is running on a self-lubricating and absolute maintenance-free bearing point. The low noise AC-motor is supplied from an electronic motor drive unit. The output signal is generated completely independent from the mains power. With this you get much better wow/flutter and virtually no distortion from the mains power source. The four-kg, 24-mm thick platter is made of aluminum with a damping coating on the back side. To avoid any vibration, it is belt driven.

The TD 850 comes with a Thorens TP 300 tonearm with VTA mounted.

"The more I examined this new 46-lb 'table, the less it looked like your dad's Thorens...Setting up the Thorens 850 was a snap...I put a test record on and checked the speed accuracy with a hertz-reading voltmeter. Perfect. Then I listened through a stethoscope and found the 850's plinth to be absolutely free of motor-induced noise and vibrations...Bottom line: The 850 runs at the right speed, with no motor-noise leakage in a one-piece design, and features ultra-effective damping. Impressive...When I played Acoustic Sounds' 45rpm version of Count Basie's 88 Basie Street, the Thorens-Garrott beat any CD player I've heard...What I can tell you is that the Thorens 850 is a solid piece of work, and a hell of a turntable for ($2,199). It's smartly designed, well-built, and has the dynamic 'pop,' musical grip, image focus, and excitement I crave from vinyl." - Michael Fremer, Stereophile, February 2004

Specifications:

Drive System: Thorens belt drive
Motor: fully electronically-regulated AC-Synchronous motor
Speed: 33, 45 RPM
Speed Select: electronically
Platter: 300 mm/4 kg, non-magnetic
Tonearm: Thorens TP 300 with VTA adjuster
Antiskating: magnetic
Switch-off: none
Capacity of signal leads: 120 pF
Power Supply: electronically-regulated power supply for AC motor
Dimensions (WxDxH): 420 x 330 x 175 mm
Weight: 21 kg
Colors: aluminum, black

View the Thorens TD 850 @ Acoustic Sounds

Thorens TD 800 Turntable
The chassis is made of 19-mm thick high-density wood. Standing on three polymer-damped adjustable feet that are also height adjustable, the chassis is decoupled and isolated from the mounting surface. The Thorens silent run bearing is made of two sinter bushes with a polished stainless steel axle running inside. The tungsten ball at the end is running on a self-lubricating and absolutely maintenance-free bearing point. The low-noise AC motor is supplied from an electronic motor drive unit. The output signal is generated completely independent from the mains power. With this you get much better wow/flutter and virtually no distortion from the mains power source.

Comes with Thorens TP 250 tonearm.


"One step down the Thorens line from the 850 is the 800, which uses the same feet, bearing and motor drive. The plinth is the top section of the 850, less the steel plate and lower section. The 800's platter is a lighter (6 lbs.), thinner version of the 850's, and the arm is the Thorens TP250. That brings the weight down to a dietetic 17.6 lbs from the 850's 46 lbs...the Thorens 800 includes electronic speed control - its platter is able to run at precisely 33 1/3. That counts for something!" - Michael Fremer, Stereophile, February 2004

Specifications:

Drive System: Thorens belt drive
Motor: Fully electronically regulated AC-Synchronous motor
Speed: 33, 45 RPM
Speed Select: electronically
Platter: 300 mm/3 kg non-magnetic
Tonearm: Thorens TP 250
Antiskating: magnetic
Switch-off: none
Capacity of signal leads: 120 pF
Power Supply: electronically-regulated power supply for AC motor
Dimensions (WxDxH): 420 x 330 x 110 mm
Weight: 8 kg
Colors: aluminum, black

View the Thorens TD 800 @ Acoustic Sounds

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manufacturer's website: http://www.thorens.com/