High End Vinyl Replay Equipment

TW-Acustic Thales Reed Graham PhantomSMEZYX Verdier


 


TW Acustic

Black Night Turntable

The Raven Black Night is our reference turntable. Naturally, the experience gained over the last few years stood us in good stead for developing the Black Night, yet despite drawing on these experiences, the Black Night also incorporates many innovative features not seen before in this form. The Raven Black Night is a truly monumental turntable, as its sheer size and weight testify. Despite this, thanks to the proportions, colour and choice of materials, the design remains pleasing and harmonious.

In developing the Black Night, our aim was to build a turntable that could top even our own Raven AC in terms of subtlety, ease and silence. In this we have succeeded, and the results are seriously impressive. The Black Night portrays the music's every detail with subtlety and stereo depth, whether it be human voice or instruments. Everywhere, you'll discover nuances that had previously remained hidden. Attack and decay of transient notes are reproduced impressively. Thanks to the three-motor drive and the battery power supply, the Raven Black Night does its job with poise, serenity and composure, yet just like the other TW-Acustic turntables, it is highly dynamic, involving and rich in timbre. The Raven Black Night is incredibly musical, its spatial presentation is so three-dimensional and tangible that the music is always reproduced with the utmost authenticity. As with the Raven AC, the Black Night also provides for the use of up to four tonearms. As an additional feature, we have developed an armboard that allows VTA to be safely and accurately adjusted during operation. This is achieved via a knurled thumbwheel, which allows adjustment to be precisely carried out without float.

Product description: Raven Black Night
High mass turntable.
Weight: Chassis 30kg
Platter: 20kg
Motor unit: 10kg
Motor control unit: 5kg

Dimensions: 470mm x 420mm (wxd), motor 270mm x 270mm
Total footprint: 790mm x 420mm (wxd)

Chassis construction:
Material: 60mm aluminum, ceramic bead blasted and silk matt black anodised.
Inlet: 25mm of TW-Acustic's proprietary composite-based compound, rigidly screwed to chassis.
Feet and all other attachments are also ceramic bead blasted and silk matt black anodised aluminum.
Feet: four, ceramic bead blasted and silk matt black anodised aluminum., designed and built by TW-Acustic featuring ball and spring suspension.

Platter construction:
Material: 40mm copper in combination with 20mm of our special compound let into and screwed together with the copper platter.

Bearing:
Bronze bearing, 16mm hard metal shaft with large ground radius running on a thrust washer of 'Material S ® (green)'. This is a special low-pressure PE based material with a very low coefficient of friction and very high wear resistance, giving a long maintenance free life without the need for additional lubrication. Bushing is machined exactly to fit the bearing with zero float, yet remains replaceable.

Motor:
60mm aluminum., ceramic bead blasted and silk matt black anodised, in identical shape to the Raven Black Night but 60% smaller. 4 height-adjustable feet on the outer corners. 3 motors arranged in an arrow formation, pointing towards the platter. Drive belt is guided through the drive pulleys and around the circumference of the platter.

Motor control unit:
Two built-in power supplies - one is exclusively used to charge the batteries. In normal operation the motors run from the battery supply alone, controlled by a microcontroller. Switching between battery and mains supplies occurs automatically without interrupting operation, as does battery charging. A remaining charge indicator is included on the front panel.
Battery complement: 20 x rechargeable AA cells.
Run time on battery operation only: Approx. 20 hours.

Armboard:
Up to four tonearms may be fitted. Armboards are equipped with an on-the-fly VTA riser, offering an adjustment range of up to 10mm with zero float.

 





 

Raven Black Night

Motor unit (3 motors)

Armboard with VTA adjustment

VTA adjustment wheel

 

 

Raven AC Turntable

Designed by Thomas Woschnick, the Raven AC is a true high end turntable benefiting from the finest German engineering, build quality and attention to detail. Consisting of a solid base machined from a specially developed high density polymer, a one-piece bearing and a heavy composite platter together with pure copper, this turntable ensures the ultimate in stability and control. Drive is provided by a microprocessor controlled DC motor employing quartz crystal referencing to ensure accurate speed to within 0.000000002 seconds per minute. This high torque motor enables the 10kg platter to reach operating speed within one second, via a maintenance free belt. The tonearm is fitted to the turntable via a bronze armboard. It is possible to fit up to four tonearms to the Raven at once. The result of this no-compromise approach is an effortlessly natural sound throughout the entire frequency range, extremely high resolution coupled with ultra-precise timing and a tightly controlled bass that retains all its detail.

Specifications:
• Solid turntable - total weight 50kg. Platter weight 10kg
• Materials - custom high density polymer, stainless steel
• I
nverted one-piece bearing with capillary lubrication
• Tightest manufacturing tolerances
• High-torque DC motor, quartz referenced and microprocessor controlled
• Speed
accurate to 2 nanoseconds per minute
• Motor controller is fully adjustable and programmable
• Spin-up time - 1 second
• Extremely smooth and quiet in operation
• Stillpoint feet
• New Motor Controller
• Optional extra bronze armboards

Please note: Armboards now available for all tonearms.

For prices please call or email sales@gtaudio.com

 

Raven AC

Raven AC

Raven+10.5 arm

Raven AC with TW 10.5 tonearm

 
 

Raven-One Turntable

The Raven-One turntable is a true high end turntable at an unbelievable price. Made to the same exacting standards as its bigger brother the Raven AC, it benefits from the finest engineering, build quality and attention to detail that we have come to expect from the Germans. Consisting of a solid base machined from a specially developed high density polymer, a one-piece bearing and a heavy composite platter, this turntable ensures the ultimate in stability and control. Drive is provided by a microprocessor controlled DC motor employing quartz crystal referencing to ensure accurate speed to within 2 nano seconds per minute. This high torque motor enables the 6kg platter to reach operating speed within one second, via a maintenance free belt. The tonearm is fitted to the turntable via a armboard made from the same high density polymer as the base. It is possible to fit two tonearms to the Raven-One and in this configuration the motor is moved to the left side of the turntable a la Raven AC. The result is quite astonishing, the Raven-One produces an effortlessly natural sound throughout the entire frequency range, with extremely high resolution, coupled with ultra-precise timing and effortless bass that retains all its detail. Having owned most of the top tables in the world, I would say that it is almost impossible to achieve this level of performance for the price.

Specifications:
• Solid turntable - total weight 21kg. Platter weight 6kg
• Materials - custom high density polymer, stainless steel
• I
nverted one-piece bearing with capillary lubrication
• Tightest manufacturing tolerances
• High-torque DC motor, quartz referenced and microprocessor controlled
• Speed
accurate to 2 nanoseconds per minute
• Motor controller is fully adjustable and programmable
• Spin-up time - 1 second
• Extremely smooth and quiet in operation
• Millennium feet
• Optional extra armboards

Please note: Armboards now available for all tonearms including the Naim Aro - see right.

For further enquiries and prices please call or email sales@gtaudio.com

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Raven-One with Vivid 2 tonearm

Raven-One with Naim Aro

 
 

Raven .5 Turntable

The Raven .5 - Thomas Woschnik's entry level model. TW-Acustic have developed the Raven .5 in response to requests for an affordable way into Raven ownership. In contrast to their 'cost no object' turntables, the real development effort here is in the art of restraint. The frame and platter are crafted from the same tried and tested Delrin that is used in the top models; on the Raven .5 the frame and platter are each 30 mm thick. The platter revolves on an inverted bearing with a 10 mm diameter shaft. The basic frame shape is as similar as possible to the Raven One. Platter drive is provided by the same three-phase DC motor. Motor and motor control are integrated within the chassis and decoupled from it by rubber isolating cushions. The precision-turned pulley has two different diameters. Choice of platter speed is achieved by simply moving the precision-ground drive belt to the relevant part of the pulley. The Raven .5 can accommodate tonearms of up to 10 inch length. A 10 mm thick plastic disc serves as an arm mount. Sonically, the Raven .5 is clearly geared toward the performance of its bigger brothers and shines with a solid, punchy, yet high resolution sound which leaves nothing to be desired in terms of soundstaging and three-dimensionality. The Raven .5 is a high-level player in every sense.

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Raven .5

Raven .5 turntable

 
 

Raven 10.5 Tonearm

Anyone who has heard one of TW-Acustic's turntables will know that attention to detail and ultimate sound quality are something of an obsession with this German manufacturer. For a long time, TW recommended the best arms other manufacturers could offer, but, still unsatisfied, he decided to develop an arm of his own to his exacting specifications. We have just received this arm here in the UK and we are literally stunned by the sonic performance. Listening to the arm on a Raven AC hooked up to a Tron Seven Phono via a Tron Telstar 211 powering Avantgarde's Trios, both Graham and Paul immediately came to the same conclusion – this arm appeared to make the room sound bigger! Scale, resolution, soundstaging and above all dynamics were simply jaw-dropping.

The arm was created in collaboration with the civil engineer Michael Wiedemann Dipl. Ing, who for several years has applied himself to the science of tonearm construction. The result is an arm that truly reflects the same philosophy as TW-Acustic turntables: simplicity and user-friendliness.

From the very beginning it was established that the concept would be a straight, pivoted-type arm. The rigorously selected precision bearings are ultra-precisely adjusted during the production process in order to eliminate any interference in the pick-up process through stiction and the so-called stick and slip effect. To keep effective mass to a minimum, the tonearm is predominantly constructed from a special black-anodised aluminum. alloy which intrinsically ensures the necessary stiffness and torsional strength. The effective mass is approximately 14g, which allows partnering with the majority of currently available MC and MM cartridges. This universal compatibility is further underlined by the inclusion of three different polished stainless steel counterweights as standard, allowing any cartridge with an operating weight of between 5g and 20g to be perfectly counterbalanced. Of course, thanks to its 4-hole flange mount, the Raven 10.5 can easily be used with other manufacturers turntables. Tonearm height is adjustable with the zero-float VTA adjuster. This VTA adjuster, derived from that found on the flagship Raven Black Night turntable, allows adjustment of 10 mm on the fly. The headshell is not detachable, but nonetheless allows for azimuth correction. This means that any cartridge system can be adjusted in every parameter. The arm features integral one-piece sonically optimised copper tonearm cable from the cartridge tags right through to the phono plugs.

Technical Specification:

Effective length

267 mm (10.5 ")

Mounting distance

251.2 mm

Overhang

15.8 mm

Offset angle

20.5 degrees

Geometry

Lœfgren B drawn on IEC radii h

Null points

70 mm (inner) and 117 mm (outer)

Effective mass

14g

Bearing

Dual pivoted type - using high precision bearings

Material Special black anodised aluminium
Counterweight material Stainless steel
VTA adjustment Via VTA adjuster (+/- 5 mm)
Azimuth adjustment Via rotation of headshell
Overhang adjustment Via positioning of cartridge in headshell slots.

To read Graham's first impressions and see more images/details of the Raven 10.5 tonearm, download our PDF (500kb).

You will need Adobe Reader to view this PDF. If you do not already have Reader, click here to download it from Adobe:

Get Adobe Reader

For further detail, including prices, please call or emailsales@gtaudio.com

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Raven 10.5 on AC

Raven 10.5 tonearm on a Raven AC

Raven 10.5 and parts

Raven 10.5 tonearm and included accessories: counterweights, VTA collar, protractors, tools etc.

 
 

Thales tonearms

It all began when Micha Huber sought for a way to combine the advantages of a conventional tonearm and those of a linear tangential pick-up arm. The solution is based on the well-known elementary school aid to construct a tangent: the Thales’ Circle.

After much thought, endless sketches and calculations, a three-dimensional mechanical solution emerged that satisfied all the requirements placed on a modern pick-up system – provided the mechanics functions as precisely and reliably as a Swiss watch.

The long-cherished dream of geometrically correct sensing with low friction pivot bearings became reality. A new patent was added to the dozens of existing patents that testify to this dream: CH694567 – Tangential Pivoted Tonearm, announced in May 2004.

Micha Huber was trained both as a mechanical engineer and a professional musician. After working for five years in the field of developing finest Swiss watches he launched his own company: HiFiction AG. With this company, his dream of combining music and mechanics, culture and precision, became reality.

The Simplicity is the little brother of the original Thales tonearm. Its geometry is based on a newly created tetragon solution which reduces the tracking error to a maximum of 0.008°. It uses the same bearing technology as the Thales tonearm. Six jewels and four subminiature ball bearings make sure that the friction and clearance are within our state-of-the-art tolerances. The intrinsic frequencies of the two tonearm tubes are carefully tuned up in inharmonic proportions to even top the damping properties of any single-arm design.

The Simplicity comes with a special tool to make sure the installati-on is as precise as the manufacturing. The headshell can be taken apart easily for exact placing of the cartridge. The surfaces of the tubes are bronze anodized, using 0.1g of a specific salt per litre electrolyte. All side forces are balanced by two small magnets.

Simplicity - tangential pivoted tonearm
- finest ruby bearing, six jewels
- optimized Burne-Jones-geometry, theoretical tracking error: ±0.008°
- hard-chrome plated cardanic bearings
- aluminium arms, bronze anodized finish
- removable headshell for easy installation of cartridge
- effective length: 9 inches
- effective tonearm mass: 19g
.

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Thales Simplicity

Simplicity

 
 

Reed tonearms

We are now distributors of this tonearm in the UK.

The Reed series tonearm was created based on technical/acoustical analysis and suggestions from audiophiles. Support consists of two parts: the solid stand and moving parts made of solid metal. After adjusting tonearm height it is tightened to the stand, which gives it rigidity and stability.

Bearings feature carbide points and sapphire thrust pad. Such bearings have a very low friction and minimal contact surface, reducing noise transmission from support to the cartridge. Lever antiskating mechanism is supported by ruby olive bombe bearings. The antiskating mechanism is dynamic – antiskating force decreases as the cartridge moves to the centre of the platter. Ruby olive bombe bearings reduce mechanism friction to a minimum.

The tonearm is statically balanced. To minimize "swinging" effect, counterweight is at the same horizontal level as the needle tip. Since cartridge weight can be very different (from 3 g to 15 g), to reduce tonearm counterweight moment of inertia, two additional weights can be screwed into the counterweight holder.

The headshell without azimuth adjuster is made of solid metal, which is heat treated in order to eliminate the internal mechanical tension which helps to avoid parasitic acoustical oscillations. The headshell with azimuth adjuster is made of titanium and aluminum. It helps to minimise weight and increase rigidity.

The armtube is probably the most controversial and demanding component. It really has a significant impact on sound quality. It must be lightweight (to minimize cartridge and armtube moment of inertia), rigid (to hold the cartridge firmly), resistant to temperature and humidity changes and acoustically damped (so-called "acoustically dead"). Arm tubes are usually made of metal, fibreglass, carbon fibre or wood, however each material has its own advantages and drawbacks. Reed have investigated all of these materials for armtube production and came up to the conclusion that one of the best materials (probably the best) is properly selected and processed wood. Reed now offer arm tubes made from various kinds of woods. Various different armtube woods are available to suit different preferences and systems. More will be added to this section in the future when I get more information regarding the resonant properties of different woods.

Tonearm wiring is C37 with different RCA connectors. C37 is a high quality one-piece wiring loom (manufactured by Heiko Wingender of Stereo-Lux Musikanlagen in Germany).

Please contact us if you would like to learn more about these great tonearms.

Reed 2P Series Options table

Options

 

Effective length

9.5''

 

10.5"

 

12"

Finish

Seashell White

 

Black

 

Gold Matt finish

 

Gold Polished finish

 

Rhodium Satin finish

Wiring

C37 standard

 

C37+Cryo, XLR Neutrik

 

C37+Cryo, Eichmann Bullet Plugs

 

C37+Cryo, WBT Nextgen

 

C37+Cryo Ag-4N, Eichmann Bullet Plugs Ag

 

C37+Cryo Ag-4N, WBT Nextgen Ag

Adjustment

Azimuth: +/- 5deg, precision +/-0.25deg

 

Height: 5 - 29mm, 15 - 39mm

 

VTA-fine: 0.6deg, precision +/-0.15deg

Arm wand material

Red Cedar

 

Red Cedar + C37 Oil

 

Pau Ferro, Macassar Ebony

 

Cocobolo, Panzerholz (Tankwood)

 

Pernambucco

For further detail, including prices, please call or emailsales@gtaudio.com

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Reed tonearm

Reed tonearm

Reed tonearm rear

Rear close-up of Reed tonearm showing cable entry

 

Graham Phantom tonearm

The perfect complement to a high end turntable, this precision engineered tonearm will provide outstanding results.

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Graham Phantom II

 
 

SME tonearm

The Model M2-12R precision pick-up arm is an extension of SME's popular Series M2 range offering optimum cartridge choice with minimal tracking error and harmonic distortion associated with a 12 inch arm.

Providing classic looks and meticulous build quality, this arm offers all the most important features; traditional J-shaped tonearm, detachable S2-R aluminum. headshell with azimuth adjustment, two-stage tungsten counterbalance system, superb quality ball race bearings and a level of rigidity to suit all types of cartridge.

As you may know, Graham is a big fan of the SPU cartridge. This arm is the obvious choice for anyone using or wanting to use an SPU cartridge.

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SME M2-12R

SME M2-12R

 

ZYX

Sensational audiophile cartridges from Japan

Regarded as one, if not the top cartridge manufacturers in the world, ZYX (pronounced "ziks") is now establishing itself very well in the UK. The R1000 Airy now in version 3 status and using the exclusive "micro ridge" stylus makes for the quietest groove tracing ever! To hear what these cartridges can do why not call us for a demonstration.

Specification:
• 4D

• R1000 Airy 3

• R100 'Fuji'

• R100 'Yatra'

• R100H

• R50 'Bloom'

For further detail, including prices, please call or emailsales@gtaudio.com

Please beware that any ZYX cartridge sold into the UK that has not been imported by G T Audio or sold by one of my appointed dealers listed below will not be covered by ANY warrantee. These cartridges will also not be subject to any repair, exchange or upgrade offers. G T Audio is the official UK distributor for these cartridges so please call us if you are in any doubt and we will be only too happy to advise. We have serial number records to establish all official imported UK ZYX cartridges.
Note: Sorasound are no longer ZYX agents and can no longer handle any official ZYX repairs or servicing. Anyone in the UK buying one of these cartridge does so at their own risk and will not be supported by G T Audio.

UK approved dealers for ZYX cartridges are:

Analogue Seduction (Northants) tel: 01733 344768
Angel Sound Audio (Hertfordshire) tel: 01923 352479
Audio Emotion (Scotland) tel: 01333 425 999
Avondale Audio (Derbyshire) tel: 01246 200096
Cool Gales (Wiltshire) tel: 01225 478400
Origin Live (Hampshire) tel: 02380 578877
Noteworthy Audio (Bucks) tel: 01296 422224
Radlett Audio (Cambridgeshire & Essex) tel: 01799 599080
Ian Harrison Hi-Fi (Derbyshire) tel: 01283 702875
Retro Reproductions (Scotland) tel: 0131 558 9989
Time Audio (Essex & Kent) tel 01277 627184
G T Audio (London, Bucks, Berks & Herts) tel: 01895 833099

Any dealer not listed above will be selling grey import ZYX cartridges which will not be optimised for the UK climate.

For further detail, including prices, please call or emailsales@gtaudio.com

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ZYX 4D

4D

Airy3

R-1000 Airy 3

 

R-100 Fuji

R-100 Yatra

R-100H

R-50 Bloom

 

J. C. Verdier - Nouvelle and Platine Verdier Turntables

The Nouvelle Platine is a very new turntable from J.C. Verdier. It is based on the Platine Verdier and has most of its endearing qualities but is more affordable and like the Platine Verdier is now becoming recognised as a milestone in turntable design. Here are some of its unique features: The plinth is pneumatically decoupled via air bellows and damped like a car shock absorber. The deck is levelled by rotating the three feet under the plinth. The platter which weights 16kgs (35lbs) of non-magnetic alloy is supported on a bed of oil. This principle is similar to the Platine Verdier's magnetic repulsion and removes the need for a thrust bearing. This principle significantly reduces bearing noise and in practice it also reduces record surface noise. Dissimilar metals are used between the record spindle and the platter, which further helps to decouple the record from the platter and bearing. There are two ways of driving the platter e.g. rubber belt or linen thread. It is down to the customer to choose which one they prefer. I have found the linen is superior to the rubber belt. A low inertia high torque motor is used to drive the platter and this is fitted in a separate housing to reduce the amount of motor vibration from getting into the platter. The motor has two speeds: 33 & 45rpm and is fully adjustable so speed can be adjusted +/- 5% The Nouvelle Platine has the capability for mounting two tone arms. It comes with two arm boards, one pre-drilled for an SME and one blank for an alternative tonearm. The sound of the Nouvelle Platine is very similar to that of its bigger brother. It has the same tone and character and if you consider its price, it is an audiophile bargain.

For further detail, including prices, please call or emailsales@gtaudio.com

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Nouvelle Platine

 

J.C. Verdier has been manufacturing and exporting this turntable for over twenty years. It is now recognised all over the world as one of the finest, if not the finest sounding turntable available today. This is even more remarkable when you consider how little it has changed in those 20 years. Here are some of the unique features which have lead to its cult status: The plinth is pneumatically decoupled via air bellows and damped like a car shock absorber. The top of the bellows has an adjuster for levelling the turntable. This is a very simple operation as the three knurled adjusters are on top of the plinth for ease of set-up. The platter which weights 16Kgs (35lbs) of non-magnetic alloy is supported by magnetic repulsion and removes the need for a thrust bearing. This principle significantly reduces bearing noise and in practice it also reduces record surface noise. Dissimilar metals are used between the record spindle and the platter, which helps to further decouple the record from the platter and bearing. There are two ways of driving the platter e.g. rubber belt or linen thread. It is down to the customer to choose which one they prefer. I have found the linen is superior to the rubber belt. A low inertia high torque motor is used to drive the platter and this is fitted in a separate housing to reduce the amount of motor vibration from getting into the platter. The motor now has three speeds: 33, 45 & 78rpm and is fully adjustable so speed can be adjusted +/- 5% The Platine Verdier has the capability for mounting two tone arms. It comes with two arm boards, one pre-drilled for an SME and one blank for an alternative tonearm. If you want to own the classic combination of a 12 inch SME and Ortofon SPU then our own version of the SME 3012 is the one to have. However if you want to achieve the best possible results then the Platine Verdier with the Schroder Reference tonearm with an Allaerts cartridge is the ultimate. This combination will make the hairs stand up on the back of your neck.

For further detail, including prices, please call or email sales@gtaudio.com

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Platine Verdier

Vintage Platine

 

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