KUZMA STABI M vs Micro Seiki BL-111
- Thread starter SMKL
- Start date
Hi SM,
Do you own the latter, and are considering the former? It's a long shot that someone would have compared these two tables side by side. As a Stabi M owner, I (and I'm sure others) would be more than happy to answer specific questions regarding that table. I run a Transfiguration Proteus on mine with the 11" 4 Point.
Good luck!
Hi Bazelio,
Yes, I have the BL-111. Would be great to have some user feedback about the M
.
Many thanks.
SM
Yes, I have the BL-111. Would be great to have some user feedback about the M
.Many thanks.
SM
neutral sounding
Everybody is after some kind of a sound with their setup. My aim was to have a setup that would transform with every recording, and not get in the way with a sonic signature. Kuzma Stabi M did that for me, especially with the 4 point. It still carries all the qualities and joys of hifi, like soundstage, separation, pace etc. but still very transparent. It is also easy to setup, not like a rega where you don't need to do anything but whatever you need to do, you can do it is easily. I used adjust+ to fine tune the whole thing after it came factory setup and the results are very good. The timing of the table, the channel separation I got (over 32db). No resonance is heard... It is a full sound but it is not romantic, it is not adding extras or putting the midrange forward and making it softer. If you are after any kind of sound, you can get it via cartridges you prefer. The deck and the arm will deliver it. I think its a keeper for life for me and I heartily recommend it.
ps. If you have pets or kids, it has a lid! which was a must for me
Everybody is after some kind of a sound with their setup. My aim was to have a setup that would transform with every recording, and not get in the way with a sonic signature. Kuzma Stabi M did that for me, especially with the 4 point. It still carries all the qualities and joys of hifi, like soundstage, separation, pace etc. but still very transparent. It is also easy to setup, not like a rega where you don't need to do anything but whatever you need to do, you can do it is easily. I used adjust+ to fine tune the whole thing after it came factory setup and the results are very good. The timing of the table, the channel separation I got (over 32db). No resonance is heard... It is a full sound but it is not romantic, it is not adding extras or putting the midrange forward and making it softer. If you are after any kind of sound, you can get it via cartridges you prefer. The deck and the arm will deliver it. I think its a keeper for life for me and I heartily recommend it.
ps. If you have pets or kids, it has a lid! which was a must for me
Everybody is after some kind of a sound with their setup. My aim was to have a setup that would transform with every recording, and not get in the way with a sonic signature. Kuzma Stabi M did that for me, especially with the 4 point. It still carries all the qualities and joys of hifi, like soundstage, separation, pace etc. but still very transparent. It is also easy to setup, not like a rega where you don't need to do anything but whatever you need to do, you can do it is easily. I used adjust+ to fine tune the whole thing after it came factory setup and the results are very good. The timing of the table, the channel separation I got (over 32db). No resonance is heard... It is a full sound but it is not romantic, it is not adding extras or putting the midrange forward and making it softer. If you are after any kind of sound, you can get it via cartridges you prefer. The deck and the arm will deliver it. I think its a keeper for life for me and I heartily recommend it.
ps. If you have pets or kids, it has a lid! which was a must for me
This is a good description. The Stabi M for me is about as even handed a TT I've heard. Nothing is accentuated and very little is held back**. There's big bottom end slam and bright sibilants when a recording calls for either; great recordings sound great, lousy ones lousy. There's this balance between clarity and richness coming off the Stabi M that is nearly perfect for my preferences, and as kodomo says, cart selection can take you in any direction you want. The 4 point extracts a lot of detail and gets right in to the interior of the music. It (the 4 point arm) is also probably on the warmish side of spectrum as well. One key for me has been that with the Stabi M, every move I've made towards greater transparency, greater detail, and less overall coloration within my system has paid off, and I haven't reverted any of those changes to date. In other words, cables, power cords, tubes - nothing coming off the Stabi M makes me want to compensate or tweak with these devices to alter the final sound. I've yet to hit that "too much of a good thing" state because with decreasing system veil, the Stabi M just sings and produces gobs of detail in a very non-fatiguing, natural and satisfying way.
** I would say the M doesn't have quite the drive of its bigger brother, the XLDC... The XLDC snaps a bit faster and cuts through any system distortion, a.k.a. tubes, a bit sharper than the M. Perhaps the XLDC gets closer to an idler-like presentation. With an XLDC, I'd certainly be prone to adding additional cartridge color as well as tube coloration downstream unlike with the Stabi M. Thus my personal preference is for the M as I think I can produce the most open and natural sounding music when I don't find myself trying to create "system synergy" by offsetting one thing with another through the chain in order to try to achieve a desired final sound. At some point, I fully intend to target my tube based preamp for elimination and potentially move to a TVC or AVC based passive device instead. This wouldn't be something I'd be considering doing with a XLDC among many many other tables. FWIW.
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Thanks Kodomo. Great insight.
How did you measure the channel separation?
How did you measure the channel separation?
Everybody is after some kind of a sound with their setup. My aim was to have a setup that would transform with every recording, and not get in the way with a sonic signature. Kuzma Stabi M did that for me, especially with the 4 point. It still carries all the qualities and joys of hifi, like soundstage, separation, pace etc. but still very transparent. It is also easy to setup, not like a rega where you don't need to do anything but whatever you need to do, you can do it is easily. I used adjust+ to fine tune the whole thing after it came factory setup and the results are very good. The timing of the table, the channel separation I got (over 32db). No resonance is heard... It is a full sound but it is not romantic, it is not adding extras or putting the midrange forward and making it softer. If you are after any kind of sound, you can get it via cartridges you prefer. The deck and the arm will deliver it. I think its a keeper for life for me and I heartily recommend it.
ps. If you have pets or kids, it has a lid! which was a must for me
The cover is a real plus as my cats love the TT.
Everybody is after some kind of a sound with their setup. My aim was to have a setup that would transform with every recording, and not get in the way with a sonic signature. Kuzma Stabi M did that for me, especially with the 4 point. It still carries all the qualities and joys of hifi, like soundstage, separation, pace etc. but still very transparent. It is also easy to setup, not like a rega where you don't need to do anything but whatever you need to do, you can do it is easily. I used adjust+ to fine tune the whole thing after it came factory setup and the results are very good. The timing of the table, the channel separation I got (over 32db). No resonance is heard... It is a full sound but it is not romantic, it is not adding extras or putting the midrange forward and making it softer. If you are after any kind of sound, you can get it via cartridges you prefer. The deck and the arm will deliver it. I think its a keeper for life for me and I heartily recommend it.
ps. If you have pets or kids, it has a lid! which was a must for me
Thanks Bazelio, I love tubes as well. Sounds like a very revealing turntable that calls a spade a spade. Will make arrangements for an audition with the dealer.
Many thanks once again Bazelio and Kodomo.
Many thanks once again Bazelio and Kodomo.
32dB of separation is a very decent result. The best cartridge I have measured was Clearaudio Statement - arround 36dB’s but let’s not forget that results vary with different phono stages. Up to 4dB’s IME.
I recently swapped out my well regarded tube preamp for a passive Slagle AVC. And what a change! I'm now hearing even more of the Stabi M's capability. The AVC is very transparent and the first, immediately obvious difference has been the improvement in bass articulation. Things are also brighter - in a good way - and overall clarity is superb. Interconnects are up next... Auditions begin soon!
50k amp input impedance, 1V input sensitivity, low phono and DAC output impedance and 2V+ out. Very efficient amp (lots of gain). So a piece of cake. No dynamic flatness at all. I also measure the DCR of the Slagle at 2 Ohms at the 12:00 position. And I rarely seem to get to 11:00 for normal listening. The detail, layering, and micro stuff is incredible.
Agreed with your opinion. I ascertained similar impressions after listening to extended demonstrations of both. In the end, I chose the Kuzma XL DC over the Stabi M for its combination of strengths, including wonderful snap, pace and liveliness. Often times, other modern belt drives I demoed at similar levels were simply too relaxed, dark and laid back for my tastes. The 4Point remains a favorite arm of mine coupled to the Kuzma deck. Perhaps I do prefer the XL DC because it possesses some strengths often heard in idler drives?
Agreed with your opinion. I ascertained similar impressions after listening to extended demonstrations of both. In the end, I chose the Kuzma XL DC over the Stabi M for its combination of strengths, including wonderful snap, pace and liveliness. Often times, other modern belt drives I demoed at similar levels were simply too relaxed, dark and laid back for my tastes. The 4Point remains a favorite arm of mine coupled to the Kuzma deck. Perhaps I do prefer the XL DC because it possesses some strengths often heard in idler drives?
I might prefer the XL DC with tubes, whereas I'm finding solid state phono and transparent passive AVC line stage work extremely well with the M. I can see loving either table, to be honest.
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