Brinkmann owners

[bonzo75]

Have you tried the Kleos on the BB?

 

[DetroitVinylRob]

Not yet. Any thoughts about that? I know from many experiences that the Kleos or Lyra carts in general perform very nicely on Graham tonearms.

 

[bonzo75]

A lot of that lively sound you described will also be the fact that your Kleos is livelier than the other carts you have.

Not yet. Any thoughts about that? I know from many experiences that the Kleos or Lyra carts in general perform very nicely on Graham tonearmS

 

[3125simon]

I have both an Avid Acutus SP and a Brinkmann Balance w/RöNt II. Though the BB presents much bigger, more robust, and a more solid presentation in general, the Acutus has a very lively and lovely play especially on acoustic music, more like a good sprung table like a Sondek LP12 possibly (which I owned for decades). All can be very compelling. But obviously, there is a very big price difference and to some degree, you get what you pay for. The Acutus plays well all around and is hard to beat, even with the BB in place, I love every aspect of the way the AA performs. Tonearms and cartridges aside. That is saying a lot I believe.

Ive had the Avid for a while after I got back to records after more than 20 years!
coupled with an sme IV and then V, with either koetsu vermillion or esturo bordeaux.
it was a bit of a revelation when I first listened to it vs my then Wadia s7i cdp.
At the time I had it with virus Sia and sonus faber Guarneri evolutions and while with female jazz and acoustic singer song writer stuff it had presence and real inviting tone, the bass was a bit thick and slow. I added the Bordeaux and this helped a lot and I was satisfied for a while.

But i was missing something from my koetsu, and understood that perhaps the combination with Sme was not the best. So I started thinking about a new arm and looking at the typical heavy weight arms normally recommend FR/Ikeda/Glanz etc..... but there is a limit to the weight the suspended structure of the Acutus can hold, and it must also be said that having spent too long on forums like this over the long COVID year in the uk, I saw that having two arms might get me closer to what I was looking look for:- late night jazz club presence, close to the stage with being there feeling and believability And to rock out or listen to occational classical piece When the feeling took me.

i know the Acutus can have a plate fitted with two arms, but now the weight limit starts to become an issue.

I also know that I could have just changed the cartridge again, but I like what a well setup koetsu can do, and somehow this was partly why I’d gone back to vinyl for in the first place.... and having listened to various VDH that are popular here, Lyra and clear audio to name three, I always came back to the sound of jazz via a well set koetsu...

So what does the BB bring that the Acutus did not?

Firstly, I cannot separate the BB from the changes also in tone arm and the match with the cartridge.

With the Glanz and Koetsu:- bigger deeper sound, more solid , better bass and airy detailed treble, more resolution (brush work, drum skin tone for example), wider deeper stage, more air and space between the notes and instruments, wonderful, rich presence with female vocals or a saxophone .... much lower surface noise and the irritating pops and clicks that id forgotten where part of the vinyl experience.

with the brinkmann 12.1 and the Etsuro Bordeaux:- similar to the above, but with more resolution, but perhaps a lighter, somehow smoother, quicker or lively sound on rock etc.....

of the two arm / cartridge set-ups, I prefer the Glanz - koetsu.

but, I like both very much, and have found nothing so far that I preferred with the Acutus.

i could of course kept the Acutus/sme added the reference power supply (big upgrade) and added a single arm BB, but I havent got the space for multiple TT, and my dealer gave me a great deal on a second arm version.... plus to be honest, my wife already thinks I’ve gone a bit mad with all this....

Only thing I wonder about I’d how the Bordeaux would sound on the Glanz and if I shouldn’t have got a second Glanz rather than the 12.1.

still running in so more improvements to come

then I will play with arm cables - a friend has a Stealth Hélios that sounds amazing in his system,

and finally a stone bodied koetsu.

 

[DetroitVinylRob]

WoW, a Glanz and Koetsu combo must be heavenly

I would need to try quite a few more tonearms and carts before I could ever hope to speak authoritatively on the sound of the decks themselves. So I don’t know. What I can say is that the BB seems to has the biggest soundstage, is the quietest background, has the most solid sounding presentation, and generally tighter bass than any turntable I’ve owned regardless of tonearm or cartridge so far.

 

[bonzo75]

Finally took delivery of my Balance with two arms - 12.1 with Esturo Bordeaux and Glanz HM-125S with Koetsu Urushi Vermillion.

so far very pleased. Big improvement Vs my Avid: resolution, bass, lower surface noise, bigger and deeper soundscape.

running in the Glanz arm cable, but good so far. My Vermillion in the Glanz is a revelation vs same in SME V. More and tighter bass, open airy highs, midrange Koetsu famous for and a huge soundscape....

Brinkmann 12.1 with my Esturo Bordeaux has more resolution, tighter bass, quicker leading edge, but slightly leaner presentation - also like sitting further away from the stage... also very nice....

shame the weather is so nice, otherwise Id listen all day

Hi, brinkmann balance is not lean at all, and the Avid is relatively leaner in the tables. Your table is new, so as you fine tune set up you will realize that.

 

[3125simon]

Hi, brinkmann balance is not lean at all, and the Avid is relatively leaner in the tables. Your table is new, so as you fine tune set up you will realize that.

Thanks for your comment.
the reference I make between combinations of arm/cartridge are firstly Glanz/Koetsu compared to Acutus/SME/cartridge and the comparison 12.1/Etsuro is compared to Glanz/Koetsu.

so I don’t find either leaner than Acutus/SME, rather the 12.1/Etsuro is leaner or perhaps, more neutral than the Glanz/Koetsu.

As I said, I find both superior to the acutus/sme/cartridge.

of the two arm/cartridge combinations, so far I prefer the Glanz/Koetsu, but it depends on the programming I’m listening too - this is why you invest in multiple arms and or cartridge.....

 

[Pallen]

It's very interesting to read this discussion about the comparison on the sound of the Brinkmann Balance vs the Avid Acutus. Both are TT options that appeal to me as long-term possibilities. I have not heard the Avid Acutus yet but I've recently read an interesting review on the lower priced Avid Sequel by Christiaan Punter on his Hifi-Advice website:

https://www.hifi-advice.com/blog/tu...-reviews/avid-ingenium-diva-ii-sp-and-sequel/

He says that in his opinion, the Avid TT's and SME arms are not a great match. He switches to an Audio Origami PU7 arm and finds the sound, in his opinion, significantly better. Obviously the gear he's reviewing is not in the league of what's discussed here, but his observation is interesting IMO.