Clearaudio TT2
- Thread starter Ron Resnick
- Start date
I just upgraded to the TT1 MI and its a major improvement to theTT2. A very slight slope is needed to keep the arm tracking. The arm is far more stable and grounded compared to the TT2. I do find myself adjusting VTA on most LPs; a 5 to 7 degree turn is enough to make a big difference. I am using the current Goldfinger Statement. Note that this is the second generation TT1 where the arm is underneath the glass travel tube; the original TT1 has the arm above the glass travel tube. I suspect this change lowers the center of gravity of the tonearm. With this upgrade I added the Master Innovation stand which works better than having the table on an HRS platform.
Hi markhof56, thank you.
Information on the TT1 is rare. The reviews are ancient.
I appreciate your take.
Information on the TT1 is rare. The reviews are ancient.
I appreciate your take.
MF’s review is of the first vyger but yes it requires a slight downward slope for the inward drift, that is your levelling is set when it has a minor inward drift
I appreciate that it was the initial effort.
The more I dig into it, the more impressive it becomes….and I’ve never seen one live, yet.
I think it’s probably true that if someone like Clearaudio or Acoustic Signature were to build what Pino is building, it would cost 2 to 3 x as much.
VYGER may be one of the best bargains in high end audio.
Ive been sharing ZD with my local friends. Good work. Thank you for that site.
I first heard Clearaudio Statement around 2006 at local distributor with top linear tracking arm and cartridge. I’m not impressed with the sound, nor other audiophile friends. I heard it again a couple of years back but with another arm. Better but still not impressive. I wouldn’t lust for neither turntable nor the arm. IMHO there are better alternatives for the fraction of it’s cost.
I just finished setting this one up as a second arm on my Clearaudio Master Reference.
It will take a while to break in the cartridge.
The setup is tedious, but no worse than a unipivot. The instructions could be better. Patience and a steady hand are critical.
It is sounding very nice though … and so far no tracking hiccups.
It will take a while to break in the cartridge.
The setup is tedious, but no worse than a unipivot. The instructions could be better. Patience and a steady hand are critical.
It is sounding very nice though … and so far no tracking hiccups.
I think the two tonearms are a bit awkward in appearance myself. But I don’t have them to look at.
My favorite is the LP12 next to this. But I am tied by nostalgia to both. By musical presentation, there are differences … listening to the TT2 today has been fun. It is actually a much better tracker than I thought it would be.
FWIW, if you don’t like the look, you don’t have to worry. They’re not visible from the listening area.
I think this is another example of judging the image rather than the item. I photographed this from an awkward angle in order to get it all in. In person, it is less awkward. I think if how it looks is an issue, it would be better to mount just one arm, and to choose the back right pillar. It actually looks quite cool there. But the Universal 12” was there first. Putting the TT2 on pillar 3 created set up, as well as aesthetic, challenges.
Your comment and your decision to criticize the appearance makes me suspect that you have never actually set up a turntable (other than possibly a P-Mount) yourself.
The joy of getting something like this to come together is great. When the music is extracted from the groove and flows as hoped, it is like the climax to a sexual joust.
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Regarding the comments attributed to MF about running the track “downhill,” this is just the cure to poor setup in other areas.
It took me about 6 hours, spread out over three days, to dial this in. It is dead level. In the final configuration, it has plowed through some record defects that nearly always present as locked grooves to my other tonearms.
Setting one of these up is unforgiving. People often tell us that they heard this unit or that unit and it did not please them. YOU CANNOT ISOLATE A COMPONENT. You have to listen to it in context of system and room. And if it doesn’t sound good, it could well be an issue of synergy, rather than a flaw. In the case of Turntables, they often sound bad because they’re often poorly setup. Even famous guys mess up setup. I’ve seen it first hand.
If we acknowledged this fact, there’d be less to talk about.
It took me about 6 hours, spread out over three days, to dial this in. It is dead level. In the final configuration, it has plowed through some record defects that nearly always present as locked grooves to my other tonearms.
Setting one of these up is unforgiving. People often tell us that they heard this unit or that unit and it did not please them. YOU CANNOT ISOLATE A COMPONENT. You have to listen to it in context of system and room. And if it doesn’t sound good, it could well be an issue of synergy, rather than a flaw. In the case of Turntables, they often sound bad because they’re often poorly setup. Even famous guys mess up setup. I’ve seen it first hand.
If we acknowledged this fact, there’d be less to talk about.
Would you kindly outline the configuration of the LP12? Is there anything you would recommend as 'must haves' on a new LP12?
I sold mine a few years back and I miss it....
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What a curious thing to say ! … As I have been in and around turntables since 1978 , and suspect that I may have owned and set up way more than yourself ? But who knows .
For my part I am currently in the latter stages of putting together my just re- serviced and upgraded 1962 Thorens TD 124 MKI together with an original Ortofon RMG 309 tonearm in a dedicated mono rig sporting a custom head shell housing a Murasakino Sumile Mono cartridge … None of which matters in the slightest as to my opinion of how rather ugly your turntable appears to the eye of this beholder.
LP 12 … Say no more !
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I am very impressed you got the TT2 set up! I believe it's considered to be a very challenging tonearm to set up.
I missed mine too. I did not sell them, but at one point I was extremely dissatisfied with Linn as a company. I set them on the shelf for about a year and tried several other marques that would be considered high end, including a flagship model.
In the end, rather than be unhappy with Linn, I brought the LP12s back into the systems and sold off the new ones. A properly set up LP12 is a musical joy.
The one in this system started as a 1978 model, but with regular upgrades, there are no current original 1978 parts. It has the Karousel, the Keel, the original Radikal, the current top and cable, Ekos SE, Tramp2 base, a Chris Harban custom plinth, regular tuneups involving springs and grommets, dust cover, hinges, etc. I have decided not to go to the new version of the Radikal. The cartridge is a Lyra Etna Lambda and the phono preamp is an ARC Ref Phono 3SE. When I returned to Linn, I did not return to their cartridges or phono preamp because those had been the source of my disappointment. YMMV.
When you unblock your “about” page and reveal your location, your thoughts will be more welcome. To me it is a bigger curiosity that you would feel compelled to share your negative feelings about a strangers TT after seeing one picture from an odd angle.
I have owned and/or restored several Thorens turntables. The ones I have had have been credible players. I would not “roll my eyes” and make a stupid comment about the marque.
Meanwhile, you will never have to suffer another glance at my Master Reference. Just ignore me. Please.
It was more challenging than I expected. I sold Souther linear trackers and Clearaudio cartridges back 40 years ago, and I was a fan of the Triquartz and Veritas combination.
The TT2 is really running without hiccups as it breaks in the new cartridge. I’m quite pleased.
For when One Is Finished With Wobbly Old Fruit Box … Or Engineering Projects ,
A Real Turntable :
A Real Turntable :
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Thank you.
How would you compare/contrast the Ekos SE with the original Ekos and the Ittok?
Did you entertain any of the Funk Firm LP12 versions?
I ran through all the Ittoks, from the 3/4” pillar to the Troika capable version. Each seemed to offer more detail and better definition from top to bottom. But I did this always with some cartridge overlap and on the same deck.
Up until recently I have been running an LP12 with late model Ittok, Kore, Cirkus, Tramp2, Greeves of Sheffield plinth, and Lyra Kleos. The other deck with the Ekos SE (described earlier) is so different, I cannot offer a meaningful comparison that just addresses the arms.
I recently traded the lower spec LP12 as part of the deal to upgrade my record cleaning machine.
I will say that both the Ittok and the Ekos SE are very easy to set up. And both of these LP12s were wonderful decks. I only let the one go because I still have three decks and four arms … and I can only listen to one at a time these days. We used to have more houses, hence more systems. We’ve downsized to one.
Getting back to the TT2, after playing for about 6 hours, it has just done beautifully. Once I finally dialed it in today, it has not skipped a beat. I love its solid feel and its repeatable control of the cartridge. It is better than I’d expected.
I am running the TT2 with a Charisma V2.1 because that is what I have on the Universal 12”. This is Clearaudio’s flagship MM cartridge.
In contrast, I have a Lyra Etna Lambda on the LP12. I intend to eventually compare the TT2 and Universal 12”. Both are presently feeding their own channel of the ARC Ref Phono 3SE.
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