Esoteric Grandioso T1 turntable arrives; G1X Master Clock coming.

[Mike Lavigne]

With such a slow start up time, this is definitely not a broadcast quality turntable, which needs to achieve speed stability in half a second. So, this is no Technics SP-10 Mk2/3 for sure!

broadcast quality? not sure that holds water. certainly some great vintage turntables are broadcast quality, but what really produces sound quality? not start-up time per se.

owned a Dobbins SP-10 Mk2 and Dobbins SP-10 Mk3 2009-2011, both sweet tt's. start-up time is down the list for me in priorities. in fact, stopping a turntable is more negative than not. if that's an issue, then the best sound is maybe not as important as it might be.

i find that the best sound is from a turntable turning continually. it has the best sound. i keep two of my tt's running all day sometimes and that is the best sound.

YMMV.

if i was spinning vinyl on a radio station with only 1 turntable, i might see it differently. but a better way to go for a radio station would be to have multiple spinning turntables. maybe auto cueing might skew that viewpoint. but these type things are not in the interests of the best sound.

 

[gds7368]

Can you give some more listening impressions?
I find this to be a very interesting TT ... I'm even considering adding one

 

[Gregadd]

Radio stations are still spinning vinyl?

 

[Scott Naylor]

Radio stations are still spinning vinyl?

Yes! My local jazz station (WDCB) does with some frequency.

 

[Gregadd]

Mine converted to digita.

 

[Mike Lavigne]

Got my Durand Tosca T1 arm board today. Somehow the FCL arm board is suppose to be tomorrow.

Very impressed with the packaging. First class all the way even a proprietary manual in multiple languages for this specific arm board. Top level fit and finish. went together very easy, alignment dead on. very solid.

Listening now and smiling. And they have a ground post on the arm post assembly and it’s made the DaVa dead quiet. Yippee!

I’ll save feedback for later. i've only been listening for less than an hour.

PS---i did sell the Ikeda arm and arm board to a local friend who bought a T1; his is in route to him. so it's off the T1 at this point.

 

[Kingrex]

I retired and now I have more work than I want.

Congratulations Mike.

 

[Mike Lavigne]

after a few hours of throwing my heavy artillery pressings at the Tosca/DaVa mounted on the T1 i do have some first impressions. it's probably good i still have the FCL/Etsuro Gold mounted on the NVS for a bit of known verses known to give me a sense of what the T1/clock is actually doing.

based on a few hours and 20 or so cuts, my 'gut' is that the T1/w/clock is more dynamic and has a lower noise floor than the Saskia. it has quite a bit more scale and space. and the musical energy from the T1/w/clock is remarkable. seems bursting with life. hard to compare the bass, but the T1/w/clock has excellent bass. these attributes were there with the Ikeda/Koetsu/Audio Technica......but my unfamiliarity with those pieces made me wary to feel sure. i feel much more confident that i'm close to understanding about it all.

the field coil FCL still can relate a ton of detail, the conventional Tosca is very good in that area, but not quite the FCL. yet the emotive content of the T1/Clock/Tosca/DaVa is at another level. the flow of the NVS is really fine, but the absolute steady speed T1/Clock seems to dig into the music deeper and pull you in. the intent and subtlety of the performers comes thru to a greater degree. another level.

the T1/w/clock is very nuanced, it boogies, it flows, it's sexy. can't say it's sexier than the Saskia. but it sucks you in.

the drum whack in 'Georgia On My Mind' (45 of Webster Live at the Renaissance) about a minute in on the Tosca/DaVa is 10db+ higher peak level (the dart 468 read-out) on the T1/w/clock verses the Saskia at the same SPL read out on the dart pre. 195 peak verses 180 peak.

hard to relate the Audio Technica MC-2022 to the DaVa since the Tosca is far superior to the Ikeda to my ears as far as being a good match for that cartridge. i'd love to hear the AT on the Tosca, and may get to that at some point.

these thoughts are provisional and i'm feeling very good about my decision to go down this T1/w/clock road. a big upside is possible, but have lots of work yet to do.

 

[Mike Lavigne]

I retired and now I have more work than I want.

i did not retire to start a business. i want to play with no strings attached. no promises to keep. no deliverables. good vibes only. but for some that works. you seem to be flourishing.

Congratulations Mike.

thanks Rex.

 

[Gregadd]

Mrphys law-The available work expands to fit the available time.

 

[Kingrex]

i did not retire to start a business. i want to play with no strings attached. no promises to keep. no deliverables. good vibes only. but for some that works. you seem to be flourishing.

thanks Rex.

I have a few friends who cut the cord and just live. One actually burned himself out on travel and just had to come home and chill. He got tired of being Ungrounded.

FWIW, I am pushing my wife to cut the cord. We watch a bunch of investment video. They all say retire sooner than later. Your only healthy up till about the late 70s. Then your body fails. So go out and live now while you can. Have fun.

Let me know when you want to catch some Salmon.

 

[bonzo75]

the field coil FCL still can relate a ton of detail, the conventional Tosca is very good in that area, but not quite the FCL. yet the emotive content of the T1/Clock/Tosca/DaVa is at another level. the flow of the NVS is really fine, but the absolute steady speed T1/Clock seems to dig into the music deeper and pull you in. the intent and subtlety of the performers comes thru to a greater degree. another level.

the T1/w/clock is very nuanced, it boogies, it flows, it's sexy. can't say it's sexier than the Saskia. but it sucks you in.

The bolded description sounds no different than the Saskia with Tosca and the Dava, though the Saskia had a clear drop to the other two when the etsuro was put on it and compared to the etsuro on the other two. Would like to know how esoteric does with the etsuro compared to the NVS/FCL combination

 

[Mike Lavigne]

the FCL armboard arrived, installed it, and completed the switchover of the FCL/Etsuro Gold to the Esoteric T1 this morning. just started listening

.

 

[dminches]

the flow of the NVS is really fine, but the absolute steady speed T1/Clock seems to dig into the music deeper and pull you in. the intent and subtlety of the performers comes thru to a greater degree. another level.

Did you (or Jonathan) ever measure the speed (variation) of the NVS and determine it to be less than completely constant? Asking mainly because that's what I have (as you know).

 

[Mike Lavigne]

Did you (or Jonathan) ever measure the speed (variation) of the NVS and determine it to be less than completely constant? Asking mainly because that's what I have (as you know).

hi David, i've not measured the speed of the NVS but it has been measured by Jonathan and was spot on. i've always liked the speed and the NVS presentation.

but really to my ears the NVS sounds lively and it allows the music to flow. but there are degrees of those things too. it does sound slightly different than the CS Port or the Saskia, and now slightly different than the Esoteric T1, and also compared to the T1 w/clock.

not sure i'm answering your question.

 

[bonzo75]

the FCL armboard arrived, installed it, and completed the switchover of the FCL/Etsuro Gold to the Esoteric T1 this morning. just started listening

People will think my previous post was planted to allow you to give a fitting follow up

 

[Mike Lavigne]

People will think my previous post was planted to allow you to give a fitting follow up

i started a response post to you, but had to leave yesterday with my wife. got home, FCL arm board waiting and calling my name, jumped into that last night and this morning. now listening to the FCL/T1 and getting the NVS set up with the Durand Telos and switching cartridges around on the NVS (mono to the Telos, likely going with the Audio Technica on the 2nd Tosca with the Koetsu Azule on a second Tosca headshell quickly switchable). will respond to your points later.

today now 5 months later, i'm finally where i aimed to be at when i jumped into the idea of the T1.....just a few little things to do.

 

[dminches]

hi David, i've not measured the speed of the NVS but it has been measured by Jonathan and was spot on. i've always liked the speed and the NVS presentation.

but really to my ears the NVS sounds lively and it allows the music to flow. but there are degrees of those things too. it does sound slightly different than the CS Port or the Saskia, and now slightly different than the Esoteric T1, and also compared to the T1 w/clock.

not sure i'm answering your question.

You have. I wasn’t sure if your description of the T1 “absolute steady speed” inferred that the NVS wasn’t.

 

[Mike Lavigne]

You have. I wasn’t sure if your description of the T1 “absolute steady speed” inferred that the NVS wasn’t.

it's possible that the T1 with clock is singular in speed steadyness setting the standard. or equal to the very best in that way.

accurate and steady are different things and the musical implications of each and degrees of variance is a complicated subject.

recall Bonzo's NVS 'flow' comments in his Sept 22' write-up compared to the CS Port and Saskia. it does not suck at steady ness even directly compared to two stellar non servo feedback spendy tt's. but the T1 w/clock might trump it there at twice the price.

enjoy!

 

[PeterA]

One could also argue that the Monaco for direct drive and the AS200 for belt also have highly accurate speed, yet all of these turntables sound different. How the speed is measured matters too, as does how the TT controls and maintains the speed. Then there are all the other factors in the various turntable designs that contribute to the unique sound of each. What is interesting about Mike's T1/clock and the AS2000, and others out there, is the degree to which the speed, drive coupling to platter, and torque can be adjusted. These things all affect the presentation of the music.