Rockport Technologies announces new owner

108CY

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I have tried pivoted many many arms with the Rockport over the years which is not an easy task there is no doubt with correct cartridge matching which is far harder then anticipated the Rockport tonearm can most certainly match them in the bass department. The turntable does need re calibration periodically also various versions of the mda and switch controller and vintages of the motor also all have various effects of the sound. Having more then a few other cutting edge turntables and a host of tonearms I will still conclude correctly installed The rockport is one of the finest turntables ever produced. Arm cartridge matching is paramount and can list a host of cartridges that will most certainly not work with the Rockport package. In general everyone who hears a Rockport set up by myself comments on the solidity and extension of the bass, I have also found the gasket on the platter has to be changed every two years and the neoprene washer has to be replaced yearly its far from a fit and forget system and one may first think.
 
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108CY

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Been playing around this easter sunday with integrated airbearing turntable systems, Been listening to the Bergman Galder with odin, the CSPORT with tonearm and the Rockport with tonearm note this was the last one to be shiped and made in 2012. The Galder is a great deck in many ways has a lovely midrange and highly enjoyable great soundstage highly enjoyable the bass while very free flowing and airy does not quite get the last bit of weight down bellow, seems to work best with the Top wing red sparrow overall hates the lyras and the Vdh. The Cs port is very interesting while very airy has greater transparency is faster with graeter depth tremendous bass weight its kind of shocking one feels there is no bass then all of a sudden it hits you in the chest. The cs port has a sence of grace that has to be heard its a stunning combination. The rockport again shocks me on its sentitiity to dialling it in and eveything being spot on with the etsuro gold the bass is riduclous its sheer impact is outstanding also very sensitive to arm cable and arm wire I have had some the tonearm wire custom made using solid platinum cores also messed around with the arm mounting a great deal. The rockport hold no prisinors is shows up recordings far more and has a sence of lack of mechanical grain that still shocks me.

For me for a deck that is made today the cs port is certainly top of my list its a superb beast a little fussy when it comes to set up. While to my ears the Rockport when properly used and complimented with the correct partnering gear is still the best I have heard its no longer available and unless you have spares could be a daunting prospect and expensive to run.

I personally would never use a pivoted arm out of personal choice while i do admire any I could never live without that mechanical freedom offered by them that sence of rightness.
 
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spiritofmusic

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108CY, you're gonna have to get to hear the Vyger w it's proprietary LT arm. A thing of sheer beauty.

That CS Port looks very impressive.
 
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108CY

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108CY, you're gonna have to get to hear the Vyger w it's proprietary LT arm. A thing of sheer beauty.

That CS Port looks very impressive.

I own a Vyger indian signature in current guise but had various versions over the years.
 

bonzo75

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108CY, you're gonna have to get to hear the Vyger w it's proprietary LT arm. A thing of sheer beauty.

That CS Port looks very impressive.

Marc 108cy is the MultiTT Magnate Mad Mik
 

spiritofmusic

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Oh, ok. That's quite a collection you have. How is Vyger fitting on the CS Port <> Rockport Sirius spectrum?

In the UK, CS Port is a little cheaper than Vyger. But afford one and you really can afford the other.
 

spiritofmusic

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Aha, Mik who I had the pleasure of chatting to several months back.

My fantasy once was to own Saskia 2 idler, but as that product lapsed into unicorn territory, hearing and seeing Vyger in the flesh took over. But that CS Port is nothing if not totally captivating from info on the website. Is it more the spirit of Micro Seiki than even AF?
 

108CY

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The price is similar once you buy the base, also is costlier to actually purchase due to the way its sold the japanese makers have not yest figured out how audio distribution works so margins are tight which actually makes it a good buy. The cs post is unusual as it does not have a conventional air bearing it utilises a a conventional inverted bearing, and floats the platter on air the the tolerances of the sub assembley and the platter surface have to be seen its a typical of the wall japanese design. The Vyger is great its a lovely deck to own its a bit darker sounding and has a bit more character the cs port is quite stunning in the way it just flows and has this incredibly quick yet smooth and natural while not giving the impression of false weight. The bass is lightning fast and deep. The rockports remain technological marvals that there are differences between system 111,s so its not easy to comment and they are more like tools I have spent many years trying to understand them. I still love the vyger and its a wonderful turntable it has a highly musical sound and and especially does well on classical. Who would want to own one turntable. The cs port is far most musically enjoyable than the AF one premium the airforce one is pushes images forward and exagerates frequencies.
 
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Audiophile Bill

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Mik - do you own the NVS TT? Curious if you did compares with other in your fleet?
 

108CY

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i figured as much with his comments about Tim Sheridan. we spoke about Tim on the phone a few times some years ago. it's an honor to have Mik here.

Thank you mike, its been a long time since we spoke
 
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bonzo75

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Mik - do you own the NVS TT? Curious if you did compares with other in your fleet?

From what I know Mik has kodo and likes it with the air tangent on. Mike had kodo before NVS
 

Mike Lavigne

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Thank you mike, its been a long time since we spoke

and reading about your Rockport tonearm and tonearm wire comments maybe i was not man enough 'back then' to get the most out of my III in my time with it. i'm sure it's now in a better place with you.;)
 

spiritofmusic

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So, why was it feasible to run cost no object items like the Studers and Sirius', but it's not possible now? Simple economies of scale?

Does the AF0 and AS2000 run their NOS modded motors because they're the best, or because a ground-up new design would truly be prohibitive?
 

108CY

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I have had the the NVS here breifly a good friend owns it it is certainly a fine turntable.I supplied him with a airtangent and seems to be very pleased with the results.
and reading about your Rockport tonearm and tonearm wire comments maybe i was not man enough 'back then' to get the most out of my III in my time with it. i'm sure it's now in a better place with you.;)

I still have that unit here mike as part of the fleet, I had the controllor looked at and updated by tim also performed various other modifications. This was a rather costly excersice to say the least the finished article again sounds different to the other units.

I also find that the front panels seem to have an effect on the sound as there were a few versions. I also sent the spindle and motor to be overalled. Tim also made me some new connecting cables which again seemed to improved things further that was kind of him as they were complex to build and he was very sick at the time.
 
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spiritofmusic

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Mik, I can't really ever contemplate the outlay required to take ownership of the CS Port, but as w Vyger, I'm in awe of it's uncompromising nature.

More practical for me would be something like the Spec Corporation GMP 8000. Is this a tt you're at all familiar with?
 

108CY

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Mik, I can't really ever contemplate the outlay required to take ownership of the CS Port, but as w Vyger, I'm in awe of it's uncompromising nature.

More practical for me would be something like the Spec Corporation GMP 8000. Is this a tt you're at all familiar with?

The cs port is certainly quirky in every way I would not recommend to to the non tweakers its a wonderful product. My brother uses a spec turntable and within its price point its got some very interesting traits.
 
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Mike Lavigne

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So, why was it feasible to run cost no object items like the Studers and Sirius', but it's not possible now? Simple economies of scale?

a modern re imagining of big Studers (A-820) is an engineering challenge many orders of magnitude higher than a Sirius III turntable. the turntable spins a disc, and has a tonearm, the tape decks not only spin two reels, rewinds, and has a whole tape path to control, but also has multiple audio circuits and set-ups. much more complicated and built to be a daily, reliable, workhorse of a commercial recording studio.

which is why you see lots of uber tt efforts actually happen, and maybe one modern tape deck actually get built, that, while impressive, is not close to the degree of build of the big Studer. the Studer's were $30k-$35k back in the early 80's when they built hundreds of them.

that said, the Sirius III was built to industrial tooling standards, to my knowledge beyond any other high end audio product i've seen. taking it apart to ship it is a revelation. and you have to respect the cohesive elegance of the design. it makes most 'uber' tt's (not all) look like contraptions to some degree.

Does the AF0 and AS2000 run their NOS modded motors because they're the best, or because a ground-up new design would truly be prohibitive?

someone who really knows motors and what can be sourced now would have to comment. i have no clue. it seems not reasonable to assume that somehow great motors can no longer be built as well as they once could. but maybe not. a lost art?
 
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bonzo75

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So you are the brother who took all the toys?

The cs port is certainly quirky in every way I would not recommend to to the non tweakers its a wonderful product. My brother uses a spec turntable and within its price point its got some very interesting traits.
 

108CY

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I have spent many years trying out different materials on the rockport especially the motor mount and the arm mounting lots of tuning can be done.

I also had an ebony arm wand manufactured for the rockport, which I found had some interesting qualities. For some reason I found haveing the the stand stripped and proffesionally painted in an urushi kind of fashion changed things again. its not an easyI also had an ebony arm wand manufactured for that unit which I found had some interesting qualities. I also seem to like dececant dryers used inline the sound changed brand to brand. The problem with commercial products there is only so much one can throw at it to experement.
 

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