Saskia model two
- Thread starter Mike Lavigne
- Start date
You're almost there. Just another wee million or so in stereo equipment! You should skip the growing up part, though.One day, when i grow up, i will force myself to like classical, like Tang didIm just missing so much !
I don’t know your sister Marc, but i would venture a guess
Yes, but you know me. So, it's hardly a guess.I don’t know your sister Marc, but i would venture a guess
Let's just say we're chips off proper Old School blocks. If I told you that one of my dad's jobs was to stop the Kray Twins gate crashing his boss's nightclub and giving Tom Jones and Lulu a hard time...
Marc,i have been doing exactly that.......just being awestruck by just how insightful and involving the Saskia model two is on classical smaller group recordings. the Saskia brings exactly the right combination of an extra dollop of pace and tone along with quiet as a tomb backgrounds. again; the addition of the EMIA SUT has taken things to another sexyness level.i'd say this combination is the best i've ever heard for small combo........anything!
right this minute i'm listening to a Schubert Cello/Piano Sonata that is lovely. the tone density is just superb. i'm sure we will get the obligatory Ked post about the General's OP being that much better.
this is the one i own, and have for 20+ years. i'm happy.
https://www.discogs.com/Schubert-Br...For-Arpeggione-And-Piano-Brid/release/8240976
View attachment 66457
Analoghonic also released a reissue that I prefer over my London original.
https://elusivedisc.com/schubert-bridge-sonatas-180g-import-lp/
Mike, how's your audio memory?
Can you recall yr Dobbins 301?
Do you recollect if there was an idler "signature"? Mid bass hump or opaqueness in mids from rumble/noise?
Is the Saskia absolutely free of these?
If it is, that's a fantastic achievement.
Can you recall yr Dobbins 301?
Do you recollect if there was an idler "signature"? Mid bass hump or opaqueness in mids from rumble/noise?
Is the Saskia absolutely free of these?
If it is, that's a fantastic achievement.
like it was yesterday. it was full of idler playfulness......it had a hard shouldered bass hump, yet was a little congested in nuanced passages......and noisy relatively during quiet passages which did not serve subtle classical music at all. and it was quiet and well behaved compared to some other 301's i heard and had that super 50hz Loricraft UPS power supply so the motor ran at 50hz. Steve did a nice job with it and i was totally satisfied with it. it was a tone machine......with balls.
when it all worked musically it was heaven with a capital 'H'.
the Saskia is absolutely free of all those artifacts, but has the positive attributes of the forward flow leaning drive, and the feeling of musical power. also the tone is other-worldly and super textured and timbrally open and free sounding. the soundstage is focused but also things are nicely separated and layered. listening to it you are drawn into the inner musical truth and pulled along with the music.
Last edited:
Fantastic Mike, what a result.
Can you fill in any more tech details?
Do you know what method it uses for speed control? Is it servo loop/encoder disc endowed? Or it 100% analog non servo, like yr CS Port?
Can you fill in any more tech details?
Do you know what method it uses for speed control? Is it servo loop/encoder disc endowed? Or it 100% analog non servo, like yr CS Port?
it's set up with an optical sensor to have a loop added at some future time, but at this point it does not use any feedback. 100% analog non servo. the outboard power supply box is very heavy, and powerful.
one of the many design approaches to address the noise and speed stability challenges is that the drive wheel does not use a conventional shaft/bearing, it uses a gimbal yoke bushing design to keep that drive energy steady. the wheel is made of 6061 aluminum, and the drive surface is rubber nitrile. it's driven by a 3-phase Pabst motor originally designed to drive big video or film reels for the colorists to color black and white film. it's an industrial precision motor over designed for this purpose. i can and do sometimes leave it running all day.
the turntable does weight 220 pounds without arm; it's a hunk and nothing is half way.
i think the remarkable combination of low noise and musical drive is not any accident.
Last edited:
Mike, you own the fantastic CS Port and NVS, as well as previously the legendary Rockport Sirius. What you've described about the Saskia, does that put it right up there w uncompromising designs?
I ask because there are now dozens of tts over $100k, many in excess of $150k. Yet there are uber examples like Saskia, CS Port, Vyger, that offer an awful lot, no compromise for under $60k.
I ask because there are now dozens of tts over $100k, many in excess of $150k. Yet there are uber examples like Saskia, CS Port, Vyger, that offer an awful lot, no compromise for under $60k.
it's up there. but what exactly is 'there'? i don't have first hand knowledge.
guessing.........my hunch is that the Saskia model two plays at the top, and that other factors beyond the actual turntable would make more differences than what another turntable might do better than the Saskia. so i'm not saying it's at the top, but it could hold it's own. and then add my system synergy and my view is i'm hearing what is possible with analog with the Saskia in my system. the Durand Tosca and Etsuro Gold are certainly at the top too, and with the EMIA SUT, the giant killer CS Port phono is pretty fine too.
it's a fact i'm thrilled, and don't know another way to get what i'm getting with a production turntable. there are some custom jobs that get crazy. maybe an EMT927 gives you more drive, but maybe more noise. so not as flexible a tool? i'm sure i'll be told they are quiet. but then others might disagree. don't know of another idler that competes. but i don't know about them all.
Well, I think the only other new production idler alternative is the Audiosilente Blackstone. From what I can see, the main differences are graphite instead of slate, an optical encoder/feedback loop speed controller, and the idler wheel being belt-assisted. SQ comparisons, no idea.
Now the Saskia is well optimised, is it still divergent to the CS Port. Or are there more things where they meet in the middle, ie different flavours rather than different dishes?
Are you listening much to the NVS? I gather Tang pretty much listens to only one of his four tts, 95% of the time.
Now the Saskia is well optimised, is it still divergent to the CS Port. Or are there more things where they meet in the middle, ie different flavours rather than different dishes?
Are you listening much to the NVS? I gather Tang pretty much listens to only one of his four tts, 95% of the time.
Last edited:
Britten studied under Bridge and championed his music
also Gerald Moore said Britten was the greatest accompanist he ever heard and Moore is considered one of the great accompanist
Britten, though a reluctant conductor and a nervous pianist, was greatly sought after in both capacities.[229] The piano accompanist Gerald Moore wrote in his memoirs about playing at all the main music festivals except for Aldeburgh, because "as the presiding genius there is the greatest accompanist in the world, my services are not needed".[230][n 21] Britten's recital partnership with Pears was his best-known collaboration, but he also accompanied Kathleen Ferrier, Rostropovich, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, James Bowman and John Shirley-Quirk, among others.[232] Though usually too nervous to play piano solos, Britten often performed piano duets with Clifford Curzon or Richter, and chamber music with the Amadeus Quartet.[232]
hmmm arpeggione......
Last edited:
I'm wary of the Reed's dual idler wheels. There must be some possibility of differential idler wear and this speed/drive irregularities.
enjoying the Saskia model two/Tosca/Etsuro Gold tonight. listening to some new vinyl. 'Circles', Mac Miller.
https://www.amazon.com/Circles-2LP-.../ref=tmm_vnl_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
i'm not normally a rap sort of person, but this is maybe a crossover into pop/funk/indi folk......or something. but i'm loving it. i first heard it on Quboz and could not get enough of it. so i bought the vinyl; and it's even more lively and compelling. it's got a spooky magical rhythm that really pulls you in. the music is relaxed and flowing. quiet surfaces and really nice recording. the bass is meaty and in some spots other-worldly if you have the system to capture it. i really enjoy every cut.
it's a wow.
this album was released after Mac Miller sadly passed away in 2018, while working on this album.
it's just great music and i'd say leave your preconceived notions behind and just let yourself loose and go for it. my system absolutely loves it.
https://www.amazon.com/Circles-2LP-.../ref=tmm_vnl_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
i'm not normally a rap sort of person, but this is maybe a crossover into pop/funk/indi folk......or something. but i'm loving it. i first heard it on Quboz and could not get enough of it. so i bought the vinyl; and it's even more lively and compelling. it's got a spooky magical rhythm that really pulls you in. the music is relaxed and flowing. quiet surfaces and really nice recording. the bass is meaty and in some spots other-worldly if you have the system to capture it. i really enjoy every cut.
it's a wow.
this album was released after Mac Miller sadly passed away in 2018, while working on this album.
it's just great music and i'd say leave your preconceived notions behind and just let yourself loose and go for it. my system absolutely loves it.
Last edited:
One of my favorite albums, listen to it all the time. Love the music and the recording. Bet it sounds GREAT on your system.
Similar threads
 | Steve Williams Site Founder | Site Owner | Administrator |  | Ron Resnick Site Co-Owner | Administrator |  | Julian (The Fixer) Website Build | Marketing Managersing |