Dear Marc and Tang,
sorry for the delay in my responses here. honestly i've had a football weekend (i'm a serious American style College and NFL junkie) plus listening visitors on Saturday (jazdoc + Joel Durand) afternoon. also, trying to get my brain around the vdh Master Signature.......which i've set aside for now to come back to later.
Mike, you've got a captive audience of wide-eyed and slack-jawed idler fanboys here waiting for more info on Saskia.
Please post more listening impressions, comparisons to NVS, your holistic take on the sound, and more technical info from Win.
Suspension/isolation, motor details, speed control method, how Win has addressed the Achilles Heel of idlers ie rumble.
We're all ears.
Dear Mike,
How is the presentation of Saskia comparing to the NVS? Just in term of image size, more up front or less upfront, the stage width, depth. My 927 in comparison to the AS2000 present the overall sound in a noticeably larger scale. To me the AS2000 has a more realistic image size. Any jazz trio or chamber sound more fool me real. I think a man size sound image is an essential element in suspension of disbelief. I have not much experience with idler. I have only heard a Lenco and two Garrard from other people's system. I am wondering if other idlers also present sound in a larger scale?
Kind regards,
Tang
on Saturday we did switch the Durand Tosca + Anna D. back to the NVS from the Saskia (where it's been for a few weeks) and listened. up till now the Anna D. was only on the Saskia. now it's on the NVS. i can make some provisional comments about things as they look right now.
the presentations of the Saskia and NVS/Tana are different. but not night and day different. more that each has characteristics/attributes where they really excell, but even where they fall slightly short of the other they are still very good. no warts are exposed.
the NVS has a larger soundstage, more expansive. the Saskia is a little more focused, relatively compact. jazdoc liked that images are more correctly sized on the Saskia, it's something important to him. image location is excellent on both, a little more image density and weight with the Saskia, a bit more soaring every molecule in the room energized and carried away sense with the NVS. both these tt's have very low noise floors, but surprisingly the Saskia seems slightly lower. i need much more time to see if that holds true. but this is no one trick idler pony.
both plenty of energy. a bit more weight and flow from the Saskia, but better top to bottom coherence and complete frequency response from the NVS. it's more complete and organized. if you never heard the NVS you would consider the Saskia a big music champ; but then the NVS just takes it farther. it goes and goes.
did i say that the Saskia is a flow champ?......it absolutely is! sustains are fantastic/special/otherworldly! the NVS is good in this area but there is a difference.
cello growl is a different animal on each. more granular on the NVS, more dense and physical on the Saskia. i love them both.
piano's, guitar, horns, and vocals are great on each. maybe for small music the Saskia might get deeper into these things than the NVS. that added dollop of density taking things up a notch in emotional connection.
delicacy comes across differently on each. the NVS more airy, the Saskia more tonal weight, and more energy projecting.
Bass is really excellent on both; the Saskia a bit more weight, but the NVS maybe more agile. i need much more time with this issue. and the Tana shelf under the NVS likely makes a big difference here. could it help the Saskia? at some point i need to try it.
it's important to note that where i say that the density, weight or tone of the Saskia is better, it's not by much. the NVS has plenty of weight, density and tonal richness.....but the Saskia is just a little better. at least that is how it sounds to my ears in this system.
i'm feeling that both are essential to my listening at this point. i need to get the Durand Telos arm board back from Win so i can install the Telos Sapphire on the Saskia and run that while i spend more time back on the NVS with the Tosca/Anna D.
i hear no limitations to what the Saskia can do. it's an all around super sounding tt that can play classical and big stuff, have plenty of inner detail and texture, nothing rounded or blunted. and maybe the Tana active could take it further?
i think what is also really apparent is that while there is a great buzz about the sexy/iconic/mysterious Saskia idler that is well earned, the NVS is really a fantastic all around performer that kicks some serious tt ass......especially combined with the Taiko Tana active isolation. i'd bet plenty of people would have a tough time 'blind' I.D.ing which tt they were listening to with most music. and at the top of the tt heap that is how it should be. and these are right up there.
and.........there are horses for courses. will every system have a complimentary environment for every tt? or....as one's system and tastes evolve, will a tt be able to keep up? you graduate from pop, to jazz, to small classical, to big classical......will the tt deliver? the NVS will, and has.....in spades.