turntables

The Holbo Turntable System is made in Slovenia by Bostjan Holc. The $7900 model has been available for a couple of years and consists of two very interrelated components: the airbearing turntable, where the platter rides on an airbearing; and the linear tracking tonearm, also incorporating an airbearing. There is no metal-to-metal contact anywhere in this novel and very effective design.

The Minus K Technology CT-2 Bench Top Vibration Isolation Platform was originally developed for scientific and research applications such as spacecraft design, nanotechnology, and medical research. The patented technology is called “Negative-stiffness”, where the isolating platform seems to float with no resistance.

From the manufacturer’s Web site (link below):

Many turntables today include an electronic speed controller for the motor that drives the platter that makes the records go round and round. The purpose of these controllers is to make sure that the motor sees a very constant signal to maintain a very constant speed. The ear is more sensitive to variations in speed than to small inaccuracies in the exact frequency.

I have to tell you that I have been putting off writing this review for months. Stalling, actually. It is not because I was faced with the unpleasant chore of writing a review about a poorly performing product. Writing one of those is something that just does not motivate me to spend a day or more writing and editing a review. The delay was for two good reasons: