Check out this TT

[bacobits]

http://show.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/shm.pl?anlgtabl&1253321040&item&Ch1

WTF? It's only $98,000.
Now isn't this all getting a bit stupid?

Den

[Bob in St. Louis]

For that price, I'd at least want some eye candy.
Jezz, my AR-XA looks nearly as good as that one.

Bob

[allenzachary]

From the description:

"re-programmable, "soft" algorithm, logic drive controller with 16 million times per rotation (320000 x 4096) resolution adjusted for speed ripple < 0,08 "

It uses digital technology.  I can't be any good.

[_Scotty_]

My votes for very expensive TTs, Rockport Sirius III and Walker PROSCENIUM BLACK DIAMOND TURNTABLE AND ARM See links below. These are what I would replace my Maplenoll Ariadne TT with if I won the lottery.
http://image.inkfrog.com/pix/mikel/DSC_00380038.jpg
http://www.walkeraudio.com/proscenium_turntable.htm
Scotty

[bacobits]

At least those look like engineering marvels for all that money.
I would include that Basis statement table too.

D

[Bob in St. Louis]

Isn't there a laser TT?
If memory serves, it's like a quarter of the price of this one.....not that I could afford a $25K TT, but, if you're going to have a digital TT, then why not try a 25K unit instead of a 98K unit?

Of course I'm speaking out of my ass, since it'll be a cold day in Hell before I hear either one, much less consider buying either one.
I just like to poke fun at stupidly rich people. Or, more accurately, rich people who are stupid.

Bob

[drews_hifi]

yes bob, there is a laser turntable.

your records have to be very clean, and my impression was that the table homogenized sounds somwhat, dulling transients and squishing macrodynamics.

the mystere seems to be a direct drive tt in a new bottle- with an air bearing to isolate the platter from the motor.  To me, mag lev for this app, ala tdP or Clearaudio, makes more sense.

my vote for dream tt goes to the basic SpJ LaLuce with arm.  Nothing else looks that good, and compared to the other supertables, the SpJ is a bargain at under $20k.

[shep]

Mine wish is a lot more modest and I bet it sounds better; The Well Tempered

[Carlman]

So, how much noise does the air compressor make?  Does that needs its own room outside the listening room?  I guess if you have 98,k to spend on a tt, you've got the $ for the requirements.. but wow.
-C

[bacobits]

Geeze, there is no friggin clamp either.
It should have a clamp I tell ya.

The description of that table sounds like "vapor ware".


D

[tmazz]

Bob,
   I am not sure if you are thinking of the same unit, but there was (nad still is) a laser turntable produced by a Japanese firm called ELP Corp. It was at one time marketed here in the States by a company called SMART, but from what I can see on there web site I think they are now handling US distribution on their own. The units sell for $11 to 15,000 bepending on the options chosen as to disc size and sppedFor more info go to : www.laserturntable.com

[Carlman]

www.laserturntable.com

Man, that's cool!  It's a cd player that plays records!  Neat!

[tmazz]

According to the technical description on the web site it is not a digital device. Although it uses a laser to read the disc like a CD player does, this device operates completely in the analog domain. While analog lasers may sound strange to those of us in the audio world they were quite common in the world of professional video where a company called Grass Valley Group produced analog fiber optic equipment that was at one time the standard for in-house video distribution at the major TV networks. This TT was developed in the late 80s, during the heyday of analog fiber. Believe it or not the unit has been in retail production since 1991. How many high end audio products can boast an 18 year production run (and still counting?

[richidoo]

That ELP got some bad reviews. Sounded dead, iirc.

[tmazz]

Rich,
I recently found a demo CD for the ELP at a thrift shop which is where I got the information that I provided.
After reading your last post I went down to my cave and listened to the demo tracks. The tracks were CD recordings of LP track played on the ELP. As it turns out a number of them were from direct-to-disc LPs that I owned both as the original vinyl and and later CD releases. I have to say that I was very underwhelmed. I expected the vinyl to stop all over the CD copy , but the manufactured CDs stomped all over the CD recordings of the ELP playing the original D2Ds. I guess it is an interesting toy for a rich guy with a mid-fi system, but is certainly cannot hold its own with the big boys. I am sure that would sound better with more modern electronics, but considering that they have only sold 1300 units over the last 18 years, I don't foresee anyone running up to commit the R&D $s required to do that.