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A prospective Teres owner with questions

The Cult Of The Teres has nearly convinced me to take a chance with a basic Teres -- the 150 TT. BUT, I figured you guys could, as the Cowardly Lion says after declaring his intent to rescue Dorothy, talk me OUT of it. Um, I mean, into it...Well, you know what I mean...

I've developed some nerve damage in my hands, so DIYs aren't the best route for me. However, TWL, who seems revered on this site, has the OL Silver tonearm (mine is on the way), and probably has the same model as I'm considering buying. Despite the fact that I have no clue as to whether or not TWL is secretly an axe murderer, his take on turntables is quite knowledgeable, so who am I to buck the masses?
Onward to the questions...

1)Saying a setup is simple is easy to say, but quivering hands might make a mistake. Is there anything that could break during setup?
2) I will, of course, tell Chris, at the time of my order that I'm also getting a VTA adjustor with the tonearm. Will that make the "drilling" any more complicated?
3)The sonics. (And yes, I can ask Chris, but there's only one of him and a million of you ["...it takes a village...]about this.)How is the Teres at retrieving very, very low level details such as side/back walls (aha! The infamous "imaging/soundstaging freak rears his head!)ambience retrieval and soundstage HEIGHT.
Lastly, is it warm -- or even overly warm in the midbass region? I've owned a Versa Dynamics 2.3 for years, but it's back in California waiting to be shipped to John Bicht for repair(John expects a 4-6 month wait; it's not his main profession anymore, and he has to squeeeeeeeze it in), so I'm buying another turntable to live with given that I just bought a Microgroove Plus last week -- along with the Silver tonearm. I have a Rega 3 that I gave my sister right here in Connecticut. I'm accustomed to the Versa's depiction of music, but it's not a warm turntable at all. So, I want to be prepared in case the Teres is warm, or dark [dont' like a "dark" sound very much].
For all the rest of the turntables traits, I trust you guys' take on it. I've only been reading the entire Teres threads for the last 36 hours (it's VERY, VERY, VERY cold here in the Northeast today). NOBODY is going outside who doesn't want frostbite. That gives me time to become positively neurotically compulsive/obsessive about this turntable....and you're all invited to observe...
Okay, I'm waiting -- and wanting -- to be (completely)converted. Help me out here, gentlemen (and ladies).
gbmcleod

Showing 2 responses by dougdeacon

dougdeacon
3,338 posts
 
Hi Greg,

Twl heats with wood, so he probably owns an axe. I've also heard he owns a Rotweiler. You wanna be careful around here.

I agree with his advice and will add this:

1) Unless you drop it a Teres is pretty break proof, except for what I wrote you about the bearing. Tonearm bearings and cartridges ARE fragile however. If you feel the need I'll drive down and help you mis-align your rig as accurately as mine is mis-aligned! (We live about 20 miles apart.)

2) Forget the inconsistent OL VTA adjuster. Order the one from Expressimoaudio. It always fits a 25mm hole and it's a better design anyway, IMO. Their extended Rega arm nut is pretty handy too.

3) Sonics: detail retrieval. I haven't heard a 150 but a 265/Silver/Shelter 901 is spectacularly good at those things. Breath intakes by soloists? Any rig will do those. How about distinguishing between mouth and nose breathing by a solo trombonist in the back row of an orchestra. A Teres can do that. We've all heard the right/rear echo on Brubeck's 'Time Out'. Have you heard a TT that plays that echo clearly enough so you can keep time to it? I have. Page turning on most orchestral records. Pre-echoes on nearly all records (annoying but telling). Yada, yada, you get the idea.

No "dark" TT could do such things. A bright TT could, but a Teres certainly isn't that either.
dougdeacon
3,338 posts
 
David, I sort of assumed a "dark" component would tend to mask some details, since they seem to live in the higher frequencies IME. I've been playing around with small changes in loading and can reproduce something like a darkening effect by going from say 41 ohms (too bright) to 38 or 36 (too dark). I'm willing to be educated by a Spacedeck of course, especially if I can visit tonight. It's friggin' cold here!

Try the Classic reissue of LSC-2201, Mussorgsky/Pictures at an Exhibition/Reiner/CSO. It's a good recording though not quite world class, but I love the performance. The long trombone solo I mentioned is on side 1. It's quite amazing to hear the incredible breath control of the anonymous trombonist.
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