Advice on semi-auto turntables?


You guys have convinced me to replace my 25 year old turntable, assuming I can hear a difference. I really would like a semi-auto that returns the tonearm, unless there are some serious drawbacks with this feature. Or if this feature is going to limit me to non-quality TT's. The only current manufacturers I have found that produce semi-autos are Thorens and Dual. I am looking at a Thorens TD 295 MkIII. Dual makes a CS 505-4, but my gut feel is that the Thorens would be the better of the two. They are in the $900-$1000 range. Anyone heard either of these or have any opinions that would help me out? Thanks in advance.
angiemima

Showing 1 response by dougdeacon

I agree with Newbee and Lugnut. Very few of the better arms have an end-of-side lift mechanism. None that I know of have an arm return mechanism. Adding unnecessary mechanical bits to an arm is just asking for sonic problems.

Aftermarket arm lifts like the one mentioned by Lugnut are also available new from ExpressimoAudio.com. They should have little or no impact on the sound during play, because they're only in contact with the arm after it reaches the runout groove.

For your budget I believe you will find better quality TT/arm choices if you can forgo the auto/semi-auto features.