I owned the Bardo & 10.5 arm and it was a good sounding combo but the Bardo had speed issues (measured by a digital strobe light) and was not as precise as other tables I've owned. The Kuzma tables are built like a rock and the 4Point arm is my all time favorite, I use it daily. Two things I would caution you about the Kuzma, first and this goes for any tonearm, is that you have to match it with the right cartridge, this is especially true with the 4Point given it's mass. Also the Stabi requires a very sturdy surface to sit on otherwise you will get footfall issues. Best of luck with either combo.
(Dealer disclaimer) |
Sksos1
At 13g the Kuzma 9 isn't really high mass at all, is it? The other arm I had my eye on is the Ikeda, at 35g, that's high mass... Right now I have a Benz cartridge that sits at 8.8g and 15 compliance, dropping that into the calculator results in 8.8hz. The footfall isn't great but hopefully not something mapleshade can't take care of.
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Wouldn't a Stabi REF 2 with a more entry level Kuzma arm,come in right around the same price as the BARDO/10.5? I would think with a fair discount, and one of Franc's Unipivot arms, you would be swinging in the same ballpark. I've heard the Bardo and Spyder, but with Reed arms. I liked the Spyder...very quiet, open, and organic sounding. I ended up going Kuzma, and have been quite happy. |
SKSOS. You owned a Bardo with speed stability issues? Surely that would’ve been an item you could send back to the manufacturer. That should never happen with any direct drive turntable. Some may be better than others, but none should have grossly audible speed issues or even easily measurable ones. Unless defective. |
sksos1, I am also interested in knowing more about this speed issue with the Bardo, in case you don't mind sharing.
regards |
I have Kuzma Ref2 with 4 Point 9 (Cardas Clear wire). Using a Phasemation PP-1000 couldn’t be happier. |
First I never said the Bardo had grossly or audible speed issues I said it just had speed issues this measured using the Timeline device which uses a quartz clock and said to be accurate to two parts per million. Not many tables can pass the timeline device test.
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I will ad, that I was also considering Stabi S (12" version), and when nearing final decision, opted for Ref 2/Ref 313 VTA. The Stabi Ref 2 never did it for me in photos, but I am very pleased with the look in person. Lastly, I will simply echo the words built like a tank from above. |
Sksos, thank you very much.
This kind of info is extremely valuable and, although agreeing that the Timeline test is challenging for most of the turntables in the market, it is indeed paramount to assess the results since speed stability and accuracy are preconditions for a good turntable and it is very unfortunate that they are likely not to be found in many cases. |
Sksos, Quartz clock or no quartz clock, the Timeline is naught but a set of strobe lights that blink at a constant frequency. As such, the enhanced accuracy has most to do with the very long distance from the spindle to the wall upon which one reads the flashes, relative to that afforded by conventional strobe/disc methods, not the electronics of it. Nevertheless, I have tested all 4 of my vintage DD turntables with the Timeline (which I borrowed from a friend), and they tend to be bang on accurate. Which is why I wondered about the Bardo. The Bardo, so far as I know, has a coreless motor governed by a Hall sensor, very much like other coreless motor-driven DD turntables going back to the original Dual built in the 60s, which includes my Victor TT101 and my Kenwood L07D. With its modern implementation of a well established design, the Bardo should easily pass the Timeline test.
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I have a Bardo and I've got some speed problems. The bardo went back to Germany and now it works flawless. The speed is very stable.
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ben64, that´s good to hear. Have you got any detailed feedback from brinkmann? That could be a problem with some earlier batches of motors and the current ones are improved? I will audition one all Brinkmann setup (bardo + 10.5 tonearm + pi) very soon and bring a timeline in order to check how well it performs... |
gallus, the speed switch has to be replaced. The Bardo + 10.5 deserve more than pi cartridge. I have the Lyra Skala on it.
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Ben, thanks for the quick reply. On the cartridge, unfortunately, I won't have much flexibility in this particular audition but will definitely make an effort to mount better stuff.
Nice to know you got good results from Skala, which I tend to associate matching higher mass tonearms. If you dont mind sharing, have you tried other arms on your table? |
No,
I bought the performance pack (it is named like that in Europe): big solid state psu and the surface planar polished crystal glass.
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Gallus, did you test the Bardo? |
this looks pretty old , but Im putting a 9" 4point on a brinkmann oasis this week |
