Brinkman Balance Comparisons

Hi Andrew, I might be able to shed some light on the tables you listed. One year ago I bought the Brinkmann LaGrange after much shopping and traveling to listen to the many other tables on my list. I owned a Teres 265 at the time and the Brinkmann killed it in every way. Bass reproduction was the most dramatic improvement of all. I went with the Lagrange because it seemed to be a bit more lively than the Balance AND I could mount two arms.

A great guy here in town owns a SME30-2/SME V/Celebration in a very good system. I know its sound well and the SME sounds very quiet, very smooth but too polite for me. The music from the SME just does not deliver the excitement that I have come to expect.

The standard Avid Acutus, not the Reference, was very much the same as the 30-2 but with slightly more detail but not as quiet of a background as the big SME. More energy in the music but just not quite enough for me. It also lacked finesse' when compared to some other tables, of course, IMHO.

The Raven AC plattenspieler I have only heard in Denver at the RMAF. I did spend several hours there getting a feel for the system. I must say, I think the Raven AC sounded on par with the best I have heard, again, YMMV. Very dynamic and very quiet. As quiet as the Brinkmann but with more punch, more energy.

The TT out there that I may like even better than the Raven AC, from my limited listening sessions, is the beautiful new direct drive Teres. I did hear it with my tonearm/cart but not my speakers. The new Teres just gives the music so much PRAT, so much real world dynamics. The new Teres seems to be very quiet as well. Detail retrieval is among the best I have heard.

Both the Raven AC and new DD Teres have the speed stability to give the music that solid foundation that only comes when the bass is right. With that foundation, the rest of the music sounds so right. Attack, bloom and decay of piano and guitar notes just do not get any better unless you are live. Both these tables have the finesse' that so many tables lack. These tables have what it takes to keep me listening well past my bedtime.

Forget the relatively reasonable price of the of the Raven AC and the Teres DD tables, these may be two of the best new TT's available today. I think they belong in my top five list in any case.

Good luck Andrew, I think most of us would be proud to own any of these tables. I don't want to knock any of the tables listed, thay all have some very strong points and deserve consideration. I just gave you my view. I hope you can find a way to listen and compare for yourself.

Hi guys, glad that I could add a little something to the group. I have received so much help here. It feels good to give back once and awhile.

Gladstone, I would include the Walker in with the SME 30, very smooth, VERY quiet and very well crafted but also very polite. So it would not make my personal top five. The silk thread Lloyd uses may be a part of the sound. When I tried their silk drive thread on my Teres, it lost dynamics and became slightly quieter. I would include the Continuum in my top five for sound. However the price excludes it from my list. $100,000+ gives it a poor return on investment. I could buy a Raven or Teres and for the extra money, make much bigger improvements elsewhere in my system than the Continuum could ever give. And I would still have enough left over to buy the sport exhaust system for the 911. Now that is another kind of music I love. A 911 at 7000 RPM...goose bumps!

As an aside, I have talked to someone that heard the Continuum's Cobra arm replaced with a Schröder Reference and the room pretty much agreed that they preferred the Schröder over the Cobra overall. Just a rumor from a reliable source.

I was going to mention the Raven 1. It does sound oh so very close to the AC. However the unit I heard had the Raven AC bearing so it may not be indicative of the final production sound. If they would build one with the bigger AC bearing, that might be a no brainier. What a huge bang for the buck that would be!

Rick, I have heard the Galibria tables several times at shows, but for some reason there were issues with something in the system or it was too noisy and I can't give a solid personal opinion except that Thom's tables are VERY well made and a lot of people like them. From what I have heard, I would say they are very similar to the belt drive Teres tables except the Galibrias delivers a bit more in the way of dynamics. No question they deserve one of the great arms on your list.

Andrew, I will be at CES too, dinner's on me if you want to get together. Might be fun listening to a few rooms together to get an idea on what each of us likes in our music. I would like to talk to you about your new Trans cartridge too.

Briz, I think we are in agreement on what we are describing. The EMT carts are indeed very sensitive not only to loading but on which arm they are mounted. I still own an EMT cart but it has too narrow of a sweet spot for me. If you want to take the Brinkmann up another level, put a Schröder on it. Wow! I think the Tri-Planar is also better than the Brinkmann arm. The Tri-Planar is more versatile in regards to which carts it will handle and more neutral than the Brinkmann arm. The Brinkmann arm really needs the Brinkmann/EMT cart because of a strange midrange hump situation.

Regards, Steve

Hi Gladstone,
I hope to hear one of Chris' DD tables in my room next year. I think they are just coming on line production wise. We will see.
I have inspected/heard the Grand Prix tables and listened to Alvin Lloyd explain his newest creation several times at shows but that is all I can say for sure except that I really like the carbon fibre look. My guess, and only a guess, is that they lack the mass to take full advantage of the direct drive. Would love to have one to try in my room, but until then, I will admire from afar.