Really, Part Time Audiophile as an example of good reviews? Their stated policy is to NOT publish a bad review. The puff pieces I've read on their site goes far beyond hagiography and would make even the most shameless fan boys blush. No measurements at all.
@phoenixengr Point well taken. Truth be told I haven’t read PTA reviews in a while but used to like his reviews back when he was on his own, so I probably shouldn’t have included them cause I’m not very familiar with their current reviews/writing staff. Thanks for the redirect.
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I agree with the OP that the TAS review lacks substance which is a real shame as there are technical specs in the Pyxi manual as well as several frequency response and noise plots that might put a little more meat on the bones of this review.
The circuit of the Pyxi was designed by Wyn Palmer and he has published a very erudite white paper about the design as well as his personal philosophy on what makes a good phono stage and the science of psycho-acoustics. It leans more technical than the review but is still a good read for anyone interested in the subject (the paper is about the Acrux phono stage which has not gone into production but is closely related to the Pyxi in design and execution):
Wyn Palmer White Paper
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There are some reviewers I do like , Teajay , Reichert and Robert Harley.
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Phoenix, On your comment about my comment that the record brush should not slow down the TT speed, I think when I wrote that I was interpreting the reviewer to mean that he uses a brush that rides the LP on its own "arm", as the LP plays. There are some products like that, some of which claim to remove static charge along the way. I would expect the Eclipse ensemble to overcome that level of constant drag. But I do agree, and do experience, that a record brush can slow down my Phoenix/Roadrunner-powered Lenco, when I momentarily apply pressure to remove dust from an LP surface prior to play. When the brush is removed, the system equilibrates back to set speed within a few revolutions of the platter.
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"This turntable is gorgeous—its plinth is made from MDF wrapped in 2¼”-thick American walnut"
This is about where I stopped trusting the author. Details matter as does critical thinking. It appears he combined different sections of SOTA's website which states (somewhat misleadingly IMO):
- 2-¼” thick walnut wood plinth with interchangeable tonearm base
- ...the thick MDF core wrapped in American walnut.
Who has ever heard of a 2.25" veneer? Where else has he not appropriately attended to details?
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@lewm Agreed. A constant cleaning device like you describe should only slightly slow the platter and the Condor would be able to compensate for it as long as it was applied before the speed is "synched" (less than 0.005 RPM error). After that point, if the speed error is greater than 0.025 RPM, it will be considered abnormal and will be ignored. At start up, the first 4 revs are ignored as the platter comes up to speed, then it usually takes a half dozen revs (at a cold start) after that to synch the speed. This whole mechanism is reset every time the platter is stopped or the speed/tempo adjust is changed.
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This has been discussed many times. TAS, Stereophile and others always publish glowing reviews. A careful read though gives you subtle clues that the reviewer liked his other equipment better. They live on advertising, and what manufacturer wants to lend out a review sample of some $40K preamp or speakers, only to get slammed in the review? Sure, I read the reviews all the time, but I look for owners' experiences much more than TAS. Of course, someone who just bought some expensive piece of equipment will want to like it and will want to distinguish it from whatever they had, as well. Just once I would like to see TAS or Stereophile say that the product is OK, but for $45K, it is not close to much less expensive equipment!
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Nowdays truth is in short supply, just keep an open mind and use common sense if you have that.
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Yes, the Condor motor is plenty strong... he was just putting too much pressure. A lot of tables will slow down.... I hope anyone interested in Sota dismisses that.
My Escape is a great table and I probably would go up the line rather than to another brand after owning it.
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I have a Cayin 50T for a few years now,never any problems. I would recommend it ,differently
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I subscribed to TAS, STEREOPHILE, and any other audio mags I could get starting >40 years ago. And of course, I've read a ton of 1/2-baked reviews in that time.
Rather than trash this or that reviewer, I'd rather talk about one who is far above the others IMO: STEREOPHILE's Herb Reichert. First, he's an excellent, engaging writer--always thinking how his lead will tie to his conclusion and what should go between the two. Second, though he's a boomer like me, Herb spends little time in reveries about his own audio past; when he does mention his audio past, it's to make a point that lands very much in the present day. And finally, he's better at the impossible task of describing sound itself than any review I can think of.
Writing is hard. Hearing well and describing what you hear is also hard. Reviewing is very hard.
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I just read the last paragraph of reviews and try to interpret what the reviewers convey. The more dramatic parting message is more bullshit it sounds to me. If the reviewer liked the product then conclusion is short n sweet by saying he bought the review sample. That's the one I take note on.
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I read about three paragraphs and then had to stop. Fluff piece or not, the writing is poor. I actually enjoy good review writing on it’s own merits. It adds to the entertainment and keeps you focused on the product. The sentences are short and inelegant. Much of the focus is on contemporary cliches that have nothing to do with audio. I have a 24 year old son. He is doing great and I am proud of him, but sometimes I worry about the latest generation. I think it is a product of teaching trends that don’t effectively build critical thinking skills.
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It needs to be said that Drew Kalbach’s role at TAS is to review lower end, relatively inexpensive products and relate them to the appropriate target market. He’s younger and the newest reviewer for them. I guarantee the readers of his reviews are not using higher end components. His system is not as relevant.
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@mschott But it’s not even a review — it’s nothing more than an ad disguised as a “review.” And as for the readers of this thing not being high-end consumers, how many entry-level buyers is crap like this really gonna attract or maintain as subscribers for TAS? Then again it’s sadly not all that much more useless than their usual pandering fluff reviews so it’s not totally out of character for this rag — I’ll give you that.
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That’s your take on the review.
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