Is the Teres a

George,

I don't think that Teres turntables and the Supreme should be considered similar designs. They both have DC motors, but very different controllers and even different Maxon motors. The bearings have some shared concepts but they diverge in both manufacturing and materials. Where the turntables are miles apart is in material choices. I have experimented with both aluminum and hardwoods and these materials produce vastly different results. So while there is some limited design commonality and common roots, sonic'ly they are nothing alike.

Not to nit-pick, but "the Teres" is kind of a meaningless term. There is a huge difference between a Teres model 135 and a 340.

So, why no Teres review? Well, two reasons 1) Nobody from Stereophile has asked. 2) If they asked I would most likely decline. It's a bit difficult to see how a review would be helpful. Demand for Teres turntables already far exceeds my production capacity. So a good review would if anything make things worse. But I have to admit that a good review would be a nice ego boost...

Doug, Joe, Larry, Thanks for the kind words. It's certainly a nicer and more honest ego boost than any review from some mag. Teres Audio is a for profit business, but my primary motivator for running the business is rewarding interactions with customers like you guys.

George, Yes the Quattro takes what came out of the Teres project to another level. But so does the Teres 150, 160,245, 265, 320 and 340. All of these tables are vastly different from the original Teres project incarnation. But it is incorrect to assume that the Supreme and a 340 sound similar or that they would get the same rating. You point out that both are suspensionless and high mass. Of course all turntables that share those characteristics will have some similarities. However, the material differences (hardwood vs. aluminum) have a huge impact on sound. I know what these materials sound like. An aluminum turntable simply will not sound anything like one made from hardwoods.

It interesting to note that in recent comparisons between a Teres 340 and a 320 the contribution of the aluminum rings and feet in the 340 can be heard. As a result we are evaluating a 340 where brass has been substituted for all of the aluminum parts (not to mention a new 60 lb. platter). If all goes well it will be shown at the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest.

BTW: the Quatro Supreme platter weighs 32 pounds. The base is 75 lbs (vs 95 for the 340).

Chris

Thom,

An after hours comparison at the fest sounds like a great idea. We could do a good comparison by moving the same arm and cartridge from table to table. Easy for us since we both have armboards for a Schroder. I could also bring some armboards with common tonearm mounts in case we are able to entice other manufacturers to join us.

I can see it now, 3:00AM and somebody says "ooh, ooh, lets hear the Schroder/901/Supreme again". Makes me tired just thinking about it.

Chris