Kuzma Stabi R vs Dr. Feickert Woodpecker 2 vs TD 124DD

Ultimate Exceed 100.

Which ZYX?  Its been several years since I had one in rotation.

Sweet!  Awesome choice!  Wishing you many years of listening enjoyment with an amazing analog system!

Best wishes,

Don

Got the Stabi R, 4point and Zyx cart.

Stupidly good!!!

@rsf507 I agree with you 100%.  At AXPONA last year, I was able to hear both the Feickert and the Stabi R.  Obviously, they were in different rooms with different electronics.  With that being said, I found the experience with the Feickert room to be unremarkable.  Not bad, and not great... just not memorable in any special way.  However, the Stabi R room kept me coming back again and again.  I think I listened to that room at least 6 different times over the 3 days at the show.  The experience was great every time, no matter the genre of the music being played.  What's more, they were using the Ref 313VTA tone arm, not one of their top models, and with just an average Denon 103 variant cartridge... not a megabuck cartridge by any means.  I can say that I was very impressed, and I loved the look of the walnut wooden plinth!

@lewm  "Four motors is a ridiculous idea, to use Mijostyn bluntness. Belt creep and belt slippage are guaranteed. Not to mention motor noise and the issue of synchronicity."  

When I was at the show, I was able to listen to many of the highest of high end turntables using various drive types.  Many of which had asking prices a great magnitude higher than that of the J Sikora Reference table.  Imho, the J Sikora Reference/KVMax tonearm along with the associated equipment provided by Nick Doshi tubed electronics and Jeff Joseph's Pearl Graphene speakers were simply the very best sound at the show, and by a very large margin.

Yes, the Reference utilizes 4 motors, but I could not detect any belt slippage, wow or flutter, nor any sense of timing issues.  On the contrary, the music had great drive and propulsion, the music had a very strong and firm foundation and exhibited very profound dynamics in both the micro and macro sense of the word. It was a truly breathtaking experience every time I went to this room. I spent hours there each and every day of the 3 day show, listening to many different types of music and was impressed each and every time.

Was this due to the type and design of the belts being used?  Is it because they use a separate belt for each motor?  I have no idea.  All I can say is that I heard absolutely no detriment to the sound being reproduced by any proposed belt slippage or noise from using 4 motors.

Even Mikey Fremer said in his Stereophile review of the J Sikora Reference turntable...."With the motors running and a stethoscope in my ears, I placed the stethoscope diaphragm on the plinth, as close to each of the four motors as possible without touching and heard complete silence. No matter where I put the stethoscope on the plinth, there was absolute silence. That's impressive and unusual.

I placed the stethoscope diaphragm in the same positions with the motors off, then started them. Usually, there's a low-frequency grinding noise that smooths out as the platter achieves speed. Here, I heard only more silence."

Does the Reference cost a lot of money?  Yes, it sure does.  However, it's a relative bargain compared to the asking prices of the many other ultra high end tables being offered today.  Not only was the Reference not embarrassed in the slightest by these much more expensive tables, but I much preferred my listening experiences in the J Sikora room than any of those other high end table rooms at the show.... of course, in my humble opinion.

@lewm "I would buy the 2-motor Sikora for less than half the cost of the 4-motor Reference."

I have been giving serious thought as well to the J Sikora Standard Max Line, because as you say it is much less expensive than the Reference and I feel it offers great value.  However, I have talked with a couple of people who have actually owned both the Standard Max and the Reference at the same time and they have said that the Reference does improve upon the sound and the overall listening experience of that of the Standard Max Line.  What I have to decided, is whether or not that improvement is worth the premium price of the Reference.

Either way, if I decide to go all out... it will be either of the two J Sikora tables.  If I decide to keep things at a more reasonable price, I'm sure I would be very pleased and happy with the Stabi R, as I think it is a truly excellent table that punches way above it's asking price.

Best wishes to all,

Don

I've listened to a Feickert at a dealers and thought it ok but have heard the Stabi R at dealers many times and always wowed me! Big difference in presentation, the Stabi R was more focused with more energy and better pace to music. 

After living with a fussy thread drive table for several years, using the Stabi R/4P9/Vibraplane combo has been an absolute pleasure. As @no_regrets might say, I have no regrets.

Not to mention more than $20,000 extra for 2 superfluous motors and the hint of better materials without explicit description of what that might be.

@lewm 

Good work! your getting the hang of it:-)

I would buy the 2-motor Sikora for less than half the cost of the 4-motor Reference. Four motors is a ridiculous idea, to use Mijostyn bluntness. Belt creep and belt slippage are guaranteed. Not to mention motor noise and the issue of synchronicity.

The Kuzma Stabi R on a good Isolation platform like a Vibraplane or MinusK is a very difficult turntable to better. The only turntable in this price range I prefer is the Sota Cosmos due to it's magnetic thrust bearing, vacuum clamping, enclosed suspension and proper dust cover. The Cosmos is limited in the tonearms it can take while you can put anything in multiples on the Stabi R. 

I'll see you in Axpona 2024!

@rdk777 

Thank you for your reply!  Yes, the J Sikora is quite expensive, but is what I would consider my ultimate last turntable ever.  Nevertheless, the Stabi R Wood is a very nice table as well and I think it could keep me very happy for the long term as well.

I'll be going to AXPONA 2024 again and will hopefully be able to spend some good quality time with both tables again and hopefully will be able to decide which direction to go.  At this point though, I have it narrowed down between these two brands.

Best wishes,

Don

@no_regrets - I did have subsonic feedback issues initially, but that was easily fixed by getting "superfeet" which damped the low frequency for my HRS platform.  Getting a decent platform is pretty standard for a high-end turntable these days - Kuzma also offers a few options. The Stabi R was solid otherwise. That mated with the 4P 11" was a great combo - you can also add other arms to your liking. I think the J Sikora Reference is at least twice the price, so you will have to make that decision. 

@rdk777  "You can also get the Stabi R in a wood frame"

Last year at the AXPONA 2023 near Chicago, I had the pleasure of seeing and hearing the Stabi R in the walnut wood base.  I have to say, imho, that it was very attractive and the sound was very nice indeed.  It was using the Kuzma Reference 313VTA tonearm.  I came back to that room several times over the course of the three days and enjoyed listening to it very much every time!

I'm curious, after living with it for a period of time, how did you feel about it's speed stability?  Do you feel it was sensitive to what it was placed on?

I'm considering getting another table.  If I go all out, it will be the Sikora Reference line.  That was absolutely my favorite table at the show, regardless of price.

If I reign in my expenditure, it will be the Stabi R with the walnut base.  I've always been a sucker for nice looking natural wood.  I also have a lot of respect for Franc.  I was able to talk with Franc on two occasions on separate occasions over the 3 day show and he was such a fantastic gentleman, humble, but yet such a genius all at the same time.

Best wishes,

Don

Seems to be is the way to go.

One dealer wanted to convince me that Woodpecker trounces Stabi R with the Thomaa Schick 12, but the 4point 9” is an incredible and easy to set up tonearm.

I'd take the Kuzma Stabi R over the others.  I had a Kuzma Stabi R and they are fantastic tables - built like tanks and can accommodate multiple arms. You can also get the Stabi R in a wood frame, which is what I had. The only reason I sold is that I was told that it could not take multiple arms with the wood frame (at the time)- however, it seems that is possible now. Also - I prefer the 11" arm.