Need advice on new TT

Tomic the Brinkman is an excellent  table however the Onkk is far more advanced design and is implemented beautifully.

The Onkks slotless motor and speed controller are absolutely state of the art.

We are looking to do the Florida audio expo if we do you should come in and take a listen.

Dave and Troy
Audio Doctor NJ

Chakster

Do you purchase a piece of audio gear because you like the look of if it or the sound of it? The reality is that the turntable in person looks absolutely stunning, with the light up buttons giving the table a modern high tech look that makes the table seem alive even when it is not playing.

Also the light up buttons bring the turntable into a modern design aesthetic which mirrors what other modern components look like.

As per design, form follows function, a rounded chassis means that energy will not reflect off of the chassis surface any where as easily as a pure flat surface.

Every part of the Cue was painstakingly thought out, this is why it took five years before the table was ready to hit the market, the first version was shown in 2016, and it wasn’t until the speed controller was in its final version that the table was deemed perfect and put into production.

Mr. Lavigne, we really respect you as a reviewer and audiophile, however, you know something is very special when you hear something that totally makes you re-evaluate everything you know about the subject.

The Cue is brand new to the market and so there have not been any professional reviews as of yet, we signed up to be the Onkk importer on the spot after hearing the table at the New York audio show, the sound of the table was extraordinary it took a pair of speakers we never loved and produced a three dimensional sound field with deep propulsive bass with an almost non existent level of surface noise, the sound was captivating.

If you would like to review one we can arrange it, we are waiting for the Scribe tonearm before we send the table out to reviewers for a formal review.

The one thing we would say with vinyl is that is is an inherently simple process to get proper reproduction, the issue is how many designs over complicate this process.

You don’t need more motors which make more noise nor counter rotating platters, the key is the execution of how to make a table which doesn’t add any noise and therefore doesn’t mask detail.

The Cue is a perfect example of using superb materials, and then executing that design with remarkable precision.

Paul was smart enough to know that there are companies out there that are experts in precision manufacturing, that it is more prudent to farm out the sub assemblies to these manufacturers as the cost to setup a facility in house to build a Cue from scratch would push the retail price from $20k ish price range to a $100k per table.

The speed controller is from Rehishaw high end industrial electronics company, he bearing from a high tech British race bearing company, the sand casted   plinth is from a company who makes molds and metal parts for racing companies.

There is nothing radical here just a remarkable degree of engineering with a revaluation of all the constituent sub assemblies and how they need to function together.

Paul has looked at every aspect of the table, from the proprietary mineral filled sand cast aluminum plinth, the non parallel design of that plinth, a nearly indestructible ceramic bearing, a state of the art speed control and regulation system, a damped totally quiet platter and clamping setup, and a potent suspension system, allows for a level of sound quality not found at this price point from any of the other players.

For this reason we purchased the table on the spot, to hear a Cue is to find out just how remarkable vinyl can sound.

Dave and Troy
Audio Doctor NJ
Look for our new company
Audio Intellect Audio Imports in 2020

best groove that is an excellent question. We are intimately familiar with the electronics used Merrill which are excellent and the loudspeakers which were Martin Logan's which one of our clients has so we know what both of these components sound like. 

So your point is well taken however, the same three dimensional sound field, the same gigantic sense of space, the same sense of dynamics and deep bass the same absence of noise was also present when we setup the table in our shop with completely different electronics, T+A Reference electronics, Manley Labs Steelhead phono stage, Paradigm Persona 9H or Alta Audio Titantium Hestia loudspeakers.

So if you hear the same qualities in playback with two completely different setups and both sounded fantastic and the only thing is common was the table that must mean the table is the cause of those similarities 

Dave and Troy
Audio Doctor NJ

Viryat, we would be happy to compare a Cue to the Dohlman any day of the week.

Belt drive turntables will never sound as good as a properly designed direct drive, all belts have slippage, and will wear over time. 

Another issue with the Dolhman is that its plinth is a solid piece of metal in a air filled metal box, the plinth incorporates a Minus K vibration system which is great to keep  surface borne vibrations from exciting the table, except that any vibrations being produced by the motor or bearing would be hard to remove with this design. 

A solid plinth filled with proprietary composites, means that the table will absorb any noise from the bearing and motor which makes a very quiet table with maximum information retrieval.

Dave and Troy
Audio Doctor NJ

Mijostyn, your viewpoint is extremely limited. We have found new products by reading the forum and we have learned from others as others have learned from us.

All of life is a buying and selling proposition, weather it is for a job, a service a relationship, we are all buying and selling to one another sometimes we buy sometimes we sell.

Yes we are promoting a product because it is spectacular, but this is no different than any person who has heard or driven or tasted or tried any product that is really special.

As per Basis  or Sota, come on man tap on a plastic platter and even if it is damped by brass inserts and you will still get a sound, acrylic rings. 

As per anything new, wake up Mijostyn, there is nothing that is ever really new, Class D amplifiers came out in the 1950s, tubes 1920s even Magico’s lastest speakers are an evolution of there other designs and new drivers made out of Diamond or Ceramic are also evolutionary.

As per new companies yes there is a risk, however, a really well designed product should be quite reliable, most of the time a slot less motor will never break, nor should the bearing, the only parts that could fail would be the outboard controller, and both Renishaw and the speed controller builder are large well established British companies.

Remember this is from a watchmaker, if you study mechanical designs a Rolex, Patek,Breitling will all last a lifetime.

Dave and Troy
Audio Doctor NJ

Mike the Onkk shown at the New York show is the final production version, the final price has been set at $21,000.00 the original price was $19k but due to the price of the control system going up right before the show we had to increase the cost to cover this price increase and add a bit to cover shipping.

We will be comparing this table to the VPI $30k direct drive table shortly we will advise you all of that comparison.

Any audiophiles in the NY Metro area with a really serious rig we would welcome the opportunity to compare.

We were there when the Kronos first hit the market, as well as Magico and YG, if you build a great product the market will usually find you.

Yes at this point a potential buyer would be an early adopter but as with Kronos, YG, Magico, Wilson there was always a first dealer, a first customer and a first review.

For anyone interested in purchasing the table now we will be including the $6,000.00 Scribe tonearm, for free as part of the purchase price this is only applicable for the first 10 units in production.

Dave and Troy
Audio Doctor NJ

Gr4blu

Bob from Rapsody is on WBF and Audiogon promoting Magico and his wares by the way.

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/magico-a5-official-announcement

per the the Raven it doesnt need promotion it is a known product.

If the Onkk proves its mettle vs those other tables yet costs thousands less we will have plenty of satisfied clients.

As you know my experience in this industry is lenghty to this date never heard a turntable sound this good with this degree of practicality at this kind of money which is why my company bought the display sample on the spot.

Sorry Mike we disagree.

Gr4blu has 0 problems with Bob blatently creating a PR post proclaiming the greatness of the new Magicos which Rapsody has on order see our above post. 

Bob is also of WBF promoting his Allsovox products and here as well. 

If a new product is really good especially from an unknown company there is nothing wrong letting people know about it. 

Gr4 and as we have said many times before your hypocrispy is unbounded.

Not one peep out of you about Rhapsodys PR Magi post. How is that is anything other than a direct solicitation hey come buy these from us and it even lists all of his lines.

Nor any different than Mr Boivard who created his own unbiased forum which of course extolls the products he sells.

You need to get back to the music and what this industry is all about.

We will contiue to add new and exciting lines and products which are truly special.

Dave and Troy
Audio Doctor Nj