Opinions on bang for the buck on TT & tonearm

I was impressed with the Pear Audio Blue turntables I saw at the recent Newport Show. They remind me of the old Nottingham decks, but the distributor claimed that they have improved materials and better construction.

There is a new model, the Robin Hood, that is supposed to be available in July. I am waiting to see the reviews for this model. Judging by the pictures the new turntable looks great.

Lewm, I don't actually know if Nottingham Analouge is still in business. I was assuming that Tom Fletcher's original firm went out of business after Tom passed away in 2011, but that may be incorrect. According to their website, Pear Audio Analouge says that they are building their Pear Audio Blue turntables based on Tom Fletcher's latest designs, and that Tom Fletcher had been designing turntables for Pear Audio Analogue founder Peter Mezek for some time before his death. More than that I do not know.

What I can reiterate is that I saw two of these tables at the show and was very impressed. I have previously owned two Nottingham turntables, and while I enjoyed them there were a few issues that drove me nuts. As far as I can tell without a formal demo, the Pear Audio Blue turntables have kept all the things I liked about the old Nottingham line and improved the things I was less happy with.

I am looking forward to seeing and listening to the new Robin Hood turntable. My local dealer tells me that he should have one to demo sometime this month.

Lewm, I don't know about the Dais or Anna Log. I never saw one of these decks. I have owned a Nottingham Horizon SE and later a 294, and from what I saw I would say the Pear Audio Blue turntables looked much better made. The fit and finish was certainly better then on my old tables. My bugaboo with the old Nott decks was with the damned Space tonearm. The new tonearms look like there has been substantial improvement.

If I had the bucks I would spring for the Kid Thomas deck with the regulated power controller and Comet 2 tonearm. But I don't. I am hopeful that the new Robin Hood will meet my requirements.