Personal turntable/cartridge evolution

Update time!
1970s Original LP12, Grace 707 with a Dyna 10x4
Stopped for years...then read in Stereophile that no system is complete without the analog experience, so jumped back in again.

1987 VPI HW19 Jr, AT PT9 with a Dyna 10x4. Somehow wasn't quite satisfied with this setup, so traded up to
1989 Kuzma Stabi, Stogi Ref with a Dyna Te Kaitora.
2003 Got the Herron VTPH-1mc phono stage - a real gem.
2004 Got the Living Voice Mystic Mat and the Schroeder Model 2 tonearm - another gem.
2005 Switched to the Denon DL103R - cheaper and better, the poor man's Koetsu.
2006 This should be my final TT upgrade, got the Scheu DL No2 (first in the world). Setup with the Schroeder No2 and the Denon cart.

Scheu DL2
Full system

Funny thing is, I tried to start a thread about the Scheu, but it doesn't seem to appear?

Cmk.....the Scheu sure looks impressive. Is it a new model? What was you decision for dumping the Kuzma and going with the Scheu?

RCA mono luggable (1960-2000) (still have, but inop)
Garrard changer (1960-1970)
ELAC Miracord 620 w/AudioTechnica (?) cart (1970-1977)
Rega Planar 2, Audiocraft AC300C, Grace F9L (1977-198X)
cart changed to Grace F9E (198X-199X)
Rega Planar 3, RB300, Bluepoint Special (199X-2006)
Garrard 401, Scheu Tacco, ??? (still in process) (2006- )

Hi Rwd
Yes, its their latest stab at the SOTA of turntable playback. There are 2 models, just simply called no1 and no2, no2 being their top of the line, which is the one I got.

I bought the Scheu unseen/unheard, only through the pictures and descriptions of the dealer in Singapore and what he could gather from German designer's attempt to translate some musical feature from German to English. Obviously something got lost in the process. Nevertheless, the benchmark for comparison was their Premier model, so I had no reason to doubt it was going to sound better. The question was - how much better?

Now as to whether a suspension or a suspensionless table would be better - I did hear their Premier model(grandfather if you will) and the children, the Teres and Galibier (missed the Redpoint though), at the RMAF'05 and at Thom's lovely home. My experiences with the rigid/high mass school left me with no doubt that these designs were superior to any suspension-based design. As to which to get, I was leaning towards the Galibier, but the previous models were above my budget, besides considerations on support due to distance. My attempts to contact Teres were all unsuccessful and the tables at the RMAF left me disappointed.

Then Scheu came up with these what'd-you-call-it? DL tables and the design of the No2 appealed to me. I decided to pull the trigger on this as my Kuzma Stabi('97) was showing signs of aging. I had heard their Reference model - which was highly raved by the hi-fi press and it certainly is a great table - the design is one of the most elegant ways of implementing a suspension on a rigid plinth. Nevertheless it still had a suspension and a rubber belt and a hefty price tag to go along.

After a couple of days of living with the Scheu No2, I can safely say it is a significant upgrade over anything I've heard so far - with the exception of the Rockport. As the design was based on an acrylic platter, I had expected it to be a little "dead" sounding in the mids - a typical criticism of acrylic. However the reality was surprisingly the opposite. In combination with the Mystic Mat, the mids are fleshed out even more accurately than any suspension based design. As expected of high mass designs, the bass tightened up tremendously, both in terms of tonal accuracy and weight. Dynamics took a quantum leap, this table being very quiet. The sense of pace/speed was also enhanced now with the string belt as opposed to a rubber belt. A most important aspect often overlooked by some tables, is scale. On the Scheu, the images are big/full/life-sized, not cardboard cutouts.

I just re-listened to Holly Cole's "Don't Smoke in Bed" and now realise what the Trio were doing to make music - on one of the tracks, the pianist was plucking the strings of the piano, and on another track, he was tapping on the piano's woodwork. Things which I hadn't noticed/heard before. Impressive, truely impressive indeed!

CMK....WOW...I am happy for you! I am also interested in upgrading my TT and arm. I am leaning toward the Galibrier Glavia and a Schroder Ref arm. However, the Schroder may take longer then a year to get. So I am leaning towards a Tri-Planer. I know quite a few here (douddeacon) speaks very favorably about the Tri. Did you have to wait long for the mod 2 Schroder?
Did you ever hear a Galibrier??? As to this new model #2 is the belt a string or a flat belt? Doug has commented that the flat belt made a BIG improvement over the original thin belt on his Teres. Now you have me thinking about possibly a Scheu?