One turntable with two arms, or two turntables with one each - which would you prefer?


Which would you prefer, if budget allowed: one turntable with two tonearms or two turntables with one each? What would your decision criteria be?

And the corollary: one phono preamp with multiple inputs or two phono preamps?

Assume a fixed budget, but for the purposes of this question, the budget is up to the responder. Admittedly for this type of setup, there will be a sizeable investment once all components of the chain are factored in.

I'm curious to hear how people would decide for themselves the answer to this question. Or maybe you've already made this decision - what do you like about your decision or what would you differently next time?

Cheers.

dullgrin

I find that Pz warps only when left unsealed. Is your experience otherwise? Thanks!

Modern Densified Woods by their very design are produced to be a material which is low in conductivity and selected for its properties where it is resilient to change when submerged in water, the Spec's show minimum uptake following 24 Hours Submergence.

Drawing on my whole experience of P'holz from the long-time owners, who steered myself toward the material, through to the most recent owners I am in contact with. Where across the Group, thicknesses up to 32mm are in use.

The purchase guidance given has been to buy Cross Grain Construction in B25 with a minimum thickness of 25mm.

There is absolutely nothing made known to me to over many years of knowing P'holz users to suggest a Cross Grain Lamination Structure in B25 of a minimum of 25mm Thickness is showing a tendency to warp.

I have my own supply of P'holz for nearly 18 months now.

A P'holz Plinth Produced, that is not in my possession at present, it is out on loan to an owner of the same model TT, the Plinth is produced for.

Additionally, I have a batch of boards that are cut to a dimension of 400mm x 500mm, I have just put a steel rule across these, and can report there is nothing seen to be considered as a concern. 

I am even familiar with a Standard Type Head shell design made from Cross Grain B25 P'holz that is now about six months old. I was handling a couple of the produced Items from a batch only a few weeks past. The Material to receive the Cart' is approx' 4-5mm in thickness, there certainly has not been any obvious signs of showing a deformation. 

I have no concerns for the above production specification for a P'holz material. 

There is another specification for P'holz, where it can be obtained with a Longitudinal Grain Structure. A board of this at a particular thickness might have a tendency to warp, but I am not familiar with boards created using this Grain Orientation on P'holz.

"Panzerholz is not stable -it can warp"

In all the years I have known of B25 Panzerholz ply ,

I have never seen anything even remotely to suggest

it is unstable or will warp. 25 mm and up in my experience is VERY stable to the point of being used

structuraly in many building applications . I have used

pieces removed from the base of massive machinery shipped in the late 70’s that were stored in the factory basement left leaning against a cold damp concrete floor in winter and hot humid in summer for almost 4 decades with zero warps or instability.

The layers of BEECH [its not birch] are layered between with the resins. The vacuum and compression leaves the Beech impermiated with the resins throughout. I simply cannot see any scenario in the home or shop that could cause an inch or more thickness of what is essentionly more phenolic resin than wood now warp or not be stable. Loft condos use it for self supporting stair structures. As far as sealing it, my experience tells me the edges seal themsevles when the blade heats and seals as it cuts. You can literaly polish it to a shine exactly as you would the paint on a car with a polishing compound.

Im with pindac on this claim in my experience for certain. Too many critical items are being made from it whom would not do so without data and reason to hang their shingle on.

Beech B25 Panzerholz, are you talking about the same thing. As my experience mirrors Pindacs and I know of no one elses whos doesn’t...Just know what Ive seen and experienced and never seen proof to refute it...

I find that Pz warps only when left unsealed. Is your experience otherwise? Thanks!

Yes. Panzerholz is hard to get in New Zealand.

I purchased from the importer, checked the flatness of the raw material and found the sheets were not dead flat.

Basically I had to laminate 2 pieces, choosing adjacent material and inverting one so that when I laminated the 2 pieces the warp was eliminated. We are talking half a mm across 12 inches, but for me thats too much - I want the arm and bearing to be precisely on the same plain. And I would not want to machine the material flat and disturb the surface - hence the lamination process seemed the best option for me to resolve the warp issue.

Soundwise used as an armboard it damped resonances very well compared to my usual gunmetal armbands. for example it worked well with my FR64S, but these results can be very much dependent on the turntable itself and how the armbands are terminated. For example on my reference TT the armboards are terminated with a 60kg SPZ ( superplastic zinc alloy ) plinth that is as dead as a dodo - on this specific TT the panzerholz armboard is inferior to the gunmetal.

 

Beech B25 Panzerholz, are you talking about the same thing

Never used these words - have no idea what you are referring to.