In the latest The Absolute Sound

Thomas, why, pray tell? Best ever made? Please, I'd love to know more. Don't have a clue. Come on big guy, try and tackle this query..thanks, warren

Audioquest4life,

Yes Apollon is georgeous piece of equipment. I am sure it sounds great too. I have audition various Transrotor TTs. The Sirius, The Orfeo, The Leonrado, The Tourbullion and The Gravita. Of thoes the Orfeo and Gravita sounded great, so much as to form couple of the my few reference sounds! I wonder too, why no US mag reviews these fine mahines.

As to the cleaning machines, I too Have Clearaudio matrix which does a great job of cleaning records, My only regret: I should have bought the double matrix!! Plus the matrix looks great.

Nilthepill,

Sounds like you have a lot of experience with the Transrotor turntables. The Orfeo looks a lot like the Apollon except the Orfeo is mostly acrylic with an acrylic platter and 2 acrylic sheets, whereas the Apollon has a star-shaped chassis and is manufactured as a multiple layer construction; 2 polished aluminium plates enclose a black plate made of carbon-acrylic. The platter mat is made of a carbon-acrylic/vinyl composition rests on top of in my case a 80mm aluminum paltter, the 60 mm aluminiumplatter is standard. The tonearmbases are made of a 20 mm aluminium alloy.

Ciao,
Audioquest4life

Regarding Thomasheisig post.

The cleaning machine from AP is based on the Keith Monks. Made from the former Importer of Keith Monks.

The KM is absolutely the best machine ever made and this one is Version based on it. Different name.

I agree, the problem with Keith Monks and the Loricraft is the arm is left to gravity follow the LP (groove). If you have liquid near the label it gets caught in the run out groove and does not get picked up. Plus, the string that serves as protective boundary between the high suction and the LP's surface must be moved by hand with both Keith Monks and Loricraft.

The German RCM uses a tiny servo motor to feed the correct amount of thread each time the arm traverses the LP in "reverse" (from run out groove to front of LP). This process insures clean thread during vacuuming, even when excessively applied during cleaning and subsequently flung across the LP by centrifugal force.

The retail of the German RCM is $6500.00. When Keith Monks was alive and working on a much more favorable exchange rate between Pounds, Euro's and US dollar, the Monks was about $4000.00 US dollars plus shipping from the UK.

The Monks has no motor for the string, no motor for the arm and no motor to deliver the cleaning fluid. The German machine has push buttons to accurately distribute fluid and may be ordered with twin pumps and brushes so you can use two fluids or fluid and distilled water.

So far it's no contest, I'm getting resolution I never thought possible. It does a superior job and the added cost is due to superior construction and additional features and parts not found on other record cleaning machines.

I will say anybody without experience of an lp cleaner period, well of the automatic vacumme type is definatley a deprived audiophile or enthusiast.. Not only the ease of it, but the fact they can make some dud's sound incredible after treatment of the latest greatest super deep wash and Distilled rinse.

My only question is how long before cleaning the albums again? I have used mine for the last year and basically figure on tops 5 to 10 times of play on my favorites and that is not enough to really make them noisey again, they are all still dead silent and as dynamic as ever

Maybe 3 years before being to concerned on a re-treatment of the vinyl collection?