HiFiction Thales TTT-Slim II turntable & Simplicity II tonearm

Mr Spock

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Thales borrows its name from Greek philosopher-mathematician Thales of Miletus (ca 624 BC–ca 545 BC), who noted that in a semicircle, triangles where one vertex is a point on the arc and the other two are at the ends of the arc are, invariably, right triangles. Micha Huber used Thales's Theorem as the basis for a tonearm whose arc of travel across the record is such that no matter where the stylus lands, that point is the vertex of a right angle that has the axis of the headshell and the radius of an LP as its sides—which precisely duplicates the angle of the mastering lathe's cutterhead to the master lacquer.



The Simplicity II employs a clever split counterweight: Fastened to the rear of each armtube is a weight of semicircular cross-section with a cylindrical auxiliary weight—the position of which determines downforce—fastened only to the inboard armtube. To correct for inconsistent downforce from the beginning of the LP groove to the end, as can result from such a design under the worst of conditions, an eccentrically weighted disc is fastened to the auxiliary weight and can be rotated and then locked in place to compensate for imbalances.



The Thales combo, equipped with an EMT TSD 15 N SPH cartridge (the standard-mount version of the TSD 15 pickup head), played Sonny Rollins's "Without a Song," from The Bridge (RCAJapan Victor RCA-6011), like somebody's life depended on it: The music lost not one iota of its bounce in the translation from my Garrard 301-based player to this one. And I was especially pleased that Bob Cranshaw's double bass sounded no less full, and no less snappy, than via my reference player, although the Thales combo lacked the vintage rig's sense of impact.

But there was more to it than that. In "Without a Song," during his last break before the bass solo, Rollins plays back-to-back triplets that swim against the song's rhythmic stream in a manner I'm unable to describe. The Thales player nailed it, just as well as I'm used to hearing from my Garrard (and few others). And in the comparatively pensive "Where Are You," each one of guitarist Jim Hall's luxuriantly arpeggiated chords was a pure, tactile delight. Tactile goodness also characterized the piano sound on Herbie Hancock's debut album, Takin' Off (Blue Note Cisco 84109), especially Hancock's solo on "Three Bags Full."




Specifications

Description, TTT-Slim II: Belt-drive solid-plinth turntable with battery-powered DC motor. Speeds: 33.3 and 45rpm. Wow & flutter at 33.3rpm: ±0.06% (IEC 386). Rumble: –60dB (unweighted).
Dimensions: 16.6" (423mm) by 12" (305mm) by 3.9" (100mm) (WxDxH). Weight: 26.4lb (12kg).
Finish: Anodized anthracite gray. Serial number of unit reviewed 266.


Description, Simplicity II: Pivoting linear-tracking tonearm. Spindle-to-pivot distance: 230mm. Effective length: 229mm. Effective mass: 19gm. Cartridge weight range: 7–23gm. Downforce: static. Antiskating: none. Tracking error: <0.006°.
Finishes: Anodized gray, bronze, or black.
Serial numbers of units reviewed: 466 and 485.


https://www.stereophile.com/content...ii-tonearm-specifications#Yb33YOtH6yottMfj.99
 


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