I purchased the Wand 14.4 Master and had it installed by the dealer. I agree it is a little complicated to assemble and need some knowledge in engineering but the dealer gladly came over for an evening of installation,red wine and a few snacks. It is an amazing turntable,easy to operate, fast and sounding incredible. I am using a Hana Red cartridge and really like the combination with the Wand. Highly recommended if you’re looking into buying a new turntable at a middle range price.Great value,quality price!
I first heard about The Wand when somebody installed a tonearm on an SL-1200. I have a 1210GR myself which was my first turntable upgrade from an Orbit and I would say it is moderately priced. It is by no means inexpensive or entry level but not ultra high end either. I am not a high-income earner but I do have expensive tastes so ultimately I will have to save for gear or other things I want in the future. I have done monthly payment plans on occasion which is sorta like saving up incrementally but is more immediate since you get the item sooner but you're committed to paying it off. I have 2 more months left to go on the Sl-1210GR plan and I've decided I'd rather save up and pay up front for nonessential items because it's more secure and less stressful.
I've had my Wand a little over a year now and it's absolutely fabulous. Everything in this review is spot on 👍👍 that tone arm is hard to get used to, but bloody wonderful
This is extreme my friend, most people will never hear the difference between 4 layers or 1 layer platter, I used to think that the most expensive turntable sounds the best, boy was I wrong, I visited a friend who got a $30.000 turntable from Clear Audio, I spent the evening with him listening and testing his new toy. Anyway, years passed and I just got myself 2 turntables from eBay, both were used but like new, one is Marantz TT-15S1 with stock stylus "Virtuoso Wood" and the other is EAT B Sharp with Ortofon blue, my preamp is made by Creek, around $500, after so many days of testing and comparing I can honestly say this: I DID NOT notice any difference between the three turntables including my friends $30.000 table, NONE whatsoever. I'd say get what you can afford and be happy with it, there is no end to which is best when it comes to this level of high end HI-FI equipment, it just boils down to showing off I guess!
Really enjoyed review, when you detailed the azimuth adjustment, I surmised it was a uni-pivot design. I like the platter, I like the 78 speed option (which I don’t remember you mentioning). I’m not in the market for a turntable at present, but next time around I will check out the 14-4 or whatever Simon is up to at that point. Thank you for bringing the product to our attention.
Many thanks and yes, I made a pinned comment correction re. the unipivot. I did mentioned the 78. It's a long video, it's easy to miss small details like that :)
As a TT owner I totally get the setup woes! Well done PG for emphasizing this. On the other hand this is pretty much a one-off experience. Thereafter you just get all the benefit of vinyl.
Thanks for the review Paul. I find it an interesting turntable even though my design preferences steer me more to idler drive and direct drive decks rather can belt driven models. You really should have mentioned that the arm is a unipivot design though! I have previously noticed some glaring omissions in a few of your previous reviews although I cannot recall specific examples at this moment.
Yes, pinned a comment correction above re. the unipivot. And no problem. Please shout at me if I make a mistake. Happy to add corrections the comments.
Thanks Paul, very interesting products. I remember the Wand tonearm being very well received and fairly priced many years back when it was launched. One comment: when describing the counterweight and how parts of it can be moved sideways to adjust azimuth that is difficult to make any sense of without knowing that the arm is a unipivot design. That was not pointed out. One more: cartridges costing as much as the motor unit and tonearm are generally "higher end" than the latter. Turntables below 5k barely gain admission to the high end club nowadays but cartridges above 4k are in a much more rarified territory.
Great review, Paul. Lots of people are going to object to the price of this turntable, however, it sounds like a bargain compared to some of the more established brands’ top end ‘tables. Still beyond my reach, but really glad to hear about it anyway. Still using my G1042, thanks to your earlier review. However, I’ve recently upgraded to 1990 vintage LP12 and I fancy a go at a Hana ML. Got to fill up that penny jar! 😄
A brilliant review Paul. I m always interested where there is a more radical approach taken especially in turntable design. It begs a question in my current high end upgrade path. Is the design of the Wand TT capable of exceeding existing(all) designs?
What an informative, thorough and enjoyable review. I want to add that corresponding with Simon Brown is a real pleasure. I’ve communicated with him regarding the 9” arm and arm board for the Thorens TD160s that I work on. He’s always prompt and generous with information, giving me insights beyond what I’d asked. I know this was a review of the table as packaged, but it would be *really* interesting to have someone review the table with other arm choices, such as the 10 and 12 inch Wand arms, or others brands with different bearing designs. Thanks again!
Hello from Sydney Australia, I'm a proud Wand owner running the 12inch arm and a very expensive Clearaudio Stradavari mkII. It is a fantastic sounding turntable and I agree with all that you said re sound. A small con which I think about ; I wish the record mat extended to 14 inches instead of 12, as I am terrified I will miss que the record, the needle will fall onto the aluminium platter and catch the screw hole sandwiching the platter together and rip the needle right off. Also the lid is too cumbersoy me to use in practice. Both small things to be sure, I'm just extra careful cueing a record and I just don't use the lid. Now a decent PRO was the price in Australian was much better than some of the German and U.S. decks I was looking at as the NZ dollar aligns with ours. It also outshone my Linn Sondek which I would argue as way more difficult to maintain in it's best setup due to it's crazy trampoline suspension.
Ah, you have the advantage on me with that 12" arm :) I used 12 on another turntable here so I know how good they are. I wonder if the mat size is a price compromise. Just my guess but I wonder if that might be that bit more expensive to produce. Or is it a sound thing? Let me ask, actually. Agreed on the Linn.
I made enquires on this and the company tased, "Mat isn’t extended so that your fingers can grab the edge of the LP. The arm can be adjusted so that even when the cueing lever is ‘down’ the stylus can’t touch the surface of this part of the disc."
Great review, I've been looking and listening to this turntable at my local dealer, and I fell in love. Your review has pushed me over the line I think 👍👍
The problem with HiFI is, this week this is the greatest design ever, until next week when it isn’t, and it’s something else! Then you have to get a record that has been pressed correctly and got to you without damage from the packing process. Only buy what you can hear, or it’s a very deep rabbit hole!
Leo Kottke is fantastic. I've seen him twice and got to meet him after the free concert he gave on the submarine base in Connecticut. He was also a submariner. That where he first started learning guitar.
The Origin Live Cartridge Enabler would help with longer screws also. Mind you, while it improved the sound quality on my Project DCE-SB, a 'modest' turntable (and the fitted Goldring 1042), it may only provide minimal, or no sonic improvements on the Wand. But it's pretty cheap, and in any case and you can add it to a spare cheap turntable to help that one.
When the video shows the rotating platter, it's obvious that it has both vertical and horizontal runout. That's very disturbing considering that this is a belt drive with the belt going around the outer rim of the platter. This thing must have more wow (as in "wow and flutter") than a Crosley suitcase. I hope production samples have significantly better machining tolerances.
Great review but looking at the close-ups of this turntable It looks like a project that still needs to be finished or built in a shed. at that price I would expect a better finish It carries some nice ideas but it needs finishing.
Hi Paul good stuff as usual , I did notice as is my won’t a degree of chipping on one of the opening of the plinth . Which would indicate this item is not a mass market produced product , but more a cottage industry production . Which I must admit is by no means a derogatory term or statement , I have had the privilege of viewing your channel from its first incarnation . And am more than cognitive of the fact if your good self is positive about a peace of hifi , we are all best to sit up and take notice . I would of course be interested how it compares to your own transcription deck . But I also respect your professional choice to decline such a intrusive question . Best wishes and kind regards as always 😀👍👍👍
Hi Michael - many thanks and yes, I did make an on screen note (those yellow boxes I post on screen) which stated that I was using a well used machine and to ignore the dinks. It was probably used by the designer for development. This is a small company and they can't afford to deal pristine review decks hither and thither. It's way too expensive. As for comparing it to my own top of the line deck? I'd need to fit The Wand with a comparable arm which I intend to do in the future so watch out for that one. Be a while though so don't hold your breath :)
Paul, great and timely video. I just purchased this TT, a demo model from the UK shipped to the US. I'm an engineer so the setup isn't all that intimidating for me. When viewing this TT online, with all the missing plywood, holes, half circle, etc., its easy to assume its a light weight TT, but its not. Also prettier in person! I don't have it setup as I'm in the process of getting additional components together. I'm wondering if you have a preference between the G1042 and the Hana EH as a starter cart for this TT?
£4000 for a cartridge is a lot of money & invariably they push the cost of replay up because they wear out faster than a good deck or arm. I can see where you are coming from & back in the 80's it was an opposing philosophy of front end first namely that you should spend as much as possible on the deck & only then get an LVII or whatever. This way of doing things never worked for me as I had an LP12/LVX/K9 which I never liked. In my opinion an LP12 only came good with an LVII. An expensive cartridge is desirable but I feel should be last on yout list as a model like a 10X5 will bring out much of the best of that front end.
I asked the UK distributor and he said, "Short answer is I haven’t tried but looks like it should work with the 10.3in or 12in arms. BUT I am guessing these are 78rpm discs? (Excuse my ignorance) but it should be noted that 78rpm is now only factory set-up (free) when the turntable is built so has to be ordered but it is not adjustable for speed as older 78s need."
@@TheAudiophileMan no sorry I was thinking 18 discs made for radio 33rpm with deap grove's and time in-between song for advertising I think there called transcription discs
All that money spent. Yikes. And you fixed a loose cartridge by adding mass to the cartridge. Boo. Seriously entertaining. Easy to enjoy. Please carry on!
To me there wouldn't be a significant difference in the sound of a 4999 lb tt compaired to a good $500 tt...my 84 ears could not detect any difference..nuff said
I live in New Zealand and I'm looking for a turntable in this price range. I'm trying not to fall in love with this TT so that a can make a dispassionate, objective decision... and you're not helping.
right hand knob got an extremely accident prone position for the cartridge, accidents are pre-programmed! it is hard to understand the designers choices, it seems he fell for aesthetics rather than logics and functionality, also who wants two oversized radio knobs. Must change! I feel offended by the pretty rough finishing, arm, screws, top plate, cut outs etc. it looks more like an interim prototype.
This one fantastic review is the reason why you’re the best Paul. Also this was the one review I was looking forward to. Why you may ask? Well I used to own a Wand arm. There I’ve said it! But that was aeons ago. Like you I had to do everything myself. I started on the Friday and I was still fine tuning it on the following Monday. Ran into a few niggly bits which nearly drove me insane. Thankfully Simon was on hand to guide me along the way especially with the azimuth issue I was having. It turned out that I had to twist the arm tube a degree or two whilst holding other end. Now that was scary! Believe it or not I also used a Goldring cartridge and after a few days I was in tears. In my Croft valve system it just didn’t suit at all, at all. I won’t go into detail but eventually I sorted it out with another cartridge the Nagaoka MP 110. This was much more like it. Unfortunately my joy was very much short lived when a few months later I started getting what I can only describe as very loud static bangs one after the other every five minutes or so. Tried everything and absolutely nothing worked. I actually had a spare Nag that I bought during the good times I was having with the system and I had exactly the same issue! In the end I put the blame solely on the Wand and ended up returning it and ordering an Ace Space tonearm instead. This took at least five months of waiting around twiddling my thumbs. When it arrived I duly installed the Nag and, horror of horrors, the bangs started again. Argh!!!!!!! But I didn’t lose heart and duly reinstalled my trusty Goldring. Result? Nirvana! At the last 🤗 No bangs just beautifully rendered music that left me in tears for all the right reasons. Still I felt bad about blaming the Wand but, to this day, I have absolutely no regrets. So Paul you are so right to warn prospective buyers to beware! If, as you say, it’ll be well sorted to help the customer when it arrives in the UK then that’s ok. Or is it? Definitely not for the faint hearted or even a well seasoned music lover like myself or even yourself too who has vast experience of the niggly element of hi fi component set up. Anyway congratulations to Simon and his team for the Golden Groovy award. They are the good guys and will always be on hand to help if needed. Well done!
@@TheAudiophileMan Thanks Paul. Between myself, Simon, Tim from Divine Audio and a very nice gentleman from Sonar who ,who as far as I can recall, were agents for the Nagaoka brand, we could not get to the bottom of this static problem. Everything was suggested and everything was tried as I was very fond of this arm. Unfortunately it wasn’t to be and life moved on as it invariably does. Even to this day I can sometimes be found somewhere in the back garden muttering to myself lol! Anyway at the end of the day the finger of suspicion rests with the Nagaoka. Then I ask myself how could another brand new Nagaoka from the same shop exhibit exactly the same problem. Once yes but twice?? And so it goes back to where I started! Actually, now that I remember, I initially thought it was the unscreened arm cable picking something up from the ether. Yet the Goldring was flawless. Oh dear here I go again around that confounded mulberry bush 🙄
@@frankmurray1549 I agree with you! It just beggars belief that it can happen. I actually sent both of the brand new Nagaoka’s back to the shop to have them run in and tested. A very kind member of the staff offered to test them on his own system. Result: no funny issues at all! This is the thing though : it took at least 8 months before the first Nagaoka I bought started the static bangs. The second one within the hour. So it’s just something that has more than me completely flummoxed. I still have them both but that’s neither here nor there. They’re beautifully built and seem so robust. Maybe one day……..
As Gabor below kindly reminded me - I forgot to say that The Wand tonearm is a unipivot. Sorry for missing that *essential* fact
I purchased the Wand 14.4 Master and had it installed by the dealer. I agree it is a little complicated to assemble and need some knowledge in engineering but the dealer gladly came over for an evening of installation,red wine and a few snacks. It is an amazing turntable,easy to operate, fast and sounding incredible. I am using a Hana Red cartridge and really like the combination with the Wand. Highly recommended if you’re looking into buying a new turntable at a middle range price.Great value,quality price!
Hi Paul, Isn't it a beauty ! Thank you very much for another excellent review. Best wishes. Cheers !
I always enjoy your reviews! I liked you strategy and thinking on the turntable components and money spent on each.
I first heard about The Wand when somebody installed a tonearm on an SL-1200. I have a 1210GR myself which was my first turntable upgrade from an Orbit and I would say it is moderately priced. It is by no means inexpensive or entry level but not ultra high end either. I am not a high-income earner but I do have expensive tastes so ultimately I will have to save for gear or other things I want in the future. I have done monthly payment plans on occasion which is sorta like saving up incrementally but is more immediate since you get the item sooner but you're committed to paying it off. I have 2 more months left to go on the Sl-1210GR plan and I've decided I'd rather save up and pay up front for nonessential items because it's more secure and less stressful.
Best review yet! Brutal.
Bravo! Please carry on!
Very nice of you, many thanks.
What a happy find (courtesy of some TH-cam algorithm no doubt) I have now subscribed and look forward to more enlightened reviews
I've had my Wand a little over a year now and it's absolutely fabulous. Everything in this review is spot on 👍👍 that tone arm is hard to get used to, but bloody wonderful
This is extreme my friend, most people will never hear the difference between 4 layers or 1 layer platter, I used to think that the most expensive turntable sounds the best, boy was I wrong, I visited a friend who got a $30.000 turntable from Clear Audio, I spent the evening with him listening and testing his new toy. Anyway, years passed and I just got myself 2 turntables from eBay, both were used but like new, one is Marantz TT-15S1 with stock stylus "Virtuoso Wood" and the other is EAT B Sharp with Ortofon blue, my preamp is made by Creek, around $500, after so many days of testing and comparing I can honestly say this: I DID NOT notice any difference between the three turntables including my friends $30.000 table, NONE whatsoever. I'd say get what you can afford and be happy with it, there is no end to which is best when it comes to this level of high end HI-FI equipment, it just boils down to showing off I guess!
Clean your ears!
Have you considered a steepletone all in one record player cd player and tape for £ 99 im sure will love it or take above advice
Really enjoyed review, when you detailed the azimuth adjustment, I surmised it was a uni-pivot design. I like the platter, I like the 78 speed option (which I don’t remember you mentioning). I’m not in the market for a turntable at present, but next time around I will check out the 14-4 or whatever Simon is up to at that point. Thank you for bringing the product to our attention.
Many thanks and yes, I made a pinned comment correction re. the unipivot. I did mentioned the 78. It's a long video, it's easy to miss small details like that :)
Thanks for the thorough, thoughtful review.
Thanks!
As a TT owner I totally get the setup woes! Well done PG for emphasizing this. On the other hand this is pretty much a one-off experience. Thereafter you just get all the benefit of vinyl.
Love the video. Great stuff! Btw, love your T-shirt. Big fan of the show! Cheers
That's very kind of you, thank you.
Your review presentations are my favorite on TH-cam.
That's very kind of you. Thank you.
I like your rule of thirds. I'm nearly there with my TT. I think the Wand is a good deal.
Thanks for the review Paul. I find it an interesting turntable even though my design preferences steer me more to idler drive and direct drive decks rather can belt driven models. You really should have mentioned that the arm is a unipivot design though! I have previously noticed some glaring omissions in a few of your previous reviews although I cannot recall specific examples at this moment.
Yes, pinned a comment correction above re. the unipivot. And no problem. Please shout at me if I make a mistake. Happy to add corrections the comments.
Thanks Paul, very interesting products. I remember the Wand tonearm being very well received and fairly priced many years back when it was launched. One comment: when describing the counterweight and how parts of it can be moved sideways to adjust azimuth that is difficult to make any sense of without knowing that the arm is a unipivot design. That was not pointed out. One more: cartridges costing as much as the motor unit and tonearm are generally "higher end" than the latter. Turntables below 5k barely gain admission to the high end club nowadays but cartridges above 4k are in a much more rarified territory.
Arrgghh! I didn't say that, did I? Bugger. There's always one thing I miss. I'll pin a comment. Thanks.
@@TheAudiophileMan You were too quick to answer :) I have edited my comment to add something.
Ok, gotcha. Yes, agreed on the added bit you made.
Great review, Paul. Lots of people are going to object to the price of this turntable, however, it sounds like a bargain compared to some of the more established brands’ top end ‘tables. Still beyond my reach, but really glad to hear about it anyway.
Still using my G1042, thanks to your earlier review. However, I’ve recently upgraded to 1990 vintage LP12 and I fancy a go at a Hana ML. Got to fill up that penny jar! 😄
Hi Mark - yes, the Hana is a good choice. Good luck with the saving.
A brilliant review Paul. I m always interested where there is a more radical approach taken especially in turntable design. It begs a question in my current high end upgrade path. Is the design of the Wand TT capable of exceeding existing(all) designs?
what an informative review thank you, hope soon you will do some more Funk Firm review too e.q. Vector new
A superb review. Wish I lived in the U.K.
What an informative, thorough and enjoyable review. I want to add that corresponding with Simon Brown is a real pleasure. I’ve communicated with him regarding the 9” arm and arm board for the Thorens TD160s that I work on. He’s always prompt and generous with information, giving me insights beyond what I’d asked.
I know this was a review of the table as packaged, but it would be *really* interesting to have someone review the table with other arm choices, such as the 10 and 12 inch Wand arms, or others brands with different bearing designs.
Thanks again!
I'd love you to review a well tempered Amadeus Jr. £3300 and even stranger design. Mesmerizing sound.
Hello from Sydney Australia, I'm a proud Wand owner running the 12inch arm and a very expensive Clearaudio Stradavari mkII. It is a fantastic sounding turntable and I agree with all that you said re sound. A small con which I think about ; I wish the record mat extended to 14 inches instead of 12, as I am terrified I will miss que the record, the needle will fall onto the aluminium platter and catch the screw hole sandwiching the platter together and rip the needle right off. Also the lid is too cumbersoy me to use in practice. Both small things to be sure, I'm just extra careful cueing a record and I just don't use the lid.
Now a decent PRO was the price in Australian was much better than some of the German and U.S. decks I was looking at as the NZ dollar aligns with ours. It also outshone my Linn Sondek which I would argue as way more difficult to maintain in it's best setup due to it's crazy trampoline suspension.
Ah, you have the advantage on me with that 12" arm :) I used 12 on another turntable here so I know how good they are. I wonder if the mat size is a price compromise. Just my guess but I wonder if that might be that bit more expensive to produce. Or is it a sound thing? Let me ask, actually. Agreed on the Linn.
I made enquires on this and the company tased, "Mat isn’t extended so that your fingers can grab the edge of the LP. The arm can be adjusted so that even when the cueing lever is ‘down’ the stylus can’t touch the surface of this part of the disc."
My brother has just brought one … I’m very jealous lol
Great Revue Paul and being a 1042 owner i realy need this Turntable & Arm but sadly i will never be able to afford it unless i win the lottery
Thank you very much and yes, I know what you mean :)
Except here in New Zealand we are a day ahead when your videos drop so it will be Silky Sounds Saturday.
:)
Great review, I've been looking and listening to this turntable at my local dealer, and I fell in love. Your review has pushed me over the line I think 👍👍
The problem with HiFI is, this week this is the greatest design ever, until next week when it isn’t, and it’s something else!
Then you have to get a record that has been pressed correctly and got to you without damage from the packing process.
Only buy what you can hear, or it’s a very deep rabbit hole!
Really enjoyed this one even though I can’t afford it!
Leo Kottke is fantastic. I've seen him twice and got to meet him after the free concert he gave on the submarine base in Connecticut. He was also a submariner. That where he first started learning guitar.
The Origin Live Cartridge Enabler would help with longer screws also. Mind you, while it improved the sound quality on my Project DCE-SB, a 'modest' turntable (and the fitted Goldring 1042), it may only provide minimal, or no sonic improvements on the Wand. But it's pretty cheap, and in any case and you can add it to a spare cheap turntable to help that one.
That's an idea.
When the video shows the rotating platter, it's obvious that it has both vertical and horizontal runout. That's very disturbing considering that this is a belt drive with the belt going around the outer rim of the platter. This thing must have more wow (as in "wow and flutter") than a Crosley suitcase. I hope production samples have significantly better machining tolerances.
I saw that too. And froze solid, trying to hear the wow, nothing.
Mesmerizing to watch...
Very nice Paul but I think I stay with my Pro-Ject Debut Carbon MSL with Ortofon 2M Blue Cartridge sitting on a Russ Andrews Isolation platform.
Leo Kottke! My feet are smiling!
Great review but looking at the close-ups of this turntable It looks like a project that still needs to be finished or built in a shed. at that price I would expect a better finish It carries some nice ideas but it needs finishing.
Hi Paul good stuff as usual , I did notice as is my won’t a degree of chipping on one of the opening of the plinth . Which would indicate this item is not a mass market produced product , but more a cottage industry production . Which I must admit is by no means a derogatory term or statement , I have had the privilege of viewing your channel from its first incarnation . And am more than cognitive of the fact if your good self is positive about a peace of hifi , we are all best to sit up and take notice . I would of course be interested how it compares to your own transcription deck . But I also respect your professional choice to decline such a intrusive question . Best wishes and kind regards as always 😀👍👍👍
Hi Michael - many thanks and yes, I did make an on screen note (those yellow boxes I post on screen) which stated that I was using a well used machine and to ignore the dinks. It was probably used by the designer for development.
This is a small company and they can't afford to deal pristine review decks hither and thither. It's way too expensive. As for comparing it to my own top of the line deck? I'd need to fit The Wand with a comparable arm which I intend to do in the future so watch out for that one. Be a while though so don't hold your breath :)
@@TheAudiophileMan totally understand sir and thank for the feedback Kind regards as always 👍😀
Paul, great and timely video. I just purchased this TT, a demo model from the UK shipped to the US. I'm an engineer so the setup isn't all that intimidating for me. When viewing this TT online, with all the missing plywood, holes, half circle, etc., its easy to assume its a light weight TT, but its not. Also prettier in person! I don't have it setup as I'm in the process of getting additional components together. I'm wondering if you have a preference between the G1042 and the Hana EH as a starter cart for this TT?
Tough one but I'd lean towards the Hana. And thank you.
Großartiges Video, großartiger Player... was für ein Verstärker und was für Lautsprecherboxen wären angemessen?
Are they the same league of the AMG giro? They are similarly priced tho
Paid $580 for my wand about ten years ago . It's gone up a bit.
Dear Sir, Good evening. Can you recommend two or three Arm Plates up to €8000...??? Greetings from GREECE!
"The band was well rested." :)
The motor placement is correct. Do you know why?
Correct, the motor should be located as far from the tonearm pivot as possible, which is obviously the opposite corner of the plinth.
The Gyrodec instructions are somewhat lacking too Nothing new under the sun.
£4000 for a cartridge is a lot of money & invariably they push the cost of replay up because they wear out faster than a good deck or arm. I can see where you are coming from & back in the 80's it was an opposing philosophy of front end first namely that you should spend as much as possible on the deck & only then get an LVII or whatever. This way of doing things never worked for me as I had an LP12/LVX/K9 which I never liked. In my opinion an LP12 only came good with an LVII. An expensive cartridge is desirable but I feel should be last on yout list as a model like a 10X5 will bring out much of the best of that front end.
Can it play 16inch
I asked the UK distributor and he said, "Short answer is I haven’t tried but looks like it should work with the 10.3in or 12in arms. BUT I am guessing these are 78rpm discs? (Excuse my ignorance) but it should be noted that 78rpm is now only factory set-up (free) when the turntable is built so has to be ordered but it is not adjustable for speed as older 78s need."
@@TheAudiophileMan no sorry I was thinking 18 discs made for radio 33rpm with deap grove's and time in-between song for advertising I think there called transcription discs
All that money spent. Yikes.
And you fixed a loose cartridge by adding mass to the cartridge. Boo.
Seriously entertaining. Easy to enjoy. Please carry on!
...or I should just use a cart with screws and bolts which would solve that issue, eh?
To me there wouldn't be a significant difference in the sound of a 4999 lb tt compaired to a good $500 tt...my 84 ears could not detect any difference..nuff said
I live in New Zealand and I'm looking for a turntable in this price range. I'm trying not to fall in love with this TT so that a can make a dispassionate, objective decision... and you're not helping.
A slice of pizza for the ears....
I can put it together with my eyes closed, there is really nothing to it if you've been buying turntables for over 40 years!
Unfortunately, unsaid in the review is the seriously wobbly tonearm, handles like a wet noodle.
Old technology…. Very old
right hand knob got an extremely accident prone position for the cartridge, accidents are pre-programmed! it is hard to understand the designers choices, it seems he fell for aesthetics rather than logics and functionality, also who wants two oversized radio knobs. Must change! I feel offended by the pretty rough finishing, arm, screws, top plate, cut outs etc. it looks more like an interim prototype.
One can get a damn good turntable for around 500 american - this video is absurd -certain 99percent could not hear the dif -utter nonsense
Over priced.
This one fantastic review is the reason why you’re the best Paul. Also this was the one review I was looking forward to. Why you may ask? Well I used to own a Wand arm. There I’ve said it! But that was aeons ago. Like you I had to do everything myself. I started on the Friday and I was still fine tuning it on the following Monday. Ran into a few niggly bits which nearly drove me insane. Thankfully Simon was on hand to guide me along the way especially with the azimuth issue I was having. It turned out that I had to twist the arm tube a degree or two whilst holding other end. Now that was scary! Believe it or not I also used a Goldring cartridge and after a few days I was in tears. In my Croft valve system it just didn’t suit at all, at all. I won’t go into detail but eventually I sorted it out with another cartridge the Nagaoka MP 110. This was much more like it. Unfortunately my joy was very much short lived when a few months later I started getting what I can only describe as very loud static bangs one after the other every five minutes or so. Tried everything and absolutely nothing worked. I actually had a spare Nag that I bought during the good times I was having with the system and I had exactly the same issue! In the end I put the blame solely on the Wand and ended up returning it and ordering an Ace Space tonearm instead. This took at least five months of waiting around twiddling my thumbs. When it arrived I duly installed the Nag and, horror of horrors, the bangs started again. Argh!!!!!!! But I didn’t lose heart and duly reinstalled my trusty Goldring. Result? Nirvana!
At the last 🤗 No bangs just beautifully rendered music that left me in tears for all the right reasons. Still I felt bad about blaming the Wand but, to this day, I have absolutely no regrets.
So Paul you are so right to warn prospective buyers to beware! If, as you say, it’ll be well sorted to help the customer when it arrives in the UK then that’s ok. Or is it? Definitely not for the faint hearted or even a well seasoned music lover like myself or even yourself too who has vast experience of the niggly element of hi fi component set up. Anyway congratulations to Simon and his team for the Golden Groovy award. They are the good guys and will always be on hand to help if needed. Well done!
Very nice of you Dermott and thanks for sharing your experiences. Never had that static effect. I wonder what caused it?
@@TheAudiophileMan Thanks Paul. Between myself, Simon, Tim from Divine Audio and a very nice gentleman from Sonar who ,who as far as I can recall, were agents for the Nagaoka brand, we could not get to the bottom of this static problem. Everything was suggested and everything was tried as I was very fond of this arm. Unfortunately it wasn’t to be and life moved on as it invariably does. Even to this day I can sometimes be found somewhere in the back garden muttering to myself lol! Anyway at the end of the day the finger of suspicion rests with the Nagaoka. Then I ask myself how could another brand new Nagaoka from the same shop exhibit exactly the same problem. Once yes but twice?? And so it goes back to where I started! Actually, now that I remember, I initially thought it was the unscreened arm cable picking something up from the ether. Yet the Goldring was flawless. Oh dear here I go again around that confounded mulberry bush 🙄
@@frankmurray1549 I agree with you! It just beggars belief that it can happen. I actually sent both of the brand new Nagaoka’s back to the shop to have them run in and tested. A very kind member of the staff offered to test them on his own system. Result: no funny issues at all! This is the thing though : it took at least 8 months before the first Nagaoka I bought started the static bangs. The second one within the hour. So it’s just something that has more than me completely flummoxed. I still have them both but that’s neither here nor there. They’re beautifully built and seem so robust. Maybe one day……..