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At around 50% of the cost of the TriangleArt Master Reference system, but costly nonetheless, the Spiral Groove Revolution turntable system and Centroid tonearm is capable of high drama of a different kind.
Allen Perkins, founder and designer of Spiral Groove, began his career in the mid-80s as the chief designer for SOTA. He and then co-founded Screw Groove with an investor at the plough of the century. While the company offered a consummate system solution in its early on days, its master focus at present is high-stop turntable pattern and manufacturing. The Revolution, subject of this review, costs $18,000. The visitor’southward $6,000 Centroid tonearm is supplied for this review.
The Revolution is one of simply two turntables offered past the company, the other existence the flagship SG1.two, at $30,000 excluding the Centroid tonearm. Both weigh around fourscore pounds. The Spiral Groove turntables comport attestation to a design approach dubbed Balanced Force Blueprint, which is described every bit a convergence of disciplines. Stated on his company’s website, Allen intends Spiral Groove to produce products “that are pleasing to expect at and operate, extremely reliable, and always convey the music. Information technology’south a remainder of physics, engineering, scientific discipline, art and intuition.”
Allen’s Counterbalanced Force Pattern philosophy takes the design of Spiral Groove turntables in a direction that bears little resemblance to the expect and characteristics of most turntables in production. The Revolution turntable’s trapezoid metallic ruby aluminum platter is slathered judiciously by Delrin in metallic blackness on meridian. According to Wikipedia, Delrin, or “Polyoxymethylene (POM), besides known as acetal,[ii]
polyacetal and polyformaldehyde, is an technology thermoplastic used in precision parts requiring loftier stiffness, low friction, and first-class dimensional stability.”
Screw Groove applies the use of aluminum and Delrin in dissipating “stylus talk,” namely the stylus-induced vibration on the record surface, while the trapezoidal platter with its increasing mass constitutes a barrier to downward vibrations. These measures work together to isolate vibrations without resorting to apply of colossal platter designs. The fused ensemble is then fitted to a 2d Delrin-embedded aluminum platform, also furnished in metallic blackness. A trio of graphite/aluminum/elastomer acme-adaptable red and black footers completes the presentation.
Blazing his ain trail, Allen uses magnetic levitation to reduce the constructive weight of the platter on the sapphire begetting to just mere pounds. This serves to reinforce operational stability and longevity of the platter mechanism.
Adhering to the concept of Counterbalanced Force Pattern, the finish on the Revolution is a warmly muted black for the metallic platform adorned atop by a tonally (color) subdued but continually alluring metallic red platter. On ane hand, the Spiral Groove exhibits a solid and affirming physique and invites open up brandish of its objet d’art countenance. On the other paw, the streamlined matte black torso and curving metal red plinth brandishes high-tech profusely with a stance that edges into the realm of Italian supercars.
An outboard chassis houses the controlling circuits. This electronic system completely isolates the turntable organisation from all electronic noise by generating its own pure sine moving ridge. A synchronous motor is then run on an over-the-elevation 20-volt power supply for the utmost operational stability.
The 10-inch Centroid tonearm is another eye opener. Still again some other practice in the Balanced Forcefulness Design principle, the Centroid, made of low mass, high forcefulness aluminum and carbon fiber, serves as a high-speed conduit for vibrational energy to travel from the cartridge through the arm tube and so into the turntable main chassis to be dissipated. The Centroid’s same aluminum and carbon fiber construction also presents high rigidity and low inertia that accords the tonearm freedom of movement. Its counterweight is a patented design that integrates the device into the construction of the arm tube, thus realizing, supposedly, the lowest inertia in the history of unipivot arms. Lastly, the entire arm tube hangs on a fine point literally in which a Swiss sapphire cup jewel atop the arm tube is matched in machining to a hardened steel upper bearing, onto which the arm tube is lowered gently. Spiral Groove claims the Centroid thus “delivers unsurpassed speed, dynamic energy, and tonal purity.” No additional damping measures are required.