Townshend Rock. (any good?)
Posted by: Alco on 24 November 2001
While doing some surfing on the www I saw an ad from a Dutch HiFi dealer, who offered a s/h Townshend Rock Turntable for 225,- UKP.
Is there anybody who knows/owned this TT and can tell me if it's any good ?
What about the price ? I think it's offered without the arm though and the only spooky thing is... I can't listen/see before buying it,so I'd have to order it blindly and have it sent to me if I'd be interested.
I did some searching on www.images.google.com
I think this is the TT. (looks mighty fine to me)
btw: Don't get me wrong. I'm still very happy with my CDX,but I saw the picture of this TT and the price seemed very reasonable.
Greetings from a chilly and wet Holland,
Alco 
A friend of mine has one and likes it a lot. However you need the arm as it has a pin in the headshell that runs in a trough of fluid. Seems a bit too messy for me. You may be better off hunting down a Rega Planar 3 for £150 - £200 and enjoying the simple side of good quality vinyl.
Regards
Milan
Thanx for ya reply.
I also thought about going safe and buy me a Rega P3 but, since I already have Kan's and a CDX, a Rega would probably be to much of a compromise for the mercyless Kans and it wouldn't be of the same level as the CDX,let alone better.
So, a P3 is no option I think.
Not that I'm very busy looking for a TT at the moment,but I keep my eyes open for any musical bargain.
Greetings,
Alco
I've got a P3 and CDX and you're right.
The P3 is totally outclassed. Since I got the CDX I don't listen to the P3 anymore let alone buy new records.
Could be the setup/stand of my P3 and the cart but at this point I don't care.
Waiting for a used P9 to fall from the sky,
Mike
PS this is not a CD vs. LP statement.
If it helps... a friend of mine owned a Rock for about six months some years ago. Poor bugger read too many HiFi magazines and convinced himself that he must biff his LP12 and go for a newer design.
What a silly bunt!
Naturally he sold the Rock, lost a packet and bought another Linn. The Townshend had loadsa bass as I recall but couldn't carry a tune in a very BIG bucket.
But its your dime mate
redeye
Good luck using that trough!
Hugely user friendly (NOT)
redeye
I love the Rock. It has a very solid sound with good attack. The detail may not quite be up to the Linn standard, but there isn't much in it.
The joy of the rock is that it needs no setting up. I fitted an Origin Live mod. Rega arm. and this doesn't really need the damper fluid (I think it works best with a lighter arm). The trough is easily removed, without any cosmetic problems.
I prefer to use mine with a good moving-magnet cartridge.
New belts are hard to find (and I would welcome any advice on where to look)
I thoroughly recommend the Townsend
Having owned a Rock a few years ago ,I think redeye's comments about sum up it's performance.
but the thing I remember the most was.... what a pain in the a*** the trough and silicon fluid were.
It might be worth checking if the Rock you are thinking about buying has the external power supply [Merlin ?]which is supposed to enhance it,s performance .
The Rock in the photo seems to be a more recent example.
On the other hand the friend I sold mine to thinks it's the dog's 'whatsits' and he plays it in preference to his other TT's.
I do not think this helps you to make your mind up!
Ray
The picture is not a picture of the actual TT that's for sale. It's just the only pic I could fint of a Yownshend Rock.
But, I already made my decision. I'm not gonna buy it. The risk of buying unseen/unheard is too big,imo. Especially with a TT.
Greetings,
Alco
that's a picture of a Rock III.
The Rock (II) was more industrial. You need to find out which version it is. Ask about the platter. If it is acrylic, and it has an air inlet on the base of the TT then it's a Rock III, if black then a II.
I run a Rock III, I think it's stunningly good. The trough isn't a problem at all, nor the record clamp. The amount of detail which comes of the vinyl is incredible.
Spare belts, etc. can be purchased directly from Max Townshend.
Please e-mail me off-list if you'd like more info.
regards,
Mark
code:Waiting for a used P9 to fall from the sky
But if setup is the problem with the P3, getting a P9 won't improve matters much. Limited frequency extremes and a flat sound will haunt you unless you support the TT properly.
- GregB
Insert Witty Signature Line Here
Look for a P9. You won't regret it.