Interesting looking equipment...

Posted by: rodwsmith on 10 March 2016

This article is quite interesting. I cannot help but thinking that the equipment doesn't manage to sound as good(?) as it looks, having read his reasoning. And I dread to think what it costs, but a cast iron turntable that can also cut discs is probably not something Naim's R&D department are currently working on...

http://www.thevinylfactory.com...ill-audio-interview/

Posted on: 10 March 2016 by BigH47

Ah I see the blind designer is still employed then?

Posted on: 10 March 2016 by Jan-Erik Nordoen

Some more from the Oswalds Mill Speakers factory...

The Monarch, featuring two 15" woofers and 105 dB sensitivity.

The Ironic (great name). An open-baffle design in cast iron, with a form based on quadratic diffusers. 15" field-coil driver ; 110 dB sensitivity:

It's a speaker Jim, but not as we know it.

Even more interesting to see how it's made (they truly break the mold for each one) :

Posted on: 10 March 2016 by Jan-Erik Nordoen

Oswalds also makes the TS-1 power supply, using Tungar rectifier bulbs developed by General Electric in 1916. DC output adjustable from 10 to 14 V.

This could really make my UnitiServe sing...

Posted on: 10 March 2016 by TOBYJUG

Custom made steam drive turntable ?

Posted on: 10 March 2016 by Cdb

That looks like a Mamod stationary model steam engine!

Clive

Posted on: 10 March 2016 by rjstaines

TOBYJUG posted:
Custom made steam drive turntable ?

I'm thinking the sound of the piston mechanism would overwhelm the music. So I'm assuming there must be some kind of acoustic cover that you place over the whole gubbins, steam motor, turntable and pickup arm.

But then I'm thinking steam exhaust from the piston... this is the genius of the device... the steam circulates inside the acoustic cover and acts as an inbuilt RCM.

Not sure of the country of manufacture, Tobyjug, but it's obviously conceived by some fine minds. (It's not Scotland by any chance?)

Posted on: 10 March 2016 by joerand

There was a link in the OP's article to The Walker Audio Procession Turntable; their budget level TT.

I guess a $45K TT demands remote VTA adjustment - two buttons on the rather Plinius-inspired looking brick. And of course, an analog gage to keep things pure. Cynicism aside, on-the-fly remote VTA adjust is actually a rather progressive luxury feature. Sit back and use the remote to fine tune the best setting per LP. Happily, I'll never be in a position to ponder such extravagance.

Posted on: 11 March 2016 by Dozey

I really love the look of the OMA speakers!

My Reed 3P arm gives you on the fly VTA and azimuth adjustment. At about £3k it isn't as extravagant as you might think. I guess it is not remote though ...

Posted on: 11 March 2016 by Skip

Interesting as a category conflates real products with works in progress.

Walker is the real deal and his products, as I have heard them, are truly outstanding and have been for 15 years. The Reed tonearm looks interesting based on this month's Stereophile.

The one caution I would offer is that making a giant (for me) investment into the product of a tiny audio company is not without warranty and resale risk. I have been there personally and I am not going back.

I am not sure about the cast iron engineering on the products on the top of the thread.

I would buy a Walker, or a maybe a Reed, if I were in that market. Walker's are completed commercial products. Maybe the Reed is.

But some of this "interesting" stuff in boutique audio seems to be for a demonstration market of 10 or so units. At the prices indicated, no thanks.