The Serac is designed by Thom Mackris of Galibier Audio. Thom was one of the founders of the Teres Project, and was involved in Redpoint Audio before founding Galibier. The Teres tables started out priced affordably, but escalated rapidly. Redpoint was always expensive. So were the top tier Galibier, but Thom released the Serac as a way to keep high performance analog playback within reach.
The Serac shares many of the same parts as its more expensive brethren. It was the same bearing as the Stelvio, the same motor, and the same controller board. The places where the cost savings measures were implemented are as follows. A 4" thick machined piece of PVC is used for the platter. This was a hold over from early Redpoint experiments, it sounds great but looks a bit industrial. The motor pod is a round polished cylinder instead of the facted one of the Stelvio. And its a bit lighter. The base is made from a 4 inch stack of MDF versus the machined aluminum. But the Serac was discontinued because it just became too expensive to build over time, as the machining costs of the platter and bearing continued to rise, as did the cost of the motor housing.
In 2015 Thom revised the motor to a more robust Maxxon, and updated the speed control circuit. This was a $1200 upgrade, which has been installed in this table. I also have a raw base for the table. I had plans to have a different finish applied to it other than the basic black the table has. I will include it in the package for you to cutomize if you wish. I also have two extra raw arm boards cut for it, but they need to be drilled and polished. The arm boards sell for $200 a piece, so this is a nice addition. They are 1/16" thinner than the stock one, but its not a difference that effects anything. The stock arm board is drilled for the Riggle VTAF adjuster. If you want to use an arm that can be fitted with the VTAF I can get you one at a reduced cost. This is a DC motor and I use an automotive jump pack to provide battery power and charging. It works nicely, and it can be placed a decent distance away from the table.
Condition is excellent, with just light dusting scratches on the arm board. These can be polished out. There is a light mark on the outside of the brass bearing body from removing it. It affects nothing, cannot be seen, and can be polished out if you want to. Motor is quick getting the high mass platter up to speed. Speed is set via trim pots. You will need a strobe to verify it, I use the one on my Cardas Test Record.
Sound wise this is an excellent table. It is more coherent and evenly balanced than a Thorens TD 124 or Garrard 401 I have owned. It's better than a Teres 225, A Well Tempered Turntable, or a Townshend Rock III I have owned. For the price its an excellent table. You will need an arm, I don't have one available for it. It will ship in three,maybe 4 boxes. One for the table, one for the spare plinth, one for the battery pack and arm boards. Shipping will cost a bit.
This table sold factory direct for $3200. The motor upgrade is $1200. The spare plinth and arm boards are about $600. So the package was $5000 new. Sell for $2200 plus shipping.
Sorry for the pictures, my digital camera isnt the best and the lighting was an issue. If needed I can try to provide better ones with a different camera. Having troubles posting other pics. I can send you pics of the raw base, arm boards, motor pod, battery pack. Just let me know. I will try to update this post later, when I can find out what the issue is.
