[Ericus Rex]

I have to agree about the Walker.  It's a new table and hasn't yet proven its significance.  I am surprised by the omission of Rega.  A lot of current designs look much like the P1.  You may argue my point about the table itself, but that damn arm it came with as standard is now everywhere!  Surely that counts for something.  And no Micro Seiki.

[DaveyW]

Possibly not in the original scope, but most significant .......



I suppose it's down to when does a Gramophone become a TT

[doug s.]

Despite its enormous success in the marketplace and its near universal embrace by reviewers, wasn't the Linn LP-12 just a refinement of the AR?

I took significant to mean something that changed direction or approach. How about the first air bearing design or magnetic suspension or vacuum hold down? Models that merely combine previous inventions or elaborate upon them are not in and of themselves groundbreaking. Unless we are considering unprecedented high prices as groundbreaking, I would omit Walker.

re: the linn being a refinement of the ar, i agree.  but, it's significant cuz of its impact on a'philedom.  i personally feel the empire, released before the linn, (and about the same time as the ar), is a far better deck.  but, for some reason, it's always been in the background on the the a'phile radar; thus not significant in that sense.

and, the sota is wacuum hold down, likely why it's on the list...

doug s.

[Ericus Rex]

The Micro Seiki DDX-1000 (1977 methinks) is the earliest table I know of that was designed and marketed to run multiple arms.  A significant number of tables have now followed suit.  I think that's pretty significant.  And it's just a darn cool little table to boot!

[Mark Korda]

Hi,anyone remember these 2 turntables,both unique in new significant concepts.The Garrard Model Zero 100SB whose headshell would turn on the end of the arm with a connecting rod attached from head shell to the arms base to minimize or eliminate the tracking angle error,and the Stanton Gyropoise 8004-11 whose platter literally (floated in space)featuring 2 opposing magnets creating a magnetic bearing on which the platter floated?Both cost about 200 bucks at the time,1976......Mark K....anyone ever used em?....any good?

[DaveyW]

Pushing the boundaries a little further
An old neighbour had one of these Sharp vertical portable spinners.
Significant - maybe not, but interesting non-the-less.

 

[bside123]

I had one of these for almost 2 years in the early 1970s. I sold it to go to India. Now that I've been thoroughly "enlightened," I wish that I never sold that table...



Marantz SLT-12 (circa 1963-1971)

http://www.thevintageknob.org/marantz-SLT-12.html

[HalSF]

My Rega Planar 3 is sulking.

[Mark Korda]

bside 123,I have never ever heard or seen that Marantz turntable! That was an eye opening for me!Here is the other turntable which I had to have.When I was a freshman at U.R.I.,1975,there was a frat guy called (Freight Train)that turned me on to Supertramp,unheard of yet to me.He had the Philips GA-212 turntable.What was unique was that the controls or buttons to operate the table were like heat operative It was like pressing a floor button in a hospital elevator,the button would light up..cool..I don't know if he is still around,but I keep the frat shirt,that I never joined,as a dust cover for my most important (Dust Free) hi-fi stuff 36 years later..Mark K.

[orthobiz]

Philips GA-212 turntable.What was unique was that the controls or buttons to operate the table were like heat operative It was like pressing a floor button in a hospital elevator,the button would light up..cool..

You could also breathe on the buttons
Don't ask me how I could know such a thing...

Paul

[michaelhigh]

Good to see the ARXA as #1...I now know that did do something right in my audiophile life by purchasing one used, and in excellent shape a year ago locally for $100. I love it and listen to it every day alongside every other format known to modern man.

[BaMorin]

Good to see the ARXA as #1...I now know that did do something right in my audiophile life by purchasing one used, and in excellent shape a year ago locally for $100. I love it and listen to it every day alongside every other format known to modern man.

As others have mentioned, The XA is the box all the rest of the sprung suspension tables came from.
Upgrading the existing parts on an XA will allow it to outperform a lot of todays tables. The arm only looks crude. It can be made to perform with some fairly decent arms.

Back to the article, my neighbor brought over his copy of TAS just because of that article. He's been eyeing one of my XA's. My neighbor on the other side owns one of my XA's. I just finished an AR THE TURNTABLE for a gent in North Carolina. The XA arm ( upgraded) does a lot of things better than the Linn Basik Plus that's on that table.

[OzarkTom]

I am shocked that they put the AR on top, but it easily beat the Linn, Sota, Rega, and Oracle for sonics. I was a dealer in the 80's for all five of these TT's.

AR, The Turntable, was the best one of all.

[techgal421]

If you are going to pick only 10, then this is a pretty good historical list.  One manufacturer missing for me is Origin Live.  Maybe they should put out the list of 20 most significant tables of all time.