Virtue turntable

xsb7244 · « **on:** 3 Oct 2011, 11:35 pm »

Never say never. Will we see a day when there will be a Virtue turntable?

srb · « **Reply #1 on:** 4 Oct 2011, 12:14 am »

No. Never.

Steve

Jason T · « **Reply #2 on:** 4 Oct 2011, 12:23 am »

Quote from: srb on 4 Oct 2011, 12:14 am

No. Never.

Steve

Never say never, Seth has done some crazy stuff! although we would need to make a phono pre as well...
Seth Lets do a full Plexiglas table!

I'm going to get punched next time he sees me

srb · « **Reply #3 on:** 4 Oct 2011, 12:32 am »

Quote from: Jason T on 4 Oct 2011, 12:23 am

Never say never

Hmmm.....that's the second time someone has said that.

If you really think you have the mechanical engineering and resources to create a new totally unique product, go for it. But if the reality is closer to sticking a Virtue nameplate on an OEM turntable and tonearm, it's probably not worth the effort.

Steve

xsb7244 · « **Reply #4 on:** 4 Oct 2011, 01:09 am »

Sean Connery said that he would never do another James Bond movie. He was wrong. He did the James
Bond movie Never Say Never Again.

xsb7244 · « **Reply #5 on:** 4 Oct 2011, 01:30 am »

Virtue Audio offers big bang for the buck products at a good price. I like to see a Virtue turntable because
that would be big bang for the price. We need a turntable to replace the classic AR turntable and the Technics
SL1200. Now is the time to think about it because it would take years to design and bring it to market and make a profit. To be sure, a long and difficult gestation. Only time will tell.

eclein · « **Reply #6 on:** 4 Oct 2011, 01:51 am »

Does Seth even own a turntable?

Jason T · « **Reply #7 on:** 4 Oct 2011, 02:07 am »

Quote from: srb on 4 Oct 2011, 12:32 am

Hmmm.....that's the second time someone has said that.

If you really think you have the mechanical engineering and resources to create a new totally unique product, go for it. But if the reality is closer to sticking a Virtue nameplate on an OEM turntable and tonearm, it's probably not worth the effort.

Steve

I don't know about a totally unique tablebut something a little different would be cool.

TONEPUB · « **Reply #8 on:** 4 Oct 2011, 02:19 am »

Doing a turntable at this stage in the game would be financial suicide.

There's so much good stuff available in the $500 - $5000 range, it's highly doubtful that you (or anyone else for that matter) would come up with something even moderately different that hasn't been done. The bigger guys like Rega, Pro-ject, VPI and Clearaudio (just to name a few) own that market segment. And they all manufacture in major quantity.

Unless you could buy the rights to the SL-1200 and get them to produce em just for you, I don't see where another turntable would fit in and keep with Virtue's bang for the buck ethos.

Jason T · « **Reply #9 on:** 4 Oct 2011, 04:46 am »

Quote from: TONEPUB on 4 Oct 2011, 02:19 am

Doing a turntable at this stage in the game would be financial suicide.

There's so much good stuff available in the $500 - $5000 range, it's highly doubtful that you (or anyone else for that matter) would come up with something even moderately different that hasn't been done. The bigger guys like Rega, Pro-ject, VPI and Clearaudio (just to name a few) own that market segment. And they all manufacture in major quantity.

Unless you could buy the rights to the SL-1200 and get them to produce em just for you, I don't see where another turntable would fit in and keep with Virtue's bang for the buck ethos.

Your probably right. There's not allot of new or rare technology in turntables like there is in amps (tripath for instance)

Rclark · « **Reply #10 on:** 4 Oct 2011, 04:51 am »

I think a Virtue turntable might be the only one that would interest me in trying vinyl.

Meanwhile we can get a DAC that will allow me to fully appreciate hirez. Let's face it, files are the future.

xsb7244 · « **Reply #11 on:** 4 Oct 2011, 06:44 pm »

There are no low cost quality turntables. The Technics SL1200 was the last one at less than $600 new. We
need a new low cost turntable like the AR was.

TONEPUB · « **Reply #12 on:** 4 Oct 2011, 08:48 pm »

Quote from: xsb7244 on 4 Oct 2011, 06:44 pm

There are no low cost quality turntables. The Technics SL1200 was the last one at less than $600 new. We
need a new low cost turntable like the AR was.

The SL-1200 was priced low because of massive volume. The Rega RP3 is excellent, as are the low end Pro-ject tables. The stock 1200 was well made but no big deal in terms of sound quality. $600 doesn't buy much turntable these days.

The only way someone like Virtue (or anyone else) will be able to make a table for that price is volume. Right now, Rega is one of the few that produce in volume at that price point. As Virtue has no manufacturing of their own, this is probably next to impossible.

Technics had a scale of economy as an electronics mfr. that no other turntable mfr. really enjoys.

OzarkTom · « **Reply #13 on:** 5 Oct 2011, 03:47 am »

If I was to build a TT, I would copy AR, The Turntable. That one was better than any SOTA, Linn Sondek, Micro Seiki, Pink Triangle, Oracle, and much, much better than Rega. That AR had better imaging, dynamics, and detail than any of the above. AR even did it with their stock arm versus any tonearm you could find for the other tt's.

OzarkTom · « **Reply #14 on:** 5 Oct 2011, 03:59 am »

http://www.ebay.com/itm/AR-Acoustic-Research-The-Turntable-turntable-Works-perfect-See-Video-/200654492761?pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item2eb7f09459#ht_500wt_948

This would have been a steal for $510.

bardamu · « **Reply #15 on:** 6 Oct 2011, 10:41 am »

Hello,
Building turntables is mainly about manufacturing with extreme low tolerances. A good starting point is the right platter which will usually be some special kind of resin. To make it extra special it should be a larger diameter than a normal record, so usually it will be heavy. Having it made in China, then ship it to the states and then shipping it to customers would make it expensive. The company that will make it should have a state of the start milling machine and highly skilled technical staff. How many virtue customers would buy a 2000$ turntable?
First have the 3 amp available for pre order. I have about 7 weeks to order before my 8 weeks abroad holiday.
Kind greetings, Eduard

virtue · « **Reply #16 on:** 7 Oct 2011, 01:21 pm »

The sentiment is good. We are a philosophy not a product.

However, I know nothing about turn-tables and every time I venture into something I cannot appreciate personally, things go wrong.

Unless we were to grow a CTO who loved turn-tables, this won't happen. The sentiment, however, is much appreciated.

doug s. · « **Reply #17 on:** 12 Oct 2011, 03:58 am »

Quote from: OzarkTom on 5 Oct 2011, 03:47 am

If I was to build a TT, I would copy AR, The Turntable. That one was better than any SOTA, Linn Sondek, Micro Seiki, Pink Triangle, Oracle, and much, much better than Rega. That AR had better imaging, dynamics, and detail than any of the above. AR even did it with their stock arm versus any tonearm you could find for the other tt's.

i respectfully disagree. i have heard that deck, and while it's good, my oracle is so much better. i'd also take a sota, p/t or better m/s over the a/r. linn & rega, i am not sure about...

now, if i wanted to get into winyl on the cheap, i would get a wintage empire, tweak it and put a more modern arm on it, like an o-l rega. it will also see off the a/r, imo, as well as many much more expensive modern decks.

ymmv,

doug s.

TONEPUB · « **Reply #18 on:** 12 Oct 2011, 05:47 am »

Gotta agree with you Doug. I've had a couple of AR's and they were really no big deal.

E4T · « **Reply #19 on:** 12 Oct 2011, 07:01 am »

Yeah, I don't know if I need a turntable by Virtue. TONEPUB made a very good point re: the turntable market.

I am loving my Clearaudio Concept table (which I consider an amazing value), run through my Two.2 and it sounds amazing. If Virtue made anything TT related a phono pre might make more sense?

Either way, Virtue is gonna be in my lineup. That little midget of a magic amp has changed my world!