My new Arezzo Turntable

[Slippers On]

Hi Guys, As you know I have been trying to upload a review onto the main site since the beginning of December 2007 without any success. There seems to be no Administrator or Webmaster attached to the "audioreview.com" website as none of my many emails or forum-based cries for help get answered; so I´ll use this thread to let you know what I think of a new Turntable I've recently purchased: [ I have no affiliation whatsoever with the sale or manufacture of this item nor am I in any way connected to the audio industry except as a lover of music and music reproduction. ]


Manufacturer: - SRM TECH - Stuart Michell

Type of Product: - Turntable

Product Name: - AREZZO

Brief Description: Transcription Turntable

Price: - around $1200

Web address: - http://stores.ebay.co.uk/SRM-TECH-Audio-Products




My review of AREZZO turntable



Think “Inky Black” and you may well think octopus or pen & inkwell schooldays. I prefer to think of the deep sonically void gaps immediately before and directly after the music plays.

Every audiophile has his / her own quirks, tweaks, methods, preferences, obsessions and aspirations. One of mine is to seek total silence before, between and after music is played. Not only from an audio perspective but also visually. My obsession has taken me to room soundproofing, sombre colours and subdued light. From this point I can now expect no visible or audible intrusion during a listening session. I am in my zone.

So why am I infatuated with this “Inky Black” hole of silence? Well I like to put a smile on my face when I can. There’s nothing that can do that easier than listening to the first few bars of any piece of music coming straight out of pure silence. I suppose it can be likened to an electrician switching on a rewired light and seeing it work, or a mechanic starting up a defunct engine that he has been working on. The silence before a track of music invokes anticipation, suspense, at what is likely to follow. Anything which otherwise invades this silence, such as mechanical running noises, crackles, pops, buzzes or hums serves only to spoil my enjoyment and wastes my time seeking out the offensive sound.

As I make changes or add pieces of equipment to my system it is put through its paces to meet and conform to my ‘silent treatment’. If it fails it will be removed or re-located outside the room. (eg computer).

And so I refer here to the addition of a new vinyl record player, the AREZZO turntable from Stuart Michell’s company SRM /TECH in England, UK.

When I took delivery of the turntable I spent the first couple of days just looking at it – for the deck is a piece of art in its own right. I could describe it as a four tier, four dimensional, well balanced piece of atheistically pleasing sculpture. (The fourth dimension being what it is capable of doing). I moved it from place to place over these days until I was satisfied with its final destination, (who would have thought a piece of Hi-Fi invited the room’s best play on light?). From here I would begin setting it up.

The AREZZO is a breeze to construct. Its sturdy yet pinpoint design allows it to be handled easily and putting it together is a simple matter of balance and line-up. Attaching the arm is not so much difficult as fiddly. My first experience with a RB250 so I spent a little longer than I suppose is necessary to fix, align and balance it.

A note here about the accompanying instructions; they are produced in basic form on A4 sheets with basic written outlines of procedures. No diagrams or photos. I feel, perhaps, that more could be added to bolster up any fear or misunderstandings a novice might have. An example would be an explanation that both drive belts should be used at the same time on the preferred choice of either 33 or 45 rpm. I believe also that some user instructions with the choice of tonearm purchased and perhaps a page or two with drawings on the setting up of a cartridge. After all this deck will be attractive to a new generation not yet conversant with vinyl.

My cartridge of choice is the Shure V15vxMR and I am running the turntable through a Graham Slee V Era Gold phono unit. For this set up I used the Elite Townshend (1984) dual mono amps and power. The pre-amp is a new Audio Experience Balanced A1 valve unit from YS Audio, Hong Kong, China. The speakers are a pair of JR149s and a JR sub unit powered with its own JR MkIII amp. All cables (speakers and interconnectors) are QED Silver Spiral.

My first test of the AREZZO was that all important silence factor. With my first cup of tea in my hand and all the electronics turned off, (except the Era Gold which had been warming for the previous two days), I satisfied myself that all was quiet on the home front. Not a peep. I spent the afternoon going through a routine of switching on one item at a time, then leaving the room for maybe 30mins and returning to ensure the same silence. The final piece to be switched on was the AREZZO, which I dutifully did before exiting. (Leaving the confines of a silent room and entering ambient noise also puts a smile on your face – it confirms your achievement.)

When I returned 20mins later I felt vastly disappointed. As I walked across the room it was evident that something was wrong, I hadn’t wired up the turntable correctly or it had blown or something. There was no evidence that the turntable was operating, no movement, no noise. Wait a minute … as I got closer to the AREZZO it caught my eye that the black platter was in fact spinning. What skulduggery was this? There was no tell tale mechanical motor or platter-spinning noise! I fully expected to hear something but there was no discernable audible intrusion. My ‘Inky Black’ right from the word go! I have to say that in my experience this is a first for me. Normally I would have heard some form of noise from my decks, and I have a few, but not this one. Full marks to the AREZZO for getting past me on the silence front.

Over the next few days I played a variety of LPs to test the AREZZO’s capabilities. I began with some of the usual suspects; Dire Straits, Pink Floyd, Beethoven, Gerry Mulligan, then moved on to some more obscure albums such as Moscow Gypsy Ensemble, Kitaro Live in America, Father Father. In fact I covered many different types of music and some spoken word disks too over the week. I was so satisfied with the deck’s capabilities that I even opened some hitherto sealed LPs of old, including Moog music, Blues & Jazz and Rock and Roll.

I am not saying that every record came out singing beautifully, because the AREZZO can show up a pretty foul recording very quickly, (Spain’s pressing of Pink Floyd’s “A Momentary Lapse of Reason” is dreadful!), but I am saying that what it puts out between ‘Inky Black’ moments is as true a rendition as I’ve heard from any turntable at any price. Rather than stopping a record playing I would leave the room and return a few minutes later just to hear that magic being produced. I even caught myself walking around invisible artists on the stage, such was the truism of some recordings.

I highly recommend this as a turntable well beyond its asking price. It is guaranteed to make you smile during the silent parts and grin when the music begins to play.

My experience with the AREZZO has shown it to be a fantastic all rounder, particularly well matched to the Shure V15vxMR cartridge. Whatever your tastes in music are this deck will reward you with ‘Inky Black’ silence before, between and after music tracks, a great deep soundstage and striking bass capabilities. Any piece of Hi-Fi which causes you to lavish gifts upon it, 30yr old sealed LPs and brand new V15vxmr cartridge must be doing something right to deserve it.



Slippers On

[audio amateur]

Slippers, good to see you around again. Sorry you you're having trouble posting your review. Thanks for sharing

[emaidel]

Very, very fine review. And that table is a stunner to look at, just as you said!

As I've posted previously, I'm at a complete loss when AR members discuss new, high-end equipment, and I have to state that I not only never heard of AREZZO, I also never heard of any of the rest of your equipment with the sole exception of the Shure V/15Vmxr. Still, I'm certain your entire system is of top-notch calibre, and your newly purchased turntable well worth the $1,200 you invested in it. Now you've got me wanting one too!

[Luvin Da Blues]

Slips, that is one beautiful TT, congrats.

[Bernd]

Congrats slips. I looked into that same table before I got the Clearaudio. Very close call. I hope Stuart makes a go of it, he is one of the good guys. Sounds like you enjoying yours.

Peace

[Corto Maltese]

Congrats, Slips.
Listening the Dark Side of The Moon, I’m admiring your new table. Arezzo does look like a piece of art, and (judging by your excellent review) probably sounds like one. Thanks to my age, I am proud to say I am the addict too. I just set my Linn up with Grado, but I might go another direction soon, if economy allows me. Arezzo looks like very good starting point, and totally opposite direction from Linn.
Stuart should pay you good money for your (pro) review. Now, I am thinking how to increase my income in the next few months, just for $1,200 or so...

[basite]

congrats stephen, that's one darn good looking turntable, if it sounds as good as it looks, you won't be needing another tt for quite a while

more pics?

Keep them spinning,
Bert.

[Slippers On]

As you say Bernd, Stuart Michell appears to be ‘one of the good guys’. I have bought many items from him over the years, including his Record Cleaning machine in DIY form, (an excellent piece of kit), and never had any reason for complaint. He read my review and e-mailed to tell me that he has taken onboard my slight criticism regarding the accompanying instruction leaflets. I certainly wish him every success for the AREZZO.

Hi Bert, I’ll post some more pics when I have all my gear ship-shape in the room I’m building at the moment. I wouldn’t want to do any injustice to my equipment.

Anyone interested in the AREZZO should not be afraid that Stuart deals only on Ebay. He does have premises for viewing equipment but he has built up quite a reputation on Ebay over the years.

By the way I forgot to mention there is a free acrylic cover, worth quite a few sheckles, which comes with the turntable at the moment. I am informed that this is a limited offer. Also there are Hi-Fi magazine reviews in the pipeline.

If I sound like I’m pushing this turntable it’s because I’m honestly pleased with it and believe the guy deserves end-user support.


Slippers On

[eliaselias_0]

Well, for 15 years I had the rega planar 3. In these 15 years and particularly the finally 5, I had begun the transformations – and upgrades. Inter alia and more important were the rb300 incognito rewired, the silent base and the acrylic platter. I accomplished to have quiet hearing with Grado cartridges that I have. In the old days I had Sonata, now Master, both Statement – 0.4V, and surrogate Grado gold. The relative hum from motor is not particular problem, perhaps and negligible, because he is perceptible only to the end of disk and in high, very high, intensity and when does not exist music in the vinyl.
Up to Sonata all rolled smoothly. All were there. Musicality, trebles, intermediate, bass, all was o.k. I have also the phono grado ph1 - perfect combine.
When, however, I took before two years, the Grado Master who hangs around one thousand Euros bill, something began to not sound good to my ears. What I heard, did not justify the difference of price from Sonata. Master it shouted for other plate.
And YES before 3 days came by post the Arezzo of Stuart Michel. I kept the rb300 and I changed to him the counterweigh with Harmonic Level Counterweight Upgrade according to the proposal of Stuart. Since I set him and began to put his disks on, I understood the value of Grado Master. The record-player was disappeared. At last I hear the music and no the machines. The music came out from Chario Syntar 200 T and was poured in the space disappearing them. Strong bass and evident, intermediate gently natural and limpid richly trebles. Natural sound, live. Even scratches somebody of old vinyls they do not bother. The music overlaps them.
I don't have experience from high expensive systems, neither change my instruments each does quarter or half-year period, but I wonder why I must give more from thousand Euros that I gave with the postal expenses? Sure optical it appears and musically is heard as record-player double and not only, price. Thus I appreciate the result that I took. It does not make me heart to close the record-player and go for sleep….
This time Stuart Michel offers in vinyl lovers a gift. In any case I am enthusiastic.
Thank you Stuart.