Well Tempered Labs Classic TurnTables
Well Tempered Labs Classic TurnTables
USER REVIEWS
[May 12, 2020]
jeff89
Strength:
Very quiet, natural sounding, does not ador subtract anything from the record. Motor is absolutly vibration free, does not need addl speed control. Can be adjusted to fit any cart. available including being able to adjust the damping on the arm. Weakness:
custom stickers | print stickers | business printing | printing company Purchased: Used
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[Nov 23, 2018]
hmmmisthatright
Strength:
Ok a lot to talk about with this turntable. I used to sell this turntable, sold many, and know it very well. The engineering behind this table is genus. A very difficult turntable to setup, not one for an amateur, requires much patience. “But” if you have the knowledge, patience, a steady hand, and the right tools it’s an amazing sounding turntable, especially at its price point. Even at its original price Weakness:
Sonically it is very musical, you can get very good detail from it. Compared to the very best turntables which I have sold and setup many it’s alittle light in the bass ( not bad though ) and what’s there is very tuneful. Midrange and topend are excellent. Again not quite as detailed as the best. Overall an amazing turntable IF you are a expert in turntable setup and calibrations. Which I am. Purchased: Used
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[Dec 18, 2002]
John Chleapas
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
Build quality is quite high. The speed is rock steady as measured by my strobe. I have a Lyra Parnassus cartridge to try after I spend more time with this table. I clean my records on my nitty gritty 3.5 FI before playing them.
Weakness:
The stock arm rest needs to be upgraded and the acrylic platter should be damped. I bought this mint turntable for 650. I drove it to Well Tempered Labs in Saco, ME. I had the tonearm rewired with Cardas wire and the table and arm recalibrated. I was mightily impressed with the build quality of this table. I got it home and I played some records using my Dynavector DV-20x low output moving coil cartridge. Amazing the detail in the music I am now hearing. I upgraded the clamp to the Reference clamp. I also use the Extremphono mat to damp the acrylic platter. These are true bargains in the audio world. Similar Products Used: None save my Ariston RD-11s. The Well Tempered Classic is in another league.. |
[Dec 16, 2000]
Walt
Audiophile
Strength:
Very quiet, natural sounding, does not ador subtract anything from the record. Motor is absolutly vibration free, does not need addl speed control. Can be adjusted to fit any cart. available including being able to adjust the damping on the arm.
Weakness:
Because of the adjustability of this table it may take time to set up properly. This was a long time coming and after some sorting out of phono stages and cartriges I can thing of no other table I would have. This table just makes sense. This is by far the only table I have heard that does not color the music in any way. It is amazing how different every album sounds. My Cd playback system I thought was good and it is but I am amazed at how the more solid the imaging is with analog. Even sitting outside the sweet spot there is a better sense of depth and much better image width. I will report back after I put some time in. Similar Products Used: None really in this class. |
[Nov 18, 2001]
Dennis
Audiophile
Strength:
Studio Master tape reproduction. Black background, incredible imaging, etc., etc.
Weakness:
Not enough free time in a day to listen to it. This is a review of the latest "version V" Classic. Similar Products Used: Well Tempered "Record Player", Denon DP62L, Sansui SR838 |
[Dec 24, 1997]
Mark
an Audiophile
I recently purchased the Well Tempered Classic Turntable and I find it to be a real stunner. Coupled with the Benz Micro MO .9 Cartridge, this is a killer table at the price. I have heard the VPI Aries / JMW combo and the newest additions to the Basis line and I think this one beats them hands down in terms of midrange transparency. The bass is tight, not overblown or euphonic as some tables are prone to do. I bought the unit with the Benz Glider, then heard it with the MO.9 and quickly made the upgrade. The Glider is good, but you really need to get into a $1000 or more cartridge to do justice to this table. Musically involving with great soundstaging. I recommend the unit if you can get over the unusual tonearm design. This is tough to do at first, but you just can't get enough of the same qualities in other table designs in this price range, so you just have to ignore the arm style. |
[Dec 11, 1997]
Eric Chan
an Audio Enthusiast
I bought the second-handed Well-tempered table for only US$400. After setting up my AT-OC9 cartridge and before listening for the first time. I did not expect that it would perform better than my Linn LP-12 Lingo. |
[Dec 06, 1997]
Vincent
an Audiophile
I have been using this table for about 4 years now. Compared to other tables that I have listend to and played with, this table is relatively each to use and setup. The arm's design is very unique and effective, although it doesn't offer the ultimate in terms of precision, it tracks quite well and parameters such as VTA and azimuth are easily adjustable. The table's lack of damping could be a liability in some systems and perhaps it is the reason why the table is "well-tempered", only capable of delivering "good" dynamic range, not quite in the same league as the best from VPI, Basis, and Walker. The table's virtue is its musicality and clear midrange. With the addition of a Townsend Seismic Sink, the table gets a significant improvement in dynamic range. The stock arm-rest can do serious damage to the sound quality and I wonder why the Classic doesn't have the same arm-rest as the Reference version? |
[Jul 24, 1999]
Phil Liautaud
an Audiophile
I just bought a 5 year old one used and am also using the OC 9 cartridge with it-what a wonderful combination! Even my wife (usually just a casual listener) noticed the difference immediately. The combination with female voice gives us goosebumps. What a steal-I paid 250 for the turntable and another 200 for the cartridge and it blows away any CD player I've ever heard. My friends can't believe both how good LPs can actually sound on my system and how funky the tonearm looks. My brother didn't believe it when he saw the "fishing line" holding up the arm. This thing is so easy to adjust, I think it spoiled me for any other arm! Oh well, gotta go. Time to re-acquaint myself with more of my too-long neglected albums. |
[Jun 08, 1997]
yoyo
an Audio Enthusiast
I recently purchased a used Well Tempered Classic Record Player and installed a new Grado Prestige Blue cartidge on it ( I was told that this was a "too chip" cartidge for the table, but, for now this is it) I'm plannig to upgrade to a Reference Platinum later. |