Townshend Rock Mark II
Value For Money
Townshend Rock Mark II
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User Reviews
Value For Money
Excellent Value Second Hand, As They Are Built Ver
Excellent value second hand, as they are built very well, and simply engineered...once set up they rarely need touching. Best with Excalibur arm and merlin power supply.
I agree with this review because it can be fiddly to set up initially, but once done it runs for years without further adjustment.
Value For Money
I Bought The Rock Second Hand From A Fellow Enthus
I bought the Rock second hand from a fellow enthusiast and have never regretted it. It came fitted with a Linn 'Basik' arm which was okay with my then favourite P77 moving magnet cartridge. It was not long before the upgrade bug bit, and I changed to an SME 309 arm with an Audio Technica OC9 cartridge.
This really lifted the performance and I have stuck with this combination for the last 8 or 9 years. In that time the only servicing the turntable has had are new damping fluid and a replacement on/off switch.
I am planning further upgrades including converting to an Origin Live DC motor. According to Hi-Fi World's review of this it should bring a worthwhile improvement ; if any one has any experience of this it would be good to hear your comments.
The motor(s) used by OL are standard coreless dc units manufactured by Premotec and can be sourced through electronic component suppliers at considerably lower cost. The DC100 is the lowest power motor in the range and grossly hyped by OL and others. There are much higher powered motors of the same type that are suitable for turntables. The power supply is relatively straightforward - any well regulated dc supply of a suitable and adjustable voltage to match the motor will suffice.
Concerning replacement platters. You need to measure the depth of your existing spindle and let Townshend know whether you have the 30mm or 31.5mm one, otherwise the replacement platter may not be the right depth.
Good news - Townshend Audio have just release a new version of the Rock turntable. This is the Rock V which uses the same trough as the Rock II.
As a side effect of Townshend getting back into turntable manufacturing they can now supply all the parts needed for the Rock II, including a new platter which was my main gripe with the original. Full details at Townshend's web site www.townshendaudio.com.
Value For Money
The Townsend Rock Lost Out In The Late 1980s And E
The Townsend Rock lost out in the late 1980s and early 1990s to the stanglehold Linn had on dealerships. As a result few punters got the chance to compare the Rock with a Sondek. If they had, they would heard an obviously clearer, uncoloured transcription of analogue LPs. In contrast, the Sondek (but not all suspended sub-chassis decks i.e. the Pink Triangle) had a tendency to make records sound what I can only describe as 'samey' by adding its own colourations. This may be 'Hi-Fi' but its not high fidelity. Apart from costing almost 50% more that the Rock, which cost £299-£350 in the late 1980s (£620 in todays money), the Sondek requires almost constant maintenance or ridiculously expensive 'upgrades' to make the sound less coloured i.e. closer to the Rock.
I've owned my Rock for almost 20 years and all its ever needed is new silicon fluid and bearing oil.
Although I got an Excalibur arm (£650) to match the deck 10 years ago the difference was marginal. Cheaper arms like the Regas do just as well. I've used a Decca cartridge but settled on a Dynavector Karat D17 II because of lower record wear. I use use AVI monoblocks with Quad ESL-63s. My CD player is also by AVI (very good) but the Rock still rules!
Totally agree mate, I had an Elite Rock since 1986, better than any sondeks my mates have tried to convince me were better.
RoBoCop....I totally agree. Ivor should really have named the Sondek the Condek!
Value For Money
Max Townsend Caused A Big Stir With His Silicone F
Max Townsend caused a big stir with his silicone fluid damped trough and generally broke every rule in the (Linn Sondek) book, but achieved unparalleled sound, especially in the Reference version.
The Townsend Rock mark II brings the most out of budget arms and cartridges but try it with a Decca Super Gold or Ortofon MC25FL and pick up your jaw from the floor.
I use it with a valve phono stage, (EAR), Quad 405-ll and Electroststics ('57) and it is wonderful.
I have an '86 Elite Rock MK 1, with a rega RB250 that has the stub mod and a goldring 1022, coupled with a copland CSA14 and Castle howard speakers.
Result - you have to spend a lot more cash to beat it.
All I have done to the Rock since 1986 is replace the belt once and reset and lubricate the bearings, fantastic turntable at any price.
Max did produce a plinth and cover for the Rock 2 and it was pretty smart. As far as I can remember it had no real impact on the sound because the deck is so inert but it did keep dust off the revolving disk which is plus. I prefer the look of the deck without the cover (but that's simply a matter of taste) and use an oversized cake cover to keep the deck clean when not in use. Don't think that just because the dust cover on Sondek caused random colourations that the same thing applies to the Rock.
RE: Merlin power supply
I have an early Rock that was incredible when plugged into 230 Volts. Max did send me a pulley some years ago that was suppose to make the transition to 120 Volts but there was a bad hum and I put the turntable away.
It appears that you have found a solution, I am interested.
Is there a N. American source for belts?
Many thanks for your reply - it does include the plinth - a beautiful piece of design! I never pay my vinyl with the lid down - so I guess that makes me a purist!
However, I would prefer not to ruin the beauty in the design by just getting any old plastic lid, the image above, shows what looks like a manufactured lid specific to the rock....or any good looking alternatives??? I apologise for my design bias here...
"Comment by deirdre on 14th Apr 2004
I have just been given a rock turntable by my father -- which should go nicely with the Quad, I'm looking for a supplier for a lid - I understand this was optional - any ideas where I can locate one?"
** To use the lid you need the plinth as well. Purists would argue against the lid being down when playing, so you may just want to get a big perspex cover to keep out dust. A better option is the Merlin power supply, though if you find one let me know!
It blows digital (CD, DVD, SACD, etc, out of the water....)
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