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Monolith table

Got this today. Just finished setting it up and gave it a test run.

I am not a turntable expert by any means, but in terms of the weight and materials, construction quality, etc. this thing is nice. All very solid. Little things like the dust cover (thick and heavy, even compared to my older Technics) and hinges have a nice heft to them. It comes with two mats, a rubber one and a felt one. The speed selector/on-off switch stops with a soft little click, the cueing lever lets the stylus nice and slow. The little catch that clamps down the tonearm is nice and sturdy. etc. The base passes the "thump" test. I don't get the feeling like anything here is going to break anytime soon.

I measured the speed at 33.34 and 45.02, which is good enough as far as I'm concerned. Everything works as it should. I don't hear any pitch variations on sustained notes and I'm very sensitive to that. I thumped the table when it was played and the arm didn't jump or anything.

One thing, and it's a sizable nitpick - the cart was supposed to be an AT100E but if this is an AT cart they don't want you to know it. There are no markings on it, anywhere. The look is right but the lack of logo makes me wonder if it's not a generic stylus. The sound is not bad but I'm not getting the low end I'm used to. I need to play around with the tracking force and anti-skate a little bit and see if it gets a little better. Or maybe the cart just needs burning in? I feel like maybe it's gotten a little better since I started playing the record (Metallica, Master of Puppets). It might just be that it's a different sound that I'm used to. Hotter, almost sizzly. Could be my own sensitivity talking because I'm kind of allergic to treble. But still, instruments don't have the separation I'm used to hearing from AT carts. Probably going to order a couple different carts and play around until I find something that works a little better for me.

But overall very happy with this purchase so far.
 
I just noticed that the instruction manual tells you to use both mats, with the rubber on the bottom and felt on top. I did that and the sound improved noticeably. Never would've thought it would make that much of a difference. Of course, it's possible that simply increasing the tracking force would have done the same thing. Either way, it sounds real good now.
 
I pulled a known good elliptical stylus off an AT122 and transplanted it onto the new cart. It doesn't sound a whole lot different. I'm assuming the entire cart is generic, not just the stylus. So I'll be cartridge shopping soon I guess. It sounds pretty good right now but I know how this record should sound and it's just not quite there.
 
Thinking hard. I have a vintage linear tracker that needs work (and put bluntly, will always be ugly...) and I may just get the Monolith and donate the other. It'd certainly be easier to work with.
 
New price on that table looks great. Heck an AT-100E will run you $90. Guessing it's unmarked for reasons Audio Technica wants - Teac is also shipping tables with similar cartridge - AT100E equivalent.
 
Hell with it. For $150, pulled the trigger. I can probably sell for near that locally if I hate it. (Or never use it, the more likely outcome.)
 
Silentnet said:
Hell with it. For $150, pulled the trigger. I can probably sell for near that locally if I hate it. (Or never use it, the more likely outcome.)
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If you do ever use it, I'm interested to hear your thoughts. My turntable experience up until now has been mostly with p-mount tables, since I came of age in the 80s. This is the first table with a traditional setup I've ever owned and I can already see the advantages. No inner groove distortion and an anti-skate that actually does something of significance.

The cartridge is definitely starting to sound a lot better after about 7-8 hours of run time today. Listening to Led Zeppelin 3 and the bass is practically jumping out of the speakers.
 
Assuming that table comes out of Ya Horng in Taiwan, the same manufacturer of Fluance and Teac models, it is hard not to notice the value these machines offer. Solid, well-reviewed, reliable and at a price point that makes them winners IMO. I agree that U-Turn really needs to UP their game, and I say that as an Orbit Walnut owner who has been happy with U-Turn.
 
I almost feel bad not buying a U-turn because I'd really like to support that company.

The Orbit is known for being a great "cheap" table but $179 becomes $199 with shipping. Add the arm lifter (which IMO is essential equipment for most users) and you're up to $239. And that's with the base cartridge.

But I understand their pricing. They're a small company. They don't have the economies of scale thing going on where they can afford to sell at high volumes but lower profit per unit.
 
Monolith looks like Teac arm and platter but with Fluance electronics. I noticed it has the auto stop switch like fluance (but unlike elac or teac). All of these tables are variations of same OEM parts dressed up in different plinths. The 140 price is a good sign that enough production is happening to drive costs down where you can get something decent new vs. having you buy used.
 
The Elac and the Monolith have a different tonearm than the Teac. Differences are subtle but they're there. Different shapes. The tube of the arm itself is probably the same but the hinge point (sorry don't know the technical term for that) is a truncated oval as opposed to an octagonal shape. The locking collar for the headshell and the headshell itself are different. The base of the tonearm itself is a different shape too, flat at the top instead of rounded.

But yeah, otherwise they all seem pretty similar and they're obviously all coming from the same factory, in China I assume. Whatever it is they seem to be doing something right.
 
Well it's not on sale anymore (1/30/2019 @ 6:30 PM EST). Might have pulled the trigger, but then again, I have a mint condition mid-70s Pioneer PL-12D and a late-70s Technics P-Mount fully auto TT (among similar others) so am I really buying an improvement?
 
Improvement is up to the user. I have good condition 70's and 80's tables, but I still like newer ones. Listening to a SL-1500 now that I enjoy. One big reason I enjoy is it sounds great and cost about $7, some fixing, and a stylus upgrade. Can't beat that.

I've owned a Teac TN-300 for a few years and honestly it sounds as good as any older table I own. The biggest gripe on the Teac is arm azimuth, and reported issues of speed stability, which I haven't experienced. So I am not in the camp that new tables are junk, I think most of those concerns are overblown and written by those who never owned a turntable made past 1980. I can't imagine why a consumer belt drive turntable being made today is any worse than one made 40 years ago. Direct drive... that's a different question.
 
Moon_Man said:
Well it's not on sale anymore (1/30/2019 @ 6:30 PM EST). Might have pulled the trigger, but then again, I have a mint condition mid-70s Pioneer PL-12D and a late-70s Technics P-Mount fully auto TT (among similar others) so am I really buying an improvement?
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Improvement? No, I doubt it. I can't say this table sounds better than my old 1981ish Technics p-mount (which, IMO, sounded great). But I didn't buy it because I wanted a sound upgrade, I bought it because I wanted a new turntable that worked 100%. If I were capable of fixing vintage tables properly, I would have stuck with those.
 
Roboturner91 said:
Improvement? No, I doubt it. I can't say this table sounds better than my old 1981ish Technics p-mount (which, IMO, sounded great). But I didn't buy it because I wanted a sound upgrade, I bought it because I wanted a new turntable that worked 100%. If I were capable of fixing vintage tables properly, I would have stuck with those.
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Early Technics 80's pmounts are great have owned a few. Get a spare universal P mount headshell for the Monolith and you can roll cartridges. BTW I took the bait and ordered one on fire sale.
 
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