Brinkmann at Walrus

Brinkmann

La Grange

We have particularly long and in-depth experience of the La Grange, since we were UK importer for a while. We firmly believe it's one of, if not the, finest turntables money can buy. Listening to your records on this turntable is quite possibly the nearest you are likely to get to the original master tape!

You probably wouldn't be contemplating purchasing the La Grange if fancy styling was foremost on your list of "wants". The Brinkmann is strictly sparse and functional - what you see is what's necessary for exact vinyl information retrieval, no more, no less. In case you were wondering about Helmut Brinkmann - the track record (pardon the pun) is exemplarary - he apparently designed the legendary German AudioLabor turntable. He also has extensive experience of record cutting techniques and pickup cartridge design. Quite a pedigree.

La Grange is a very heavy turntable, with a very substantial bearing, and in order to strictly control bearing tolerance has a miniature heater built in to keep the bearing temperature constant - believe me, you can hear the difference. It's just one of those areas which other manufacturers dream of addressing, and Brinkmann has actually successfully implemented.

The metal composite (aluminium, lead, and copper) platter weighs 16kg, and is driven by belt/thread from the freestanding two speed motor unit, with touch operated speed switching. The platter is one of the most inert we have seen. Run-out (the slight wobbling usually witnessed when a platter rotates) is all but completely absent, and any attempt at causing ringing by flicking the platter with your finger will just result in a sore finger!

The 10.5 tonearm is the natural complement to La Grange, as is the Brinkmann modified EMT pickup, but any arm can be accommodated, in fact a two arm ready version can also be specified.

The only way you'll appreciate the astonishing performance of this deck is listening - book up, and bring your favourite records for a real treat. And, be prepared to sell the TV, car, your soul etc, to afford this Teutonic wonder!

More details of the La Grange can be found here.

10.5 Tonearm

The 10.5 is the arm of choice for the La Grange turntable and is a very neutral yet engaging sounding design. There are design and sonic similarities to the ultra rare Swiss made Breuer arm, though the Brinkmann is rather more advanced and consistent. Attention has been paid to the most minute detail, down to the last nut and washer, for absolute sonic performance.

Due to the arm cable termination arrangements (there are none!) this will not suit the majority of turntables. Where there are pre-existing phono sockets near to the arm base on the turntable there should be no problem.

Brinkmann 10.5 further info here.

EMT-ti Pickup Cartridge

The EMT-ti, perfectly suited to the 10.5 tonearm, is, as the name might suggest, based on the legendary EMT pickup, heavily modified by Brinkmann. The new metal mount consists of several layers of different metals for resonance control, and the stylus is a top quality van den Hul.

EMT-ti further info here.