Brinkmann La Grange (GBP 7995.00) / 10.5 Tonearm (GBP 2995.00) - cart extra

The Brinkmann La Grange represents the end of our search for a state of the art vinyl player at an affordable price (well, everything's relative, isn't it - according to Albert Einstein at least - although I'm not sure his pockets would have been deep enough either!) Still, putting trivial things like money to one side for now - let's have a closer look at La Grange.

Firstly, you probably wouldn't be contemplating purchasing one 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 (both in cost and performance) German AudioLabor turntable. He also has extensive experience with record cutting techniques, and cartridge design. Quite a pedigree. The 10.5 tonearm, another revelation, bears more than a passing resemblance to the famous Swiss Breuer arm, and has performance to match.

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, incidentally, is a joy to idiots like myself, who, as part of their turntable testing routine, like to spin the platter and check it for "run-out" - the very slight eccentricity almost all platters suffer from, and some indication of the manufacturer's manufacturing tolerances. The Brinkmann has one of the most round (!) platters I've ever seen - in fact it's difficult to discern movement unless you look closely. It also passes my "flick with fingernail to induce ringing" test - there is none, just a slightly sore finger afterwards from the sheer mass!

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!