analogue

Overall Rating
 3 of 5

Value Rating
 2 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
3.67 of 5, 3.00 votes

Price Paid:  $2000.00 from Satellite to the Sta

Summary:
When my brand new Spacedeck arrived, the Spacearm was snapped in two at the pivot point. It had been tossed in a foam cut-out in the box (which itself was extremely sturdy) no special box or packing for the arm, not even a bag. The exposed pivot spike didn't appear to be precision engineered at all, it looked like the tip of a nine penny nail. In fact, nothing at all impressed me about the feel or design of the arm. I sent the broken arm back to the dealer and installed an SME 309 instead.

The Spacedeck design is very simple. There is no on/off switch, you simply spin the platter manually and the motor takes over. I was overall pleased with the sound but was not blown away by it. I had owned a Rega P25 for several years previous to getting a Spacedeck. The Spacedeck has a darker, more palpable presentation than the Rega. Music sounds a little meatier. a little richer. The Rega had a more dynamic, livelier presentation. After owning the Spacedeck for two years, I simply did not hear the dramatic improvement over the Rega some others have hailed. Truly, spending the money on a better cartridge installed on the Rega will yield sonic improvements over the more costly Spacedeck with a lesser needle.
The Spacedeck's great weakness is that it's very expensive for what you get. The quality of materials, engineering, fit and finish, of the Michells and VPI's, even Rega surpasses the Spacedeck any day. If you look at a Rega RB700 and compare it side by side to ANY Nottingham arm, the Rega is hands-down superior in every way. I'd take the new P5 (which I had for a year) over a Spaceck. To me the Rega is better designed and better built. The painted wood base that sits beneath the Spacedeck is superfluous to the design (as is Rega P25's wood trim).
I currenlty own a Tecnodek and I think it is far better than the Spacedeck
The cheap rubber-ball feet are silly compared to the Michells engineered pods. The motor is nicer on the Michell and so is the spindle design. The Tecnoarm absolutely shames the Spacearm.

Summing up, I don't fault the sound, I rather liked the Spacedeck's rich presentation and unfussy delivery. Ease of use - no clamp here - is also a strength. Quality while by no means poor, is not on par with its peers. When cost is factored in, the Spacedeck falls far short. I have owned a Tecnodek for a year now. While it's been too long to compare sonically to the Spacedeck (and the arms were different) difference in fit and finish and actual quality is night and day.

Years later, I briefly owned a Nottingham Horizon. I noticed the Rega RB300 arm vibrating! This turned out to be a design flaw which Nottingham subsequently corrected in the Special Edition - NO vibration model. The new Horizons came with a free standing motor. Both models are now discontinued. The cost of the Spacedeck has gone up, but my faith in the company and the integrity of their designs has dropped precipitously.

Strengths:
Dark, rich sound
ease of use
looks?

Weaknesses:
expensive especially when considering its modest build quality

Price Paid:  $2000.00 from 1000

Summary:
Bonjour , pour moi c'est le meilleur produits du Monde que j'ai jamais ecoute et le meilleur du meilleur.
Que je recommand a tous Audiophiles d'avoir chez eux, car il ne le regreteront pas.

A tres bientot.

Docteur # 1.
Claude BEAR.

SOON.

Best Regards.

Strengths:
The BEST OF THE BESTS.

Weaknesses:
THE BEST OF THE BESTS.

Similar Products Used:
Thorens.

Kingfisher

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 1.00 votes

Price Paid:  $4800.00 from Not known

Summary:
My best friend recently bought a Nottingham Analogue Spacedeck to replace his old LP12 and, when he was sent to work away for 6 weeks, he left it with me for safe keeping. I could not resist testing it out. It is fitted with an Ortofon Rohmann cartridge. Firstly, the build is awesome. It is TOTALLY different from my own PT Anniversary which is light and delicate as befits a suspended deck. This is massive. So is the sound, which has huge scale and space and fabulous dynamics. The level of background noise is extremely low, almost at CD levels but the sound is infinitely superior to any CD. The 3D image this deck produces is very convincing. In all it is a HUGE improvement over the LP12 in every respect. How does it compare with the PT Anniversary? Well the PT extracts a bit more detail from the record - you can hear nuances which are missing on the Spacedeck. The PT is more neutral and instruments sound a little more natural, too. But the Spacedeck is slightly more involving and is very nearly as good overall and the PT was somewhat more expensive. Both have subterranean but very dry, clear bass. I would love to put an SME V on it as I think this might improve it further. This is one of the best decks available, regardless of price. As such, it has to have 5 stars. I let my friend have it back - eventually!

Strengths:
Total lack of background noise, superb imagery, wonderful dynamics. Relatively low price. Build quality.

Weaknesses:
Not quite as transparent and neutral as the very best deck (the PT Anniversary - but this is no longer in production).

Similar Products Used:
PT Anniversary Systemdek IIX

hammondb2bv

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
4.80 of 5, 5.00 votes

Price Paid:  $2300.00 from Audible Elegance

Summary:
This table is a must for any music enthusiast who still loves vinyl. Most of the reviews here hit the basics, but the most impressive of the Spacedeck is the "timing" of the music, and the "feel" of what you're hearing. The low end is tighter than any digital media could encounter, part of the beauty of analog. Digital is a lot of things, but there a few BIG things they are not. A warm, musical, solid built turntable. This is my last table. In my "B" system, I have a modified Technics SL-1200MK2, and while the modifications have improved it's performance (yes you audio know it all's haven't heard a modified 1200 have you....it will out perform any rega, or music hall table, properly equipped) the Spacedeck is just something in it's own league; special!

Strengths:
Built to outlast your collection, is purely a musical instrument. It's about as close to studio recording presence as you're going to get.

Weaknesses:
If you move frequently, it's not fun to rig for transportation. Keep it clean, as there is no dust cover with this table.

Similar Products Used:
Rega Planar 25 Technics SL1200MK2/Micro Benz Cart.

Price Paid:  $2500.00 from Primus Audio Pleasur

Summary:
This review covers the Nottingham Spacedeck and Space arm. I use a Benz Micro MC Sheu cartridge with a Lehmann Black Cube phono preamplifier. The Spacedeck is a heavy piece of equipment weighing in at 30-something pounds. The turntable rests on 3 pillars (the tonearm mount, a small pillar about 1 inch in diameter on the left rear side, and a front pillar on which the brand is identified). A separate motor rests just behind the left rear pillar and spins the very solid platter via a rubber belt. Vibrations can be felt by placing one's hand on the motor housing. It is a low-torque design, meaning that they've designed the motor to run constantly as long as it is plugged in. The torque is insufficient to begin rotation of the platter without spinning the platter by hand. Rather than frothing at the mouth with over-used hyperbole, I'd rather concentrate on what attributes can accurately be determined to be a result of the table. This table keeps good time. This is one of the most important features of any turntable and yet it is one that so many get wrong. The position of the motor housing is easily moved, thereby adjusting the tension on the drive-belt, which in turn changes the platter speed. The base of the turntable, labeled by some as plastic covered wood and by others as a composite resin, is by any other description solid and wonderfully absorptive of medium to high frequency vibrations. This does mean that the table should be placed on a suitable stand to avoid low frequency impact. I have not had any problems in this regard. This is not a tweaker’s turntable. Neurotics need not apply. Once it is properly set up, forget about it. Play your records and enjoy. Not to complain about tables that have brought much joy to many people, but Sota and Linn tables (or any other suspended designs) are bothersome and scary. When you have a $1,300 cartridge on a tonearm, the last thing you want to see is the cartridge hopping across the record because your finger momentarily brushed against some part of the platter that it wasn't supposed to. With the Nottingham, no need to worry. It is built like a rock and easy to operate without fear of bouncing needles. If I had to describe what sets the Nottingham apart from the competition it would be three things: 1. Pacing: It spins the music correctly and uniformly. 2. Bass: deep taut musical bass not bloated mushy one-note bass. 3. Silence: I hear the music and not bearing rumble or platter flutter. Even casual listeners can hear the change in background noise on a record between when there is no information being retrieved and when the record is playing silence in between songs. This is a good turntable to use as the beginning of a world-class system. It is quieter than the Linn LP12 and without that table's propensity toward mid-bass bloat. It offers better timing, noise isolation, and darker backgrounds than Rega Planar models. There is a world of difference in materials between Nottingham and Music Hall. While it is not quite up to the standard set by legendary turntables such as the Oracle Delphi, it is such a competent performer that one need not consider upgrading until every other component in the system is essentially state of the art. This is an excellent turntable for people who love music and vinyl, but do not want to waste hours fiddling with their equipment. It is easy to use and maintain. It is durable and, in some ways, a work of art. It doesn't look like a traditional record player. Sophisticated shoppers who want technical competence and unusual looks need not look further.

Strengths:
It is easy to use and has solid deep bass and a startling lack of background noise.

Weaknesses:
Optional dust cover is pretty much useless. The table sort of sits out in the open. If you have rascally children or animals, you might want to look into purchasing or building an enclosure.

Similar Products Used:
Linn LP12, Rega Planar 2 and 3, Music Hall MMF5 and MMF7, Oracle Delphi, Amazon, Sota, all the regular acrylic suspects. All of them have their own strengths and weaknesses. My experiences led me to c