New Affordable Merrill Turntable at Vinyl Nirvana

With the arrival of the stunning VPI Traveler turntable earlier this year, there's suddenly a lot of activity in the $1000 to $1500 TT market. At the end of 2012, you'll discover three spectacular analog rigs at that price point: the VPI, the Rega RP6 and the Clearaudio Concept. All three of these 'tables offer the kind of performance that were once only available from a $2000+ set-up, and all three are selling like hotcakes.

Now you can add a fourth 'table to this group of over-achievers, and it comes from an unlikely source: Merrill. Just recently announced by David Archambault of Vinyl Nirvana, the new Merrill Replica ES-R1 is based on George Merrill's now-legendary modifications of the classic AR turntable. Merrill has gone on to create some great--and sometimes very expensive--turntables of his own over the years, so it's exciting to see him offer his excellent designs to those who are just getting started in this fascinating hobby.

The ES-R1 offers the same type of suspension used in such decks as Linn, Thorens and of course AR, and for a very reasonable price. Two versions of the ES-R1 will be available: an unfinished wood version without arm or cartridge for a mere $995, and a "ready to play" model that comes with a beautiful wood finish, a Jelco SA-250 tonearm (a favorite of the Technics SL-1200 crowd) and an Ortofon 2M Red, which is probably the best $99 cartridge available today. This latter version will be available for an amazing $1595 plus shipping.

Both versions come with the following features:

*33/45 RPM
*Decoupled inner and outer poly platters.
*Oversized record support platter that can be configured to accommodate a clamping ring.
*Spring suspended poly sub-chassis with arm board.
*Poly drive pulley
*Laminated Plinth
*Oil well bearing
*Level Adjustable Damping feet
*Rubber cork mat
*Handcrafted wooden base
*Custom manufactured motor
*Base top black

Dave has been testing out the first model he received and is excitedly reporting the results on the various analog forums. He bought the unfinished version, and he is taking videos of the project as he completes each step. (You can see the progress here.)

If you're a fan of AR or Merrill turntables and you're looking for an analog rig that won't cost you a fortune, check out the Vinyl Nirvana site and then shoot Dave an email at dave@vinylnirvana.com!

Another killer AR turntable from Vinyl Nirvana

Here's another gorgeous AR turntable courtesy of Vinyl Nirvana. This one has all of the Merrill-Scilia mods as well as some extra ones from Vinyl Nirvana. And yes, that's an SME 3009 arm mounted on it.

It's going for $2295 shipped. That may sound like a lot, but this one looks nearly perfect and I'm sure it sounds great.

If you're interested in it, check it out at www.vinylnirvana.com.

Beautiful AR Turntable pics from Dan Muzquiz

My buddy Dan Muzquiz of Blackbird Audio Gallery in San Diego sent me these pictures of a beautiful AR turntable. Dan says, "Since you're into older/vintage turntables I thought I'd share a few photos of my cousin's AR turntable. It's fitted with a Signet tonearm, Rega Elys 2 cartridge and Funk Firm Achromat."

Enjoy!

One-of-a-kind Rosewood AR turntable

Here's a rosewood version of the AR turntable from the '80s. It's not just rare...it's the only one of its kind. It's featured on the Vinyl Nirvana site and has a very interesting story behind it. Apparently AR wanted to test several different kinds of veneer before they went with the walnut. This was the one made from rosewood and wound up in the hands of an AR employee, who kept it for many years. He sold it to David Archambault, the owner/proprietor of Vinyl Nirvana.

You can read the entire story here: http://www.vinylnirvana.com/ar_gallery_rose.shtml.

I would grab this one in a heartbeat, too...but it's practically priceless. What a beautiful turntable.

SOLD!

I just checked the Vinyl Nirvana website (at vinylnirvana.com) to see if any more interesting AR turntables were for sale, and I noticed that the beauty I talked about last week was sold. I wonder if it was purchased by anyone I know. So if you were thinking about buying it, too late! If the person who bought it reads this blog, send me a note. I'd really enjoy hearing about your experience buying, receiving, setting up and playing this gorgeous machine.

Completely stock AR "The Turntable"

Now this is the AR turntable, known simply as "The Turntable" that I had back in 1983. This one is completely stock, even with the original so-so tonearm from AR. It's hard to find one like this that's still in this good of a condition, so it's a real find.

Again, this is from David Archambault's Vinyl Nirvana site (http://www.vinylnirvana.com/), and it can be yours for just $675 shipped. I know, I know...I paid only $300 for mine when I purchased it new. But I've seen AR 'tables like this one fetch close to $1000 on e-Bay, which is obscenely high. This one, fully checked out and restored, is a bargain at the price. You can buy a Rega P2 with an Ortofon 2M Red for about as much money, and you'll have a slightly better-sounding 'table in my opinion, but it won't have the coolness factor. When I had my AR turntable, people constantly walked up to it and admired it. All that wood, quite frankly, is tactile and gorgeous. My old black Rega Planar 3 was a little drab by comparison.

Again, I'd highly recommend this 'table to anyone in the market. Just don't put a Grado cartridge on it or it will hum like a mofo (something I found out when I tried to put an 8M Signature on mine back in 1983). Get an Ortofon like the X5-MC or the 2M Blue and you'll be happy for a long, long time.

Want to see the coolest AR turntable ever?

It's the "Over the Edge" AR from Eric Whitacre of Sound of the Wood (soundofthewood.com). Just thought you'd like to see it.

Modded AR Turntable from Vinyl Nirvana!

Look at this beauty! It's an AR ES-1 turntable with a custom cherry base, a Rega arm and a Merrill platter. It's difficult to even know it's an AR!

It's currently for sale at Vinyl Nirvana (http://www.vinylnirvana.com/), my favorite site for restored vintage turntables. Here's the description:

"I am truly excited to offer this table. Someone is going to be VERY happy.

"The AR the Turntable is one of those tables that makes my heart beat faster. It has looks that demand attention. When I recently acquired one with badly damaged veneer, I commissioned a finish carpenter friend to build a new cherry veneer plinth. What you see before you in these pictures is the finished product: one of the most gorgeous AR tables I have offered.

"As a mix of old and new, this table is cosmetically a 9.0 on a scale of 1-10. The cherry veneer plinth is in as new condition.I listed the table as 9.0 overall because the "guts" of the table are used.

"In terms of mods, this table has it all: used Merrill lead mat and acrylic platter, used Merrill outer record clamp, new MS record weight, new co-polymer armboard, and a new co-polymer 33/45 pulley. In addition, the springs, grommets, and studs were also replaced. Do the math based upon the pricing on my AR MODS page, and you can see this unit is an unbelievable value!"

The price on this gorgeous TT is just $1475 shipped! Wow! If I was in the market...


I had an AR ES-1 'table from 1983, when I was still in college, to 1993, when I switched to a Rega Planar 3. Along with the Naim NAIT 2, it was one of those componnts I label "The One That Got Away." By the time I traded it in, I had removed the bottom board (a worthwhile and free tweak), I had replaced the stock arm (crappy) with a Premier MMT, and I mounted the still-available Ortofon X5-MC cartridge. That was a fine rig, and when I switched to the Rega it almost felt like a lateral move. Perhaps I was just tired of looking at it after a decade. But I wish I still had it.