![]() ![]() But it then occurred to me that Savic was being polite by ignoring my initial stupidity: any sort of frame or template or spacer used to position the motor relative to the deck would violate the near-total isolation offered by the present hands-off set-up. We discussed the notion of supplying the Quasar with a spacer or template to help the customer to locate the motor relative to the deck (the owner's manual suggests a not-sufficiently-precise-by-my-reckoning '225-230mm' from spindle to pulley), and then to centre it. If isolating the motor from the turntable was a major part of the original impetus for creating belt-drive decks in place of the once dominant idler-drive deck, then Quasar has taken the concept as far as it can go. By relegating it off-campus, there is simply no way that motor noise or vibration can interfere with the deck itself. The external motor unit is an obvious example. Nothing about the Quasar's design philosophy is bizarre, outre, odd or jarring. Even the deluxe versions with gold plated parts and marble-llok base plates remain tasteful and understated, despite suffering a verbal description which could apply to the bathroom in an upscale bordello. But it's so damned svelte that it never seems massive, even in double-limb form, the chrome and brass and acrylic blending together with surprising harmony. If you opt for two arms and the width increases to 370mm because both arms are mounted so as to extending past the ends of the baseboard and look like they're floating. In basic, single-arm form, the Quasar has a 545x325mm (WxD) footprint, and you must allow another 300mm or so for the motor unit. It's deceptively large, especially if the standalone motor assembly is relegated to the importance of an afterthought when you do your planning. ![]() ![]() To these are fitted a pair of rods which make this turntable so truly user-friendly: the rods support the armboard and bearing, both of which can be moved with ease to allow the Quasar to support two arms, 12in arms, whatever the owner cares to match to the basic structure. ![]() But the Quasar LE looks as right as it gets, with a cylinder at each corner, connected by transverse bars. It's doubtful whether or not there's any truth to that belief, since the worlds of hi-fi, motoring, etc, are full of aesthetic triumphs which are functional failures, like Lancia Gammas and Strathearn turntables. But I did watch as Predrag Savic unpacked it and noted that the device's simplicity and elegance combined not just to make set-up straightforward and intuitive, but to work at proving the adage that if something looks right, it is right. Sound By Design sent the base model to us for the review, the £1780 Quasar LE, fitted with a Helius tonearm and needing no setting up on my part. But first, Why The Quasar Stops People Dead In Its Tracks. This isolationism, though, presents a minor problem, as the Quasar doesn't arrive with a template to help you locate the motor precisely. The motor itself, situated completely 'outboard', is detached as much as is possible without defying reality it's physically linked to the Quasar only by the belt. The complete works are there for all to see, with four spring-filled pillars supporting a frame which carries the bearing/platter assembly and the armboard. It's not that farfetched, either, as the Quasar is virtually 'plinthless' like the Oracle, as well as most Michells and a few other belt-driven alternatives to the more conventional Linns, Roksans and the like.
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