Townshend Elite Rock Turntable

Showing platter and clamp operation as well as using the damping trough.

[@Fontsman]

I had this and then moved onto it's big brother the Rock Reference. That was a monster of a table with astonishing bass control and high frequency separation.

[@northernsoutherner2394]

Well explained and what a cool design. I'm pleased to have owned one from new!

[@andygibson9232]

I have had the priviledge to have listened to one of these...It's owner then dicovered CD audio, figured it was and still is far superior, and got rid of it !

[@chrisfromri2892]

1. When using the White Washer with the Clamp it is NECESSARY to tighten the clamp very firmly, otherwise the record will not make contact with the platter all of the way around its perimeter (some part will remain lifted away from the platter). This resolves most warped records. If you have a perfectly flat record then the White Washer need not be used and then, and only then, the Clamp can be quite loosely tightened. Anyone that says otherwise should talk with Max Townshend, and/or keep their wrong advice to themselves. 2. Rube Goldberg made some amazing and amusing inventions on paper. However the Townshend Elite Rock is instead an actual device using a clever approach to place the damping medium as close as physically possible to the source of the stylus vibrations needing to be damped - the Low Compliance Moving Coil Cartridge. Many felt the damping trough and headshell mounted paddle was too cumbersome for them to operate and that's fine, however, that doesn't refute the efficacy of this unique damping arrangement!

[@colespencer3386]

I just picked up a Rock mark 2 and want to change out the bearing oil, but I don't have the manual and don't know what oil viscosity and type to use. Also it is missing the drive belt and wondered where you may have picked up a replacement belt at a reasonable price.

[@gurpreetsingh18]

Oh God, This is so complicated, why cant things be kept simple!

[@chrisfromri2892]

I guess simple people prefer simple solutions. Seriously though, vinyl records are a very imperfect music medium and the "complexity" of this turntable is all about maximizing the sound reproduction you can get from imperfect vinyl records. They sound quite better on this turntable than on all of the various Technics turntables, so it works. Also, the fluid damping trough concept used here at the headshell/front end of the tonearm is much more effective than damping at the base/rear of the tonearm as many others do, because the fluid damping needs to be closer to the source of the errant energy (the cartridge) to be very effective.

[@EliteRock]

!!!!!!! *Do NOT crank the clamp down like that!!* !!!!!! Just a couple of light twists with thumb and forefinger when the clamp meets the label is all that's needed to push the edge of a record down into intimate contact with the platter, even the concave side of badly dished ones (just hunker down and watch them as you do so) and that's *all that is necessary for optimal playback,* arguably better-sounding than with the disc clamped hard to the platter, and you won't be needlessly fretting out the thread in the *soft brass* sub-platter hub .