TESTED: TW Acustic Raven One turntable

The ultimate in no-fuss high-performance analog performance

As with many things seen from afar, an audio critic’s life appears enviable, even romantic. All we do is sit back, wait for FedEx or UPS to drop off the next cool toy, sit back again to do some more listening to favorite tunes, scribble a few lines, sit back some more, and admire the room full of goodies that people have sent us—on loan, no less.

Well, ’t’aint exactly like that. First, the job itself is tougher than it might appear. It comes with a huge responsibility to both manufacturer and reader alike to “get it right”—meaning, to try to convey not only the sound of the product but also the nuts-and-bolts of its design and build, and the intent of the designer and builder. Second, there’s no way one is going to like, let alone enjoy, every piece of gear assigned for review. While one is obliged to “tell it like it is” to readers, one also needs to be sensitive to the manufacturer. Because more than bruised egos are at stake here—livelihoods, reputations, and careers are on the line. And though few of them would care to admit it, most audio manufacturers are satisfied with little short of a rave write-up. Added to this comes the challenge of remaining fresh and unjaded as a listener and writer—describing, with the tools at our disposal, the actual sound of a component in a way that doesn’t leave the reader feeling like he’s chewing on day-old bread. In a final irony, because most of us who write about this stuff can’t actually afford to purchase it (even at industry-accommodation prices), the day must inevitably come when that reference component one can’t imagine living without is called back to its maker.

This recently happened to me with Redpoint Audio when, after a generous loan period, the company could no longer afford to let me keep the Model D turntable that had been my reference for the past year. But sometimes you get lucky. And in one of those delightful bits of serendipity that life sometimes brings us, no sooner had I received news of the Redpoint’s imminent departure than a series of events led to the arrival of the turntable I’m reporting on today—the TW Acustic Raven One.

I’d been hearing good things about the ’tables being made by this German company, most recently from my colleague Jonathan Valin, whose review of the top-of-the-line Raven AC-3 appeared in Issue 180. As open-minded and eager as I was to hear the Raven One, it was, after all, the company’s entry-level model. Surely, I thought, it would prove to be a disappointment after I’d lived with the nearly four times as costly Redpoint Model D (reviewed by me in Issue 175); surely I’d quickly pine for the departed Redpoint; surely the Raven would be good…but not great.

Well, surely I was wrong. In no time at all the Raven One shattered every one of these preconceptions. And after living with it for many months, I have no qualms stating that the TW Acustic Raven One is one hell of a fine record player—even a great one. And at a price of $6500, though it may not be inexpensive, it is also an exceptionally fine value compared to some of its far pricier competition. Not to mince words, I’m referring here to the Redpoint Model D, which remains a superb product, but, as Bogart’s Rick Blaine said in Casablanca, at a price.

Essentially a simplified, lower-mass version of the AC-3, the Raven One uses exactly the same high-torque, microprocessor-controlled, quartz-referenced DC motor from Germany’s Pabst (in this case, one motor as opposed to the AC-3’s three, and set into the plinth rather than freestanding like the AC-3), a similar motor controller, the same belt material, and the same composite plinth material (a blend of Delrin, copper powder, and two proprietary substances). The Raven One has a similar stainless steel sub-platter (but rather than sitting atop the plinth it is set into it), the bearing uses the same materials (Teflon and stainless) but in a slightly smaller assembly, and identical arm-mounting units (a solid bar of machined bronze with a decoupled stainless-steel “doughnut” arm mount). This, the feet, and motor controller were updated shortly before press time. See the sidebar for details.

The biggest difference between the AC-3 and the Raven One, and the place where designer Thomas Woschnick was able to save mass and therefore money, is the platter. Whereas the AC-3’s proprietary composite platter, which took some five years to develop, is hollowed out, filled with some sort of mystery fluid, and capped with a copper plate, the One’s far lighter platter is made of TW’s composite material only. Finishing things off, the Raven One sits on a trio of adjustable feet and is topped by Millennium Audio’s carbon-fiber record mat. Although TW Acustic’s Web site offers a democratic view of record clamps, TW’s turntables are not supplied with one, and both Jonathan and I prefer the sound without—what I hear with a clamp or weight is a somewhat tighter, drier, and less natural presentation.