The important thing it to match the phono stage to the cartridge. Talk to a dealer who has experience with what works well with your chosen turntable here.
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Good point. Some, like the Dynavector, are very adjustable. Others aren’t.
I owe you a drink! thank you ever so much. Said dealer has offered to match the offer given to you. Basically it’s a £9k package a RRP and they’re selling it for £4k!!!
It works out even cheaper than the Roksan Radius 7 with the same extras from my local store!
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I know it’s an itch and I’ve tried a TT with my Atom HE but I thought it’s not really worth the outlay. With e.g. the 222, it’s a different thing. So if the Nova PE also digitalises the vinyl input, then for me it defeats the purpose of adding a higher end TT, while a lower end may suffer less but streaming is just as good or better.
So I believe with the Atom and Nova it’s really more about the experience and fun of playing vinyl - everyone is of course to decide if and how much to invest in it.
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Make sure you don’t use the older manual in the box use the latest instruction manual found here on the Roksan website Document Library - Roksan Brand Hub.
Apparently these new Xerxes have a newer more robust motor which now doesn’t have a transit bolt and the bearing and plinth levelling is different, along with the quantity of bearing oil. You now don’t need to stick a cotton bud in the bearing on first use, if you do it is likely the bud will separate from the stick and get stuck, luckily the bottom of the bearing comes undone. The bearing and motor levelling instructions are incorrect in the box manual.
I spent ages looking for the non existent transit bolt, I got a cotton bud stuck in the bearing and levelled the inner plinth correctly as per the box instructions, but incorrectly according to the newer manual, setup was a disaster but it all came right in the end after talking to Roksan.
Roksan did give a big apology, the old instructions in the box shouldn’t have been there, the simpler manual on the website should have been.
To make sure you are using the correct manual, check for a transit screw in the motor assembly, if there is one the motor should be twisted so there is tension on the spring, if not the spring will be vertical and you can twist the motor freely.
Did you get a black xerxes with a black VSC2 or the white one with a silver VSC2 or even a rosewood or one. Once setup correctly you won’t be disappointed.
In one of the several large boxes you will get a really nice quadraspire maintenance stand, which is really important in assembling the beast, as you need to work from the top and bottom at the same time. You will need to fit the following the arm and arm cable, the cartridge, the arm comes with a useful protractor to align the cartridge, the inner platter, the belt, the outer platter . All tools are provided such as Allen keys, gloves, spirit levels and so on. As along as you follow the correct instruction manual you shouldn’t go wrong, it is likely to take you 3 to 4 hours to setup, any problems contact Roksan Technical support, the dealer isn’t the greatest at providing the correct answers. When completed it should look like this
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I’ve not quite pulled the trigger yet I’ve been sent the invoice etc, don’t like the white so it’ll be red or rosewood! the power amp alone is nearly 4k RRP - crazy bargain!!!
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I use a Roksan Xerxes with my amp which digitises the sound of the TT. Digitising doesn’t change the quality of source, you can certainly tell the difference between the quality of the source device. My Vertere DG-1 TT sounded very good being digitised but the xerxes is in a whole different league. A quality TT sounds better than streaming through the amp. In my case anyway.
It is an amazing bargain and it sounds superb. Ask if they have the piano black, if that suits you better. It isn’t really that difficult to assemble as long as you use the correct manual. The VSC2 provides the power, speed control and MM/MC Phono Stage, as you say that alone is normally the price of the whole thing.
Looks great but I’d fit a fingerlift on that arm
There are many good options for that sort of money, but this looks a great offer. I often listen to a Rega P6 into a Nova - I’d say it sounds a bit different to streaming from Tidal but slightly more enjoyable.
Going A-D-A seems wrong and it may not be ideal as a permanent solution for a hi-end system, but (as Linn’s top phono stage shows) the disadvantages of that digital step may well be more theoretical than audible.
It does come with a finger lift, but I forgot to install it. Will get around to it, but to do it I have to remove and then realign the cartridge, so it’s not urgent.
There are a couple that spring to mind, a Technics 1500 retails about a thousand and Clearaudio at double that , the Roksan Attessa and I believe some of the Japanese firms include built in phono stages , usually at the budget end
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Thanks, what is the clearaudio model you allude to ?
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T + A makes a high end turntable with a phono pre inside the chassis.
T+A G2000R. 7k .
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It’s the Concept if you scroll back to around post 18/19 you will find it
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I have the Fono and love it. A lot of the phono stage are so small you can tuck them in anywhere. It’s one and done, not sure how this takes away much from the minimal boxes philosophy. Then your TT choices expand greatly
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I ran my Roksan Tabriz for 20 odd years without a finger lift, there was a time I’m sure it was suggested as a mild tweak to remove them if the arm allowed.
Looks like a great deck!
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I think you are right about it supposedly making things sound better. I have not seen any pictures of a Nima with one fitted, which is probably why I didn’t fit it. Also I have never used a finger lift even if fitted to an arm, don’t really see the point of it. The deck is outstanding VFM, at the moment it can also be had with a Sara Tonearm and a Shiraz cartridge for half of it’s £12500 price tag. The Shiraz is £3465 on its own!!
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I bought an very early Shiraz, it was £300. When I replaced it due to age I was stunned to find it was now in the thousands.
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