Harry B., Ontario CANADA
Reference Lenco Owner:
Being very comfortable with a Forsell Air Reference turntable for almost 10 years, I was somewhat sceptical about the buzz that was going on with idler drives and mostly ignored it (home despot thread). How can this be better than what is available on the market’s top line tables? DIY guys tossing out their uber pricey belt drives?
It all started about 2 years ago when I received a call from Arthur Salvatore (high-endaudio.com) asking if I would entertain having Jean audition his personal rebuilt Lenco in my home. Yes, I am the third person mentioned in Arthur’s lengthy Lenco blog on his website. Sure, why not, nothing to lose here.
After auditioning the Forsell for Jean, it was time to swap tables, re-install the same cartridge and listen again. I had it my mind that the Forsell would clobber the Lenco. It didn’t happen. The Lenco’s pace and rhythm was astonishing to say at least, ploughed through notes with a constant timing that I never experienced before. Most sonic parameters were outstanding, though the Forsell held ground in some areas such as immediacy and high frequency extension.
Jean went back to the drawing board and kicked it up a notch for my own custom Nantais Lenco. Plinth and stock platter were slightly modified. After receiving this table, it was mounted with an ET-2 linear bearing arm, hard wired and 19 PSI operation. From this point on the Forsell was put away indefinitely. Everything that I experienced from the original audition was there and the further refinements Jean made corrected the earlier Lenco’s limitations. I was really liking this!
Several months had passed when Jean informed me that he had developed a new “Super Bearing”. I had one set aside for his next trip to my place along with the new “Reference Lenco” purchased by Arthur Salvatore. Upon Jean’s arrival, we spent several hours listening to my Lenco. Then it was on to the bearing change. It immediately came clear that the Lenco had changed for the better. The soundstage took on a greater sense of air and presence. Individual localization of the musicians and instruments with lack of homogenization was superb. In a nut shell, everything improved. The bearing upgrade made a profound improvement.
Jean’s newly developed plinth and styling of the Reference Lenco was a radical change from his earlier designs. Fit and finish took on a new standard. It’s what I heard coming from the lp grooves through my audio system, and later at Arthur’s, that bowled me over again. Mounted with the Graham Phantom II and my ZYX Airy 3 cartridge, the Reference Lenco does both frequency extremes with greater extension and control. Low level detail, body, and the overall naturalness of the sound reproduction was stunning. Bass response from my ML CLS’s was like nothing I ever experienced before from these stats. Musical notes and decays seemed to hang there forever. Arthur has an extensive review of this table and idler’s in general on his web site. I too now own the same combination. I was that impressed!
I’m happy to say that Jean’s Lenco rebuilds has made a big impact on my perspective of turntables currently available. You owe it to yourself to audition one.