Reference Lenco MKII
Marion K.; Texas
January 2016
Now that my TJN Reference Lenco MKII has my two tonearms aboard, serious listening time has ensued. And I have loved every moment, with these adjectives certainly applicable: BLISSFUL, ENGAGING, DULCET, NIRVANIC, ECSTATIC, EXHILARATING but most importantly, WARMTH.
Admittedly, I am not the audio expert who can identify PRaT, Slam and other analog related terminology, but I feel I know a good thing when I “hear it”. Similar to listening to George Szell conduct the Cleveland Orchestra in ANYTHING or Furtwangler conduct Beethoven in glorious mono, once you have heard EXCELLENCE, you unequivocally understand.
This, in essence, has been my experience over the last two months. With classical music as my flashpoint I will straightaway say I have heard instruments I have never heard before; a harp, second clarinet, oboe, piccolo and separated strings choirs among others, have all made their appearance, and in doing so, imbued the music with the magisterial sounds the composer intended.
And perhaps hearing the “missing instruments” noted above has something to do with the uninterrupted FLOW of music, as an icy stream swiftly moves on a cold, wintry day. The TJN Reference renders this endeavor with ease as everything disappears but the music and I am left listening in awe and wonder.
To wit: listening to the incandescent Linda Ronstadt/Nelson Riddle LP collaboration from 1986, “For Sentimental Reasons”, Thelonious Monk’s seminal masterpiece, “Round Midnight”, I heard for the FIRST TIME very, very softly, Nelson Riddle count out, ONE, TWO, THREE… before the music commenced. I have NEVER, EVER heard this before, and I have listened to this fine LP many, many times on my old Basis 2000/Benz Micro table/cart.
My last impression of this singular and unrivalled turntable: the TJN Reference MKII, is in the challenge of tutti, whether orchestral, choral or all-out classic rock. This takes not only considerable skill for an ensemble, especially in orchestration, but to pull off successfully in an analog recording; that is, to hear tutti CLEARLY and CLEANLY without congestion or cacophony requires the turntable to perform yeoman work.
The turntable must have the torque, YES, torque, to move the stylus comfortably through the tutti passages without losing the precise speed . MOST, if not all belt-drive turntables LOSE speed in the tutti realm, and one is left hearing LESS than the music. To me, music loses its grandeur, its glory and majesty, when the notes are not all there, CLEARLY.
But oh, the rewards, the dragon’s lair so to speak; it’s all there, and more. You will hear music as you have NEVER heard it before. And you will smile, knowing this is the way music should really, really sound.
The TJN Reference Lenco MKII. Period.