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The Viella V12 with the 12J2 tonearm is exceptional. The Benz cartridge only bore this out. Although it’s not the best turntable I know of, it does belong to a small group of analog systems (turntable + tone arm + cartridge + interconnect) which are complete finished projects. There is nothing to improve or change for instead of a step forward we will most likely move back. It is a system with which to live in peace, concentrating on buying new records where each will bring something new. Its sound is well-defined, selective and dynamic. It shows recording in a fresh new way. My only slight critique is that the excitement with particularly new recordings evoked by the turntable’s set of characteristics is present in each recording and every track. The music grabs our attention 100% all of the time. It’s impossible to read or talk while listening. Every once in a while we will turn our heads to the speakers as something suddenly jumps out of the recording. But maybe that’s a very poor reason to criticize. Isn’t that what music is all about? Maybe I’m simple getting old.
Testing methodology.
The turntable sat on the wooden shelf of the Base IV Custom rack. It was connected to two phone stages, the RCM Audio RCM Audio Sensor Prelude IC (solid state) and Manley Chinook (tube). During the entire review it was fitted with the Benz Micro LP cartridge. The distributor also provided the TCI Viper Interconnect from True Colours Industries The audition was different that usually in that I listened to whole albums instead of shorter music samples.
Design. Almost the entire turntable including the tone arm are CNC machined of high-grade aluminium at Werner Roeschlau’s factory. The plinth is 25mm thick with three adjustable retractable steel-copper spikes in aluminium feet. It features a built-in spirit level. On the right side there are three illuminated sensors to select speed – 331/3, 45 and 78rpm. Each can be finely adjusted.
One side of the plinth houses the main platter bearing. It is not a typical ball bearing but a hardened 16mm axle bearing. The two sealed radial bearings are hydro-dynamically lubricated whilst the axial bearings features static lubrication. The axle is not a regular spindle but a stainless steel sub-platter that interfaces with the 11kg aluminium platter which itself is a 318mm diameter CNC machined two-piece design with a weighted rim for enhanced flywheel effect.
The top surface is made of PVC and profiled similarly to SME turntables. i.e. right next to the spindle is a milled disc elevating the center of the record slightly. The record gets tightly clamped to the platter surface with an inverted threaded aluminium clamp. Unlike the usual threaded spindle, here it is a sleeve with internal threading. I do not like threaded clamps but this is one of the few that are precisely made and present no problems while attaching. On the other end of the plinth is a heavy component shaped as a low wide cylinder. Its outer diameter sports a gauge to quickly adjust the required distance between tone arm board and platter axle. The board is pre-drilled for AMG and Graham Engineering arms.
The motor attaches to the plinth from below. It is a Lorenzi 2-pulse low-speed brushless precision 24V DC unit with an outboard power supply. It features sintered bronze bearings, a cured and polished axis and a heavy flywheel. The motor housing decouples from the plinth via five rubber/metal mounts. The Viella is belt-driven and the pulley is made of weighted and polished stainless steel. The belt is precision rubber.
The 12” tone arm is made of a thin aircraft-quality anodized aluminium tube for resonance control with 12 grams of effective mass. The bearing is a dual-pivot design replacing the standard gimbaled bearing. The vertical bearing, similar to those used in helicopters rotor heads, uses two 0.5mm “spring steel wires” allowing fine azimuth adjustment while eliminating play. The horizontal axle is made of hardened tool steel precision ground to a backlash-free fit with a needle roller bearing. The counterweight is two pieces with a Teflon-decoupled sleeve. Internal wiring is multiple gauges of high quality copper. Antiskating is magnetic. The turntable doesn’t come with any interconnect which I think should change.
