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Whenever all three guitars play loudly, it seemed to trigger small resonances in the Transrotor’s arm. The immaculate image capture during the quieter passages then blurred a bit and the individual guitars began to bleed into one another. Perhaps this in fact matched the desired artistic effect by acquiring a minor wall-of-sound character which the musicians would probably have considered perfectly respectable. That said my Loricraft Garrard with Alphason HR100S arm and Ortofon Cadenza Black maintained the overview longer than the Crescendo as dispatched. This comparison was a bit unfair of course since the Ortofon's price exceeds the Merlo by a factor of three and if the arm were still in production, it’d weigh in the same or even fourfold. Clearly this was apples to pears.
Yet I took the opportunity of this A/B again with a Rickie Lee Jones 10er. The EP Girl at her Volcano is overall from introspective to gloomy but on “Under the Boardwalk” Jones emits a bit of joie de vivre. The Crescendo captured her always hesitant slightly hooded vocals in believably untainted fashion. In addition this number is lively and upbeat in general. Timing with the Garrard was more feathery. Over the Transrotor it simply had the greater swing. Sonically I couldn’t exactly point my finger at why since the Crescendo committed no mistakes. Even so the subtle vocal emphasis and phrasing nuances which reveal the innate swing in Jones’ vocalizing were better teased out by the Garrard. Yet the Transrotor’s vocal timbre felt less colored than over my own deck which here gets slightly hollow. Truth of timbre with the German was extraordinarily high.


I routinely rely on “On your way down” from Louis Tillett’s Ego Tripping at the Gates of Hell because sibilants and other hissing sounds of this recording can get problematic. As you’d expect from the above, this was less magnified than with my reference. Yet this number emphasized the many strengths of the Crescendo. Vocals, guitar and piano were cleanly rendered. Penned by Allen Toussaint, many artists have covered this song and Little Feat for example have a lovely version. The lyrics revolve around keeping one’s nose level since the folks one abuses on the way up will be met again on the way down. Tillett delivers that with a voice that’s both resigned and fiercely determined. And the Transrotor captured that emotional split par excellence. Tillett was believable and had plenty of expressiveness.


Those already familiar with my fairaudio contributions will know that my household is fond of Tchaikowsky’s Peter and the Wolf on Barenboim’s reading with the English Chamber Orchestra and Loriot as the narrator. Juxtaposing the two decks for a final round here served the Transrotor best. It parlayed far more of the orchestral might, had the lower bass, portrayed the grander panorama and created more tension. The three tympani which symbolize the hunting guns had bigger bellies, dynamic range was larger and the dramatic elements were heightened. The bassoon which stands in for the grandfather appeared farther back on a broader and deeper stage yet was more precisely lit. The Transrotor conveyed the impression of facing a real orchestra in a real venue for again bona fide HighEnd.


Conclusion. My very first HighEnd record player was a Transrotor Delight in the 80s. I was very gratified to again cross paths with a deck from the house of Räke after so many years. And the Crescendo didn’t disappoint. It kept the firm’s reputation alive. It’s not easy to determine individual contributions of a delivered package. Interdependence of turntable, arm and pickup reminds us of their mechanical nature and that they influence each other in occasionally unpredictable ways. Even so I’m confident that certain elements assessed as limitations of the delivered grouping could be avoided with different arms and/or cartridges.


For instance I recognized the arm’s tendency to impact the upper mids/lower highs when an LP unleashes lots of energy from previous showings. And a needle cut to a far sharper profile like Transrotor’s own Merlo Reference should resolve sibilants better whilst transferring more energy into the arm itself. But it seems more productive to approach this deck as a complete package whilst focusing on its great many strengths. Be it the TMD bearing or other construction details, the soundstage is rock stable. Nothing wanders or drifts regardless of what goes on in the groove. The overall sound is lively and of very low distortion and the stage is neither shaded nor artificially lit up. Voices and instruments exhibit natural timbres. The deck is rhythmically clean and bass and drums play properly in the pocket. A particular forté is the bass which is abysmally low, well articulated and free of resonance.


Whilst the eternal audiophile dilemma remains—wondering whether significantly costlier arm and cart combos would transcend minor limitations—my core criterion of whether I appreciate a specific component or not is simple: Am I touched by the music or am I left cold? With the Transrotor the answer was unequivocal. The music touched me. The Crescendo was fully subservient to a turntable’s key task of erecting an empty stage upon which the music can unfold unhindered to pull at the listener’s heart strings. The Crescendo delivered in quantity what fascinates so many listeners about unsuspended high-mass tables.

Psych profile. The Transrotor Crescendo…
  • is brilliantly assembled. Whether acrylic or metal, all component parts are cleanly machined and flawlessly polished.
  • is quickly and precisely set up with the included guide even though the motor is separate from the plinth.
  • promises an extensive useful life due to the manufacturer’s ongoing commitment to long discontinued models.
  • convinces sonically with clean low bass and very natural timbres. The treble with Transrotor’s Merlo cart is gently diminished.
  • impresses with broad dynamic range and impulsive response.
  • recreates natural and artificial hall sound well. Imaging is very stable and performers don’t drift even during powerful groove modulations.
  • shines with the stock TA-800S arm on liveliness and low distortion which had me accept in trade the occasional minor roughness and minorly flattened stage during powerful transients or high recorded levels.
  • plays it ‘safe’ with the chosen stock combo of TA-800S arm and Merlo cart to sacrifice a tad of treble resolution on the altar of long-term comfort.

Facts:

  • Concept: High-mass table with acrylic/aluminium plinth, AC synchro motor with external PSU, 33.3/45RPM
  • Trim: Black or white
  • Dimensions and weight: 51x39x22cm (WxDxH), circa 25kg
  • Other: includes Konstant Studio PSU, TMD magnetic bearing, record weight – second arm board optional, various arm boards available
  • Website
redaktion @ fairaudio.de