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Reviewers:
Marja & Henk
Financial Interests: click here
Review component retail: $1,800

It has been almost three years since we first reviewed the Furutech DeMag. It is also almost three years now since an avalanche of hate mail began arriving at our electronic mailbox. Almost 100% percent of the hate mail called us mad, crazy or any other denomination of the most sorry mental dysfunctional states you care to imagine. Why? Because we had the guts to write about a device priced at $2,000 that was designed to demagnetize CDs and, worse, vinyl records!


What idiots would claim that a piece of plastic—vinyl—had magnetic properties to begin with, let alone that treating it on a $2K device would solve the—imaginary—problem? It is always nice to shoot the messenger. But it were not only your intrepid two Dutch reviewers who got denounced three years ago for the surprise capabilities of the UFO-shaped degausser from Japan. Michael Fremer of Stereophile can’t live without his sound-enhancing device either. Whenever he mentions it in writing, Fremer continues being ridiculed for giving his vinyl a DeMag treat by those who never experienced the device.


Just like Mr. Fremer, these bruthas and sistahs in crime stick to theirs, use it and listen ever so happily. That is, until a few months ago. It was then that we had opportunity to acquire a threesome of Thorens turntables consisting of a TD 160, a TD 160BC MkII and a TD124. The first two are fitted with SME III arms and an ADC VLM and Dynavector 20B2 cartridge respectively. The idler wheel table uses a TP16 arm which will host a Zu DL103 Grade 2 once the Thorens is ready. All three tables are heavily modified by their former owner who sold them off. The reason he sold them? He transferred all his vinyl to—hold on!—MP3 files for mobile use. He’s happy with it and enjoys all of his music while taking long walks on the beach. Try that with a 12-inch slab of vinyl, let alone hundreds of them.


We’re happy too. All three tables are in a great cosmetic shape and need just a bit of oil, a little adjustment here and there and some new wiring. One table is finished and makes real music with our growing collection of vinyl. As interconnect to the versatile Tri TRV EQ3SE phono preamp, we use an ASI LiveLine cable. Just like all of this brand’s cables, it's not shielded. Amazingly but not surprisingly with anything Franck Tchang, it is dead quiet even in our EMF polluted residence. For a solid foundation, the table sits on an ASI Acacia shelf.