Some turntables close to home.
These really appeal to a lot of Germans, big, heavy, lots of chrome steel and black. The bondage gear look of high end audio ;-)
More seriously, I auditioned a few Transrotor turntables way back when I was buying a new turntable. Including the fat bob. Which, in all fairness did sound very good. They all had though what I call that signature "German" sound - on the harsher, more aggressive side. No surprises. Most Swiss made gear has a similar sound. Teutonic.
With the exception of Nagra, which I love.
I ended up buying an SME 20 with the Model 5 tonearm.
It is funny how different countries gear has different sonic signatures. The English stuff is mostly fuller, softer, more rounded. The German stuff lets you have it with the subtlety of a brick between the eyes.
Italian gear tends to be "emotional", "feely" stuff. Sonus Faber for example.
American gear, from the stuff I've heard can't be generalized, it's truly all over the place.
