Thanks to you guys for writing your impression of the Radikal 2. I have to say I'm surprised. I'm thinking about a Radikal 2 later in the year as a possibility, but as I've said before, I'd be surprised if they could improve much over the Radikal 1. Surely once the speed is roughly correct, wow and flutter is reduced to more or less inaudible levels, motor noise is pretty low and there's enough torque to overcome most needle drag there's not much ground left to gain?
It seems natural to expect that the curve of progress towards a finite goal (for arguments sake, say replicating the reproduction quality of a master tape) would be asymptotic. That is, the nearer one gets towards that goal, the more the curve flattens and the more difficult it becomes to make further progress. At some point, to make any noticeable improvement ought to cost £100,000 and require ten years of research...
It could be that rather than following a curve, the course that the LP12 has taken is more of a zig-zag....? It could also be that the "euphonic colouration" (or whatever it is that we like about vinyl replay) can be improved in different directions and doesn't have such a hard limit as "the sound of the master tape".
