This can be minimized by use of the manufacturer's metal tonearm mounting plate, clamping it as hard as possible to the turntable frame. Unlike the Linn Sondek, however, it also seems to lose a slight amount of natural midrange life or dynamics. Like most freely floating-suspension turntables I have tested, the Oracle tends to reduce bass energy in comparison with other designs. Audiophiles will be equally pleased by the combined cartridge alignment protractor and stroboscope for setting turntable speed, which can be set precisely at the back of the turntable.Īs for the sound, the only real weakness lies in a loss of deep bass, and a problem with record damping: the Delphi II cannot damp the record without losing a slight amount of life and dynamics. The SOTA and VPI are better, but not by much.Īudiophiles who change tonearms can now select the precise set of springs to tune the turntable to a particular tonearm, and the instructions for doing so are now very well-written indeed. Anyone who, in the past, found the Delphi to have wow and flutter problems, or vulnerability to furniture vibration or floorboard movement, will find it has improved significantly. I can't advise you on the merits of each of these features, but the overall result is significant. It also uses a new molybdenum disulphide oil.

The Delphi II uses a slightly thicker base, and has a new spring suspension system which does a better job of preventing acoustic breakthrough. The DC motor on the Delphi II is now a Pabst motor, the motor first used on the $2500 Oracle Premiere its drive is smoothed by a capacitor bank, and the motor has a 1 lb flywheel carefully balanced at the factory the inertia provides better speed accuracy. Earlier Delphi motors were noisy or had quality-control problems. These improvements include much easier setup procedures (although far more fuss and bother than the SOTAs and VPI), and a better motor, suspension, and top plate. It also adds enough sonic improvements to the original Delphi that it ranks close to the VPI HW-19, and is superior, in naturalness of sound quality, to the SOTA Star Sapphire. It is a visually stunning product, retaining a level of styling that, in my view, has never been equalled by any other audio component. The Oracle Delphi Mk.II ($1250) is both a turntable and work of art.

Floating record player shelf