TT23

Product overview

The Soulines tt23 is a manually operated turntable with an electronically controlled DC motor, two selectable record speeds, an acrylic platter, an inverted stainless-steel main bearing, and a three-point-coupled aluminium sub-plinth. Soulines describes it as a compact model developed using solutions from its higher-level tt42 and Kubrick DCX turntables.

The tt23 includes a pre-mounted Soulines KiVi M3 tonearm. Soulines says that a suitable cartridge and phono interconnect are required to complete the playback system; the product is not documented as including a cartridge.

Drive system

The drive system uses an electronically controlled DC motor. The published operating speeds are:

• 33.33 rpm.

• 45.00 rpm.

Speed selection and start/stop are controlled by toggle switches. Soulines also specifies fine speed adjustment for both speeds, but does not publish the adjustment range or resolution.

The manufacturer does not publish numeric specifications for wow and flutter, rumble, absolute speed accuracy, motor torque, or speed-regulation bandwidth. Those values are therefore not stated here.

Platter and bearing

The platter is:

• 40 mm thick.

• 3.5 kg in mass.

• Machined from cast acrylic.

Its upper surface includes a 1.0 mm-deep recess for the record label, intended to allow an LP to sit flat on the platter. Soulines supplies a record clamp for securing the record to the platter.

The main bearing is an inverted design manufactured from solid stainless steel. Soulines specifies:

• Stainless-steel upper outer cup.

• Brass spindle sleeve.

• Polished stainless-steel spindle.

• Delrin thrust pad.

• Captive hardened-steel ball bearing.

The sub-platter is machined from Delrin, also identified as POM engineering plastic, and is rigidly secured to the main bearing.

Soulines states that the platter and bearing are designed to provide smooth rotation and “rumble and noise free performance.” This is a manufacturer description; no independent rumble measurement is supplied on the official product page.

Plinth and mechanical structure

The tt23 uses a multilayer main plinth made from:

• Cast acrylic.

• Delrin/POM.

• Aluminium.

An aluminium sub-plinth carries the main bearing and arm board. It is coupled to the main plinth at three points using rubber-cork washers of different thicknesses and diameters. The motor assembly is machined from Delrin/POM and is rigidly mounted to the main plinth.

The turntable is supported by three adjustable Delrin/POM cones. Soulines states that rubber-cork washers at the cone interfaces are used to control vibration transmission and assist coupling to the supporting surface.

The published finishes are:

• Ice white.

• Powder-coated silver-aluminium colour.

KiVi M3 tonearm

The included KiVi M3 is a pivoted tonearm using Soulines’ captive-unipivot bearing arrangement. The bearing consists of three hardened stainless-steel balls and a precision-machined stainless-steel pivot retained in a Delrin cup. Soulines states that this arrangement is intended to avoid the unwanted skating behaviour associated with a conventional unrestrained unipivot bearing.

The arm tube and upper bearing yoke are machined as one piece from a solid Delrin/POM block. The tonearm also incorporates:

• A mass-loaded aluminium lower bearing-yoke section.

• Stainless-steel stabilisers.

• An adjustable counterweight assembly.

• Adjustable VTA.

• Adjustable cartridge azimuth.

• Thread-type anti-skate.

• An aluminium-alloy headshell.

• A grounding provision through the headshell insert.

Soulines states that four stainless-steel counterweights are supplied in matched pairs to accommodate cartridges from 5 g to 15 g, with vertical tracking force adjustable to tenths of a gram.

Soulines’ separate KiVi M3 page describes the arm as supplied without an interconnect cable when purchased separately. For the tt23, the product page says the tonearm is included pre-mounted but does not clearly list a supplied interconnect cable; I therefore do not assume that one is included.

Supplied accessories

The tt23 is supplied with:

• SA Cover, an acrylic dust cover.

• tt Clamp, a record clamp.

• Protractor LP, a cartridge-alignment tool incorporating Baerwald, Löfgren, and Stevenson geometries.

Soulines specifies that the alignment tool is printed on 300 g paper.