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In the end all variations were simply that, namely variations. There are lots things one can do with a so called DIY turntable, and I did it all. I also tried some bearing modifications, like a double inverted bearing using two ceramic balls, or with brass bearing well. This design later has been used for the Teres turntables. A friend of mine, Manfred Huber, designed a complete drive unit using the Maxon. Then I tried several motors, like the Maxon DC motors. I also asked Mr.Scheu to make me a Delrin platter, the same material like the TW-Akustiv Raven turntable today is made from. Then there was an oversized platter, 80mm high, but with 420mm diameter, like those for transcription records in radio stations. I tried different platters: while the standard platter is 50mm, there was also 80mm available and also, but really expensive, 100mm. I had to remove this to get more bass impact. The platters from that time had a rubber ring towards the bearing. There is nothing like a perfect thing in audio, did nobody tell you? With time passing by I realized some shortcomings, like the soft bass, and the noisy motor. This does not mean at all, that the Scheu DIY kit from then was perfect. Using the most advanced unipivot tonearm of those days, the Immedia RPMII, together with a Lyra Clavis, gave all the realism of a classic concert hall experience, the vibrating air from the reflecting walls as well as every fine detail. The Scheu, on the other hand, was less impressive in the bass, but had near perfect pitch stability, and a lot more transparency and fine resolution in the midrange and treble region. Some Verdier owners even used rubber rings to damp the platter's ringing or used eddy current brakes or friction brakes to improve pitch stability. The Platine Verdier had a powerful and impressive sound, with good resolution of the soundstage and overall good dynamics, though its pitch stability was less than perfect, and it had fine resolution grain. Although I tried several motors, and found that a current production original DC motor, borrowed from another Platine Verdier owner, sounded a lot better, the fundamental differences between Platine Verdier and Scheu were obvious. Well it does not imply that the Platine Verdier is really worse than an acrylic platter DIY kit, but my Platine Verdier was a used one, and presumably in not optimal condition. Of course I sold the Platine Verdier half a year later. This is what all visitors said to me: "Sell the Platine Verdier, the Scheu is much better. We did several times a pure turntable comparison, transporting tonearm and cartridge from the Scheu to the Platine Verdier and back. All friends came by and got a listen to these turntables. The following months had been very interesting, I had a lot of tonearms to play with at that time, and did a lot of comparisons. I could not have been luckier, buying two top turntables for not that much money. It happened that two months later, being in Paris/France for holidays, I had the luck to get my hands on a used Platine Verdier, directly from Maison de L'Audiophile. I took the next opportunity to meet Thomas Scheu personally and bought a whole combination with tear drop shaped steel base and motor with case for less than 2000 DEM. Think 1 DEM was about 50ct, be it EUR or USD. This turntable was considerably cheap and available as DIY kit, platter was 350 DEM at that time, bearing the same, a motor with pulley and regulation, but without case and wall power supply around 100 DEM. It gave so much detail and rightness of the music, that my Garrard 401 sounded veiled compared to it. I was immediately impressed by the qualities of the Scheu turntable. I took my then Garrad 401, SME 3012/2, Denon 103 combo and had a good listen at the costumer's place here in Munich. Thomas gave me the opportunity to listen at one of his customer's place. He gave me Thomas Scheu's phone number, and we immediately made contact. It was back in 1997, that a fellow audiophile told me about a new phantastic turntable, and that I should gave it a listen. I was pleased to take the turntable home after the show, and there it stayed for lots of listening experiences. I had been long aware of Scheu turntables, even had a lot of them during a five years period, but it was last year when I met Ulla Scheu at the High End show in Munich, that she offered me her newest top turntable for review. Product: Scheu "Das Laufwerk No.2" turntable Scheu "Das Laufwerk No.2" review - Scheu "Das Laufwerk No.2" Legacy and Masterpiece