DISCLAIMER: I Havent seen a lot on this turntable around the internet so im going to be a detailed as possible. Some may be purely informational while most will be a review.
I've had this turntable for a few years now. I bought it second hand off eBay expecting something that sounded fine and looked fantastic. To my surprise i got something that was gorgeous and sounded great.
Tangential/Linear Tracking:
One of the primary features of this turntable and many other B&O turntables was the tangential tracking system or a tonarm that sits at a tangent to the tracking position. Tangential tracking turntables seemed to come and go in the 80's and early 90's. In theory a linear tracking systems should be better than a radial tracking turntables because the stylus rests in the record grooves in the same orientation as the original master cut but because many tangential turntables at the time preformed poorly the system was never really accepted. Unlike most, however, B&O appeared to have found a way to make it work. The tracking on my TX2 works quite well.
Cartridge:
The TX2 that i had purchased came with a broken stylus. Normally this would not be that big of a deal but with the TX2 and all other B&O turntables it used their proprietary cartridges. Luckily i was able to find a brand new replacement from the people at SoundSmith. This is my only gripe with this turntable. It would have been much easier to use one of the standard cartridge mounts that every other turntable uses. Regardless, I have been quite happy with this cartridge. B&O originally designed these cartridges to be extremely light weight requiring a light tracking force of about 1-1.2 grams. According to B&O this was to allow for the most detail and lessen the wear on records. Since i cant try and standard cartridges i will have to take their word for it.
Design and Features:
Just like all B&O products design is a crucial part of the finished product. The TX2 is, simply put, drop dead gorgeous. The TX2 has a full metal chasis with an aluminum top plate and platter topped with a smoked acrylic dust cover. It features automatic record size registation, automatic search functions and a fully suspended platter and tone arm eliminating any vibrations from reaching the stylus.
Sound:
The most important part of any turntable is its sound and thankfully it sound great. Im not sure whether its because of the linear tracking or custom cartridges but whatever B&O did, they did it right. The TX2 has fantastically detailed and translucent sound. It picks up on everything, which for some of my record in a poor shape is kinda bad. But for the majority of my record collection the TX2 brings everything out of the music and micro details beautifully.
Conclusion:
So, if you want a turntable that looks great and sounds just as good i would look into the TX2 or many of its other B&O brothers. This is not going to compete with $1000 turntables but i would say it can compete with thing like the Rega P1, Pro-ject III and Music Hall MMF 2.2. If you can find a TX2 for around $300, cartridge included, I think you'll be in great shape.
I've had this turntable for a few years now. I bought it second hand off eBay expecting something that sounded fine and looked fantastic. To my surprise i got something that was gorgeous and sounded great.
Tangential/Linear Tracking:
One of the primary features of this turntable and many other B&O turntables was the tangential tracking system or a tonarm that sits at a tangent to the tracking position. Tangential tracking turntables seemed to come and go in the 80's and early 90's. In theory a linear tracking systems should be better than a radial tracking turntables because the stylus rests in the record grooves in the same orientation as the original master cut but because many tangential turntables at the time preformed poorly the system was never really accepted. Unlike most, however, B&O appeared to have found a way to make it work. The tracking on my TX2 works quite well.
Cartridge:
The TX2 that i had purchased came with a broken stylus. Normally this would not be that big of a deal but with the TX2 and all other B&O turntables it used their proprietary cartridges. Luckily i was able to find a brand new replacement from the people at SoundSmith. This is my only gripe with this turntable. It would have been much easier to use one of the standard cartridge mounts that every other turntable uses. Regardless, I have been quite happy with this cartridge. B&O originally designed these cartridges to be extremely light weight requiring a light tracking force of about 1-1.2 grams. According to B&O this was to allow for the most detail and lessen the wear on records. Since i cant try and standard cartridges i will have to take their word for it.
Design and Features:
Just like all B&O products design is a crucial part of the finished product. The TX2 is, simply put, drop dead gorgeous. The TX2 has a full metal chasis with an aluminum top plate and platter topped with a smoked acrylic dust cover. It features automatic record size registation, automatic search functions and a fully suspended platter and tone arm eliminating any vibrations from reaching the stylus.
Sound:
The most important part of any turntable is its sound and thankfully it sound great. Im not sure whether its because of the linear tracking or custom cartridges but whatever B&O did, they did it right. The TX2 has fantastically detailed and translucent sound. It picks up on everything, which for some of my record in a poor shape is kinda bad. But for the majority of my record collection the TX2 brings everything out of the music and micro details beautifully.
Conclusion:
So, if you want a turntable that looks great and sounds just as good i would look into the TX2 or many of its other B&O brothers. This is not going to compete with $1000 turntables but i would say it can compete with thing like the Rega P1, Pro-ject III and Music Hall MMF 2.2. If you can find a TX2 for around $300, cartridge included, I think you'll be in great shape.
