until fairly recently, I had never heard of AR turntables. Boy, they are a thing of beauty with those beautiful wooden bases. But I'm curious about their sound and build quality, etc. How do they compare to Thorens and the higher end Pioneers and Duals?

I've got an AR reissue that I bought new in 1984(?). Mine has the AR arm on it and I'm using a Shure V15 mkV cartridge in it. I think it sounds wonderful, especially with the Shure in it.

At the time I bought mine, the AR arm wasn't thought of very highly, but it is an adequate arm, although nothing special. The hot setup at the time was an AR w/ a Rega RB-300 arm. Merrill also made some pretty nice aftermarket upgrades for them as well, but mine is stock. The RB-300 is a great arm, but a very poor combination with a Shure cartridge. The ARs are also notorious hummers with Grados, so those are out of the question too. I can imagine that a high output MC might be a good choice, but can't recommend any since my experience with my AR has been limited to the Shure.

I have been very happy with mine since I bought it and it compares very favorably with my Linn Lp-12. IMHO the AR is well up the food chain from the Duals and Pioneers, but is more on a par with the Thorens 160 and compares very favorably with them. Mine has been regularly used since new and is still in very good condition, so they hold up very well over time. The only "repair" mine has ever needed in the 20+ years that I've owned it, is a belt replacement.

It's a very good 'table!

I've got an XA and an XB. Also a few Thorens and an LP12. (I like suspended turntables!)

The ARs punch well above their weight. The tonearm is the weak point, IMO. They don't have the build quality of the Thorens or LP12, but then they cost far, far less when new.

There are a few folks out there who will mod the XA and XB, and the replacement of the stock arm with the RB-300 is a popular mod (though not particularly straightforward, since the early AR TTs have no arm board).

I'd like to try that one day and compare the result to my LP12.

The XA has a simple arm, but the platter is right up there -- the inner and outer platters fit very closely, and serve to damp each other, a nice trick that the competition can't match. And in my experience the XA is dramatically more resistant to skipping than any Thorens (or Linn if what I've heard is correct). Certainly the rudimentary looks and lack of a hinged dustcover aren't alluring, but I find the plastic parts on the Thoren's arm also depressing. And you can get XAs for significantly less than the Thorens. And dramatically less than the Linn.
Finally, there is a certain soothing pleasure in the abscence of adjustments demanding attention on the AR. You listen to the music, since there isn't anything else you can do.

Pishaw.

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=84136&d=1206380448

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=84137&d=1206380448

Linn? Thorens?

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc294/Cable_Monkey/Picture005.jpg

Not for me. :)

The Turntable, RB900 arm. I was happier with tests using an RB300 than an RB250 (both using the Tecnoweight). Then purely coincidentally an RB900 came up and there it is in pride of place. Internals have been damped, plinth veneered with maple and then lacquered for a hard durable finish. My skills don't extend to that so I had that done by www.nantwichveneers.com .