Rockport Sirius III Turntable

[Bobolaclune]

Looks like Mike Grellman (he of the well-known Wired article on audiophiles) is putting his prized Sirius up for sale. Wonder what's replacing it? Now that's a Turntable.....

https://app.audiogon.com/listings/tu...06-danville-ca

The Audiophile Next Door Shows Off His Suburban Playground of Sound

Shodhan

[Bobolaclune]

Hah - nothing's replacing it - he said it's his "spare"......

[Bodhi]

Now that's a Turntable.....

https://app.audiogon.com/listings/tu...06-danville-ca

The Audiophile Next Door Shows Off His Suburban Playground of Sound

Shodhan

You got that right! (and i'm not even a vinyl guy)

[Bobolaclune]

You got that right! (and i'm not even a vinyl guy)

550 lbs ........ wonder how I get it down to my basement . Mark Jones is comfortable with heaving Tenor amps around , I'll get him to do it

[Mike]

550 lbs ........ wonder how I get it down to my basement . Mark Jones is comfortable with heaving Tenor amps around , I'll get him to do it

And don't forget massive speakers (Paul's Westies and Ian's M's for example).

[Bobolaclune]

You don't get off that easy Mike. You'll also be required......

[Mike]

You don't get off that easy Mike. You'll also be required......

I have people for that.

[Bobolaclune]

I live on the kindness of Friends . That way I get to maximize the audio budget.......

[cmalak]

Shodhan...the Siruis III is a truly sought-after classic. Andy should make a commemorative edition. If he does they will easily sell for $200K plus in today's market.

[Bobolaclune]

Cyril - don't make me any crazier than I am at this instant......

Mike's the one holding me back, by refusing to contribute muscle power

[cmalak]

Cyril - don't make me any crazier than I am at this instant......

Mike's the one holding me back, by refusing to contribute muscle power

[Mike]

Cyril - don't make me any crazier than I am at this instant......

Mike's the one holding me back, by refusing to contribute muscle power

Call Paul.

[pcosta]

Cyril - don't make me any crazier than I am at this instant......

Mike's the one holding me back, by refusing to contribute muscle power

Hey Shodhan

I will give you hand getting that thing in your basement. I got a 14 year old son that is strong as a horse too.

Paul

[bpw]

If he can get anything close to the asking price maybe I should consider putting up my Sirius II LE for sale. Nah.

[Mike Lavigne]

in 2002 I purchased a Rockport Sirius III; and was privilidged to own it until 2012. Mr. Grellman was the 'frontman' and handled the sale to me back then, but the owner was another audio luminary that did not want to soil his hands with the sale. I would assume this is also the case here.

when I purchased that Sirius III I had to haul it out of a basement in Marin county and there are some very heavy pieces that are quite difficult with 2 people up a narrow stairway. the Plinth is close to 200 pounds by itself. and it's packed in a wooden crate. the stand is about 150 pounds when disassembled. the other pieces are heavy but not too bad.

assembly is actually quite straight forward, and the build quality is unlike anything else ever done in high end audio; with the possible exception of the Studer A-820 RTR deck. there is no reason that it should have any issues. the only thing to consider is that the guy who designed the power supply/controller passed away a few years back. you should investigate who could repair it should it be required. the mechanicals are all super duper industrial grade and will outlive anyone reading this forum.

there is no doubt that the Sirius III is the Darth Vader of audio. from a intimidation perspective it's the bomb. and it is a great sounding turntable.

however; there is a reason I no longer own it. like any 20 year old design, there are areas of it's 'closed system' that have been bettered in the last 20 years......so it's no longer thee 'world's best' sounding tt system (just my own opinion, of course...YMMV) but it is still a great iconic piece of audio gear and I still wish I could have afforded to keep it as it will always be something very special.

[thekong]

I am fortunate enough to have acquired a Sirius II SE recently, apparently the exact one that was owned by Mike before

There are some aging parts in the pneumatic stand, which I have contacted the OEM company to get replacement.

However, the biggest problem I am facing is the user manual is incomplete, so a lot of guess work is required to do the set up.

As such, if any member, especially Mike and Brian, has a copy of the complete manual, I would be grateful if you could send me a copy.

Thank in advance!

[joeinid]

Welcome to the forum thekong! Thank you for joining.

[Mike]

Welcome and congrats!!

[Mike Lavigne]

I am fortunate enough to have acquired a Sirius II SE recently, apparently the exact one that was owned by Mike before

There are some aging parts in the pneumatic stand, which I have contacted the OEM company to get replacement.

However, the biggest problem I am facing is the user manual is incomplete, so a lot of guess work is required to do the set up.

As such, if any member, especially Mike and Brian, has a copy of the complete manual, I would be grateful if you could send me a copy.

Thank in advance!

hello thekong,

congrats on the Sirius II SE. it is a very special sounding tt and worth a bit of loving investigation and futzing. I loved my time with it back in 2001.

I will look around to see if I have any remnants of instructions. it is also possible that Andy Payor has a copy he can send you. Andy was always very helpful to me and any other Rockport owner that asked. don't be afraid to contact him and ask him questions.

best regards,

Mike

[bpw]

I am fortunate enough to have acquired a Sirius II SE recently, apparently the exact one that was owned by Mike before

There are some aging parts in the pneumatic stand, which I have contacted the OEM company to get replacement.

However, the biggest problem I am facing is the user manual is incomplete, so a lot of guess work is required to do the set up.

As such, if any member, especially Mike and Brian, has a copy of the complete manual, I would be grateful if you could send me a copy.

Thank in advance!

I'm sorry I didn't reply to your email. I've lost track of the instructions but am fairly sure Andy Payor could send them to you, so give him a call. Incidentally, there are at least a couple of places in the instructions where it is incomplete and says something like "call for information"

[Mike Lavigne]

theKong,

I did just search thru my file cabinet and came up empty. I also looked on my computer in my old files and could not find it.

sorry. I do recommend again to ask Andy Payor and you will likely get some help.

[thekong]

Thank you joeinid and Mike for the welcome!

Thank you Mike Lavigne and Brian for the advice, I will certainly give Andy Payor a call!

[avatar108]

[QUOTE=thekong;133561]Thank you joeinid and Mike for the welcome!

Thank you Mike Lavigne and Brian for the advice, I will certainly give Andy Payor a call!


Did you get a chance to speak to Andy how are you getting on with the Rockport?

[thekong]

Have been busy lately, so haven't had time to call Andy yet! But the replacement parts for the pneumatic stand have just arrived, so hopeful can start the setup in the next couple of weeks.