Punt on a Roksan Radius 5.1

[Mr Compo]

I'd like to get into Vinyl and have been keeping my eyes open for a decent deal or 2nd hand buy. One of my local shops has a Roksan Radius 5.1 Acrylic, its new boxed and with Nima arm, I'm not sure of the cartridge but he says it has one. Unfortunately the shop won't let me audition or return unless faulty as he doesn't want to open it. He's looking for £500 which seems like a steal but I don't like the idea of purchasing un-auditioned.

I currently have Leema Pulse amp and Stream cd player with Spendor A5 speakers. I've fancied getting into vinyl for a while but I'm concerned that a budget Project or Rega will not be able to compare to my existing Leema Stream CD and so will not give vinyl a fair chance - hence the inclination to take a punt on the Roksan, especially as it is a 'statement' piece of hi-fi.

Has anyone any experience of the Roksan Radius 5.1?

How does it compare to the well reviewed Radius 5.2?

Anything else out there I should be considering?

I'm hoping to get improved timing out of my system, improved stereo imaging and separation between the instruments. In particular I'm hoping to get a sound that works better with dance music, I'm currently extremely satisfied with how it caters with rock and acoustic albums.

 

[Anonymous]

The guy in the shop is a bit of an idiot then. You obviously have some great equipment and the kind of money you have spent of course you should be able to make sure it all matches your expectations. I think the magazines have this perception that the shops treat their customers like they are royalty and really take the time to help a customer. Sadly no shop I have ever known treats their customers with enough attention except for Lexus. The more expensive shops they recommend don't give much great advice and just charge full whack for everything. They only start to listen if your planning to spend thousands. FACT

 

[fatboyslimfast]

Sounds a little strange, and I'm hearing warning bells - I'm sure it would have to have been opened for someone to fit the cartridge, unless it's a Roksan Corus. I don't think Roksan sold the Radius V as a "Ready to go" package IIRC.

£500 is a very good price, but given the original retail (over £1k), I'd be wanting to open it in the shop and go over it with a fine toothcomb to make sure there was nothing amiss before walking out of the shop.

I think that what you are asking of it is maybe a little much, compared with your Leema. Certainly it would depend on what cartridge is on there, as this can make a big difference to the imaging and instrumental separation.

The Radius V I had was good on detail, but I didn't think its timing was top-class, although I did have the maple version so there could be some differences there.

Also, the lack of a lid was a dusting nightmare.

 

[Charlie Jefferson]

I completely echo the reservations already made about the conditions of sale, but with regard to the deck itself I rate it highly.

True, I have ummed and aaarhed about upgrading but I've now had my Radius for three years and it's great. With one or two caveats. Mine was second hand and came with a cheap Ortofon cartridge, which I replaced with a Goldring 2400. That was a good move. As was a change in phono stage, from a Graham Slee to a MUsical Fidelity. So yes, I've thrown some extra cash in an attempt to maximize it's performance.

On a good day, with a decent piece of vinyl, it equals and sometimes surpasses my digital playback. My CDP is of slightly lower calibre probably, but my DAC takes it to another level, yet I'm still extremely happy with the deck's performance when up against CDP->DAC or Mac->DAC files.

(Mine's the acrylic version, and came with the previous owner's hand-built dust cover!!)

 

[Al ears]

Hi,

I still have my 5.1 maple and I must say, at the time, it was one of the best purchases I have made for the money. I don't buy much brand new but this one was.

Excellent all-round ability but I have not heard exactly what changes they made to it to become a 5.2 except for a rather large price-hike!.

The deck is a very sound buy at that price if it is fitted with the Nima arm.

Don't let them kid you about opening the box though - it already has been as these never came pre-fitted with a cartridge as far as I am aware. Stick cash under his nose and demand he open box!