Transrotor Fat Bob TMD Reference Turntable

$9,500.00
Current stock: 0

Transrotor Fat Bob Reference TMD Turntable. Sonic delight.

Now at True Audiophile.

"This is an analog front-end that I was loathe to return … after having it in my system for a few weeks. This roughly 85lbs behemoth of stainless steel, aluminum and brass, with its magnetic-bearing technology, had definitely cast a spell on me, and in a way changed how I critically listen to turntables.

I cannot stress enough how rock-solid the foundation is that the Fat Bob provided the SME and Koetsu. Sound-staging was wide, deep and gave instruments and voices ample room to interact, plenty of space around everything, I never felt like an acoustic guitar was in competition with a bass guitar for clarity, rather, instruments and voices were in a constant complimentary cycle. The Koetsu and SME worked seamlessly together to provide a startlingly clear window into every nuance of the performance on any LP I threw at it; and I threw a lot of variation at this combo to see if I could make it take a misstep or trip up, strain or lose its way. Regardless of what I played, the kit threaded its way with accuracy, aplomb and emotional intensity." -- Rafe Arnott, Part Time Audiophile Review

The Transrotor Fat Bob Reference is the upgrade to the Fat Bob S. A minimalist turntable purely built for sonics and simplicity. The massive base and platter is optimized to minimize resonance. It has a 7 lb Transrotor magentic bearing thus magnetic drive.  Fit, finish and technology that far surpasses its price. It has Transrotor magnetic drive system which is a Transrotor original technology. Others are just coming out with copies of this superb technology. But copies are never as good as the original. This drive system began with Transrotor tables priced at $100,000. In corporating this into a table that cost $9500 is amazing.* Arm and Cartridge not included.

Even the most stance critics admit the Fat Bob series sounds superb.

  • Transrotor Fat Bob S features:Metal turntable constructed from aluminum, stainless steel and brass
  • Plinth/Base: 50 mm thick, 32 mm wide stable aluminum alloy with an optimized design to minimize resonance
  • TMD bearing: 7 lb Transrotor magnetic bearing
  • Large tonearm base, which is fastened to the base, is designed to further minimize resonance
  • Inverted hydro dynamic oil fed bearing
  • Platter: solid aluminum alloy 80 mm thick
  • A second tonearm base can be mounted for a 9" or 12" arm
  • External regulated clean power supply, extra heavy duty chassis, with speed selection and fine pitch control
  • Motor: double synchronized operated and housed in a heavy duty chassis
  • Belt: precision machined and round
  • Dimensions: 8-1/2" h x 17-1/4" w x 14-3/4" d
  • Weight: 88 lbs
Transrotor Fat Bob Reference TMD Turntable. Now at True Audiophile.

Products Reviews

5/5
Written by Steven D Williams on 12th Oct 2022

Transrotor Fat Bob Reference Turntable

Purchased in April 2018 I have no regrets. This is a well-engineered turntable that will not disappoint. I have two tonearms: Kuzma 4-point SG and a Jelco TK850S. Both sound amazing once setup correctly. The Kuzma arm being tapered is more difficult to set horizontal for the initial setting. I used a paper gauge, cut out in two places with the center marked in each cut-out then transferred the mark to the arm with a pencil. I then made a level gauge with an index card with several horizontal lines that I drew. With the arm down on a 180g LP on the inside blank area I carefully placed the index card against the arm with the card away from the outer LP edge that rises. I then set level with the Kuzma height adjust. I setup the Jelco similarly. That is an initial position from which you can play with up or down small changes. Down will result in a darker sound with less noise; up will be brighter and noise may be more apparent. I find horizontal is good but care and lots of light needed to set horizontal correctly. The Koetsu Rosewood cartridge I purchased for the Kuzma sounds natural with great transients making most LPs sound spacious and focused without haze. The most minute details come through. Gary made this choice for me and was a good one. This turn turntable is heavy. At the urging of Gary I came to the realization that the (MDF/veneer) equipment rack I had would not handle the Transrotor Fat Bob for very long and would not allow it to sound as good as it could. Gary knew of a furniture maker who makes simple but very strong equipment racks. This is a must and I'm glad to have it. The top shelf is 3 inches (eastern maple in my case) with two 2-inch shelves. The vertical supports are also solid wood (walnut in my case). There are several styles and probably any wood could be obtained. These are a bit pricey but an essential part of a turntable setup. Price: The Fat Bob seems to be at a good point. You can certainly pay more but I don't know what those turntables provide that this one doesn't. It spins records at a constant speed, has low noise bearings and the motor is isolated from the turntable assembly physically and with a belt. Placed on a massive equipment rack it doesn't move. One note: I found the anti-skating weight of the Kuzma and the recommendation in the manual that is based on tracking force is incorrect and set it close to the inside stop for the Rosewood cartridge, further out for the SoundSmith Sussurro (a later purchase). I made a Wally Skater to assist with this setting as using a blank LP didn't work for me with new styluses. I also found an article on Analog Planet or Stereophile magazine by Michael Fremer who confirmed this. I found the anti-skating for the Jelco to work which is a dial based on tracking force but with the Wally Skater I made was in the recommendations by Wally and others such as Peter at SoundSmith. I don't mess with the height much -- on the Kuzma I'll lower it for thin LPs and raise it if I feel more brilliance is needed. I think I have one 200g LP. I reset it back to the zero-reference point on the height adjustment for each LP. Initially on all arms I'll check this setting with a female voice listening for artifacts coming from either channel and adjust up or down to eliminate that and achieve focus. (Assumes speakers are positioned to focus center instruments and center vocals.) Moving the height too much changes the tracking force so I only move it 1/8 of a turn or so. Cartridge tracking force: I don't mess with this much either. I set it for around 1/4 above minimum recommended and mostly leave it unless something seems wrong. Both Kuzma and Jelco arms I have are for low compliance cartridges. Another note: a TWO point stylus adjustment is essential. Kuzma provides a template for this. Many can be downloaded. I marked two lines for a Baerwald B alignment that pushes the two null points away from the end where classical climaxes occur (I don't listen to this music much). The Smartractor ($$$) only provides a one-point alignment. Rega also provided a one-point protractor with the Rega RP8 I purchased before the Fat Bob. Millions of cartridge placements are possible with a one-point alignment. There is only one correct cartridge placement and that is a two-point alignment to have two null points where zero tracking error occurs. Otherwise, you will get audible tracking errors at some point in LPs. I highly recommend the Transrotor Fat Bob Reference TMD turntable, The Kuzma 4-point-9 tonearm and the Koetsu Rosewood cartridge.

Condition: New
Width: 24.00
Height: 16.00
Depth: 24.00
Shipping: Free Shipping
Warranty: Reviews and videos of Transrotor

"This is an analog front-end that I was loathe to return … after having it in my system for a few weeks. This roughly 85lbs behemoth of stainless steel, aluminum and brass, with its magnetic-bearing technology, had definitely cast a spell on me, and in a way changed how I critically listen to turntables. I cannot stress enough how rock-solid the foundation is that the Fat Bob provided the SME and Koetsu. Sound-staging was wide, deep and gave instruments and voices ample room to interact, plenty of space around everything, I never felt like an acoustic guitar was in competition with a bass guitar for clarity, rather, instruments and voices were in a constant complimentary cycle. The Koetsu and SME worked seamlessly together to provide a startlingly clear window into every nuance of the performance on any LP I threw at it; and I threw a lot of variation at this combo to see if I could make it take a misstep or trip up, strain or lose its way. Regardless of what I played, the kit threaded its way with accuracy, aplomb and emotional intensity." -- Rafe Arnott, Part Time Audiophile Full Review



Danny Kaey, Positive Feedback Online - Issue 12
"Wow! This was truly a knock-you-off-your-feet experience - the album shone with its fabulous bass lines. I never imagined that vinyl could sound so good, particularly in the lower end of the sound spectrum. I have played this record to many friends, all of whom walk away in utter disbelief that an LP can sound so good. Playing that track on the Fat Bob almost seemed like perfect sound forever - imaging, dynamics, pace, et al., took on an in your-the-room quality. Close your eyes, dim the lights, and you have the Holly Cole Quintet in your room."

Read Full Review