Price Paid:  $0.00 from Paragon Audio

Summary:
My fellow vinyl enthusiasts, this is my review of the Well Tempered Reference Turntable. It replaces a top of the line Basis/Graham combination. The Well Tempered Reference has taken my vinyl playback experience to a whole new level that I thought not possible on vinyl. It is fairly difficult to set-up, but well worth the effort. I used the Mobile Fidelity Geo-Disc for set-up. First of all, this table is very quiet rivaling that of CD. The music pours forth from an absolutely silent background. The sound, from this table, is seamless from top to bottom with minute detail clearly heard. Complex musical passages are fleshed out without congestion. Highs are sweet and detailed with the mids being just right. The bass lines are easily heard and with great impact. If any of you are in the market for a new turntable, I highly recomend the Well Tempered Reference.

Strengths:
Silent background, seamless from top to bottom.

Weaknesses:
None

Similar Products Used:
Basis, Oracle

Summary:
I owned a Well Tempered Classic before buying a Reference. The Classic bettered my previous SOTA Sapphire (early version). I didn't just replace the Classic. First, I upgraded the arm to the Reference arm. With the Reference arm and Classic table, all frequencies from the mid-bass up were dramatically improved. The "soundstage" became much better focussed. Highs were cleaner and better resolved. Then I bought the Reference table made out Fountainhead. The Reference arm was moved to the Reference table.
The table did for the lower frequencies what the arm did for the upper frequencies. Bass notes were deep, tight, and had great impact. Also, using the complete Reference "system" improved the upper frequencies even more. With a small footprint, no thoughts of bearings wearing out over time, and very gentle treatment of my expensive cartridge, I plan to keep this excellent performer for many years.