Townshend Audio
THE ROCK 7 and 7E

Rock 7 only £1,750.00

Rock 7E only £3,995.00

The Townshend Rock 7E turntable
Rock 7E comes with Merlin II power supply with electronic speed switching
Merlin II supply additionally powers a supplied LED light wand for super-accurate speed adjustment with a stroboscope disc (also supplied) Also available separately, Merlin II will upgrade any turntable employing an AC synchronous motor Upgraded chassis incorporates additional constrained layer damping for superlative state-of-the-art performance

The Townshend Rock 7
The Townshend Rock 7 (R7) is a skeletal-style record player which incorporates all the engineering and functional features of the celebrated Rock V but at the considerably lower cost. The R7 in its basic form is supplied without the familiar front-end damping trough characteristic of all Townshend Rock turntables to date.

However, the trough and outrigger/paddle are together offered as an optional extra, which will transform the turntable to performance levels approaching the Rock V and surpassing most conventional turntables, regardless of cost. Further upgrades comprise a record clamp, more powerful motor and flat belt, which, in conjunction with the optional Merlin II Electronic Power Supply, will give a significant reduction in noise and more accurate drive stability.

The turntable is supplied without a pick up arm, but with the armbase of your choice. Armbases for Rega, Linn, SME and Townshend Excalibur II arms are available "off the shelf". Others are available to special order. The R7 comprises a very substantial sub-chassis upon which is mounted the platter bearing, overall levelling counterweight and the optional trough, all of which is suspended symmetrically on three spring/bellows feet.

The motor box, which houses the 24 pole 250RPM synchronous motor with its associated two-speed drive pulley, IEC mains power input socket and on/off switch, is positioned independently of the main turntable assembly on the supporting table. This arrangement ensures exceptional isolation between the motor and the turntable. Further vibration reduction is realised by suspending the motor on Nytrol elastic bands. To change speed, the standard roundsection drive belt is positioned on the appropriate section of the motor's stepped wheel to provide 33 or 45 RPM. The platter bearing is a unique one-piece precision-ground steel shaft with a hardened bottom-end resting on a steel ball; all lubricated with state-of-the-art synthetic oil as developed for Formula 1 racing cars.

This sits in the bottom of a brass bearing-journal which is fixed to the main chassis. The bearing shaft extends through the sub-platter and the main platter, emerging at the top to form the spindle which centres the record. The top of the spindle has a threaded hole to take the standard Rock record clamp. This is optional but we recommend using it as it improves virtually all aspects of the sound. The platter is a substantial disk of high density polyethylene, chosen to have virtually identical physical properties as the vinyl LP. This sits on a smaller diameter sub-platter. The metal parts are of solid-steel which is powder coated with a very tough, fine textured black polyester.

All the fixings are heavy duty industrial grade stainless steel to ensure maximum strength and extra long life in today’s rough and polluted environment. The sound of the Rock 7 with the trough and a good moving coil cartridge is astounding. The sound is naturally balanced over the whole frequency range with powerful deep bass combined with fast transients, clear wide sound stage in the mid band with silky smooth highs. Clicks plops scratches and all the normal artefacts associated with vinyl are enormously reduced. This allows unprecedented access to the music resulting in hours of listening pleasure.

Front-end damping eliminates arm/cartridge resonance to transform the fidelity of vinyl playback. Steel chassis supported symmetrically on three sprung bellows for superlative vibration isolation. Separate motor affords further isolation of the platter/record/stylus from deleterious vibration. Arm plates available to fit any tonearm of your choice. Supplied with headshell outrigger and paddle assembly for easy fitting to any tonearm. See-through record clamp allows reading of the disc’s label. Rock 7E model has upgraded chassis and Merlin II power supply with electronic speed switching.

Townshend Audio’s Rock turntables, featuring a unique front-end damping trough, are a long-proven solution to accurate record replay.

Acclaimed by audio critics the world over, Rock turntables continue to win Awards year after year.

“The calm platform that the Rock 7 offers confers a sense of effortlessness to vinyl replay that makes for very convincing instruments and voices… when you’ve got a great recording, you know about it… the turntable is so good at digging out fine detail: at low and high level you get the full picture of the music…”
Jason Kennedy: Hi-Fi Choice, June 2009

“It was immediately obvious that the Rock was superior in terms of timing, rhythm and pace. It was the only turntable that sounded like real music. It has accuracy and ‘snap’ that makes you immediately tap your toes. It is ‘on the nail’ and the only one out of all the turntables auditioned to focus accurately - and as a result, was very easy to listen to.” Keith Haddock (Haddock Communications): panel member of Hi-Fi Choice’s blind listening tests

Rock 7 £1750.00 | Rock 7E (incl. Merlin II) £3995.00 | Merlin II electronic power supply £1650.00

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