AROUND HOME : The Oracle

CERTAINLY, NO OTHER turntable matches the Oracle’s visual appeal--a trait that has won it cult-object status. The Oracle boasts an unforgettable “naked” appearance. Instead of hiding inside the customary rectangular box beneath the platter, the motor and spring suspension are exposed; the platter is hung from three big spring “towers.” Oracle’s rationale: The top and sides of a conventional base act as a resonating chamber that absorbs acoustic energy from the loudspeakers, which the stylus then picks up, muddying the sound. The Oracle sounds like a marriage between philosophy and technology, which in fact were the subjects being taught at the University of Sherbrooke, Quebec, by professor Marcel Riendeau in 1979 when he developed the Oracle.

Other Oracle innovations have been copied by virtually every other turntable manufacturer with high-end aspirations, such as the smooth platter mat (previous mats were ridged) and the turntable spindle threaded to accept a clamp. The clamp screws down tightly, to force the entire record’s surface into contact with the mat. The procedure smoothes out record warps, yet makes warp-free records sound even better. For the record can no longer resonate in response to motor vibrations, loudspeaker feedback or even forces as subtle as the buildup of energy in the vinyl induced by the stylus as it traces the grooves--all factors detracting from clean sound.

Recently, a friend replaced his 1979-vintage turntable, among the best machines in the days before spindle clamps, with an Oracle. The improvement in musical detail was startling. Specifically, what had sounded--on the Philips recording of Mendelssohn’s Second Symphony with the London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Riccardo Chailly--like an additional, mushy woodwind instrument was revealed by the Oracle to be a pipe organ. Another mystery resolved by the Oracle’s Delphic powers was the meadow scene of Act I of Wagner’s “Tannhauser” (Vienna Philharmonic / Solti / London Records), wherein the pilgrims march off to Rome. Formerly, it had seemed dense and meandering. The Oracle disclosed that the recording producer had embellished Wagner’s low brass chords, in the trombones and tuba, by dubbing in faint, distant church bells. As the Oracle proves, there’s still gold to be prospected in them thar’ vinyl microgrooves.

Oracle turntable prices range from about $700 to $2,000. Available from Optimal Enchantment in Santa Monica; G.N.P. in Pasadena; Rogersound Labs in Canoga Park; Stereo Vision in Encinitas, and from Brooks Berdan Ltd., in Temple City. Berdan has built an impressive reputation in audio magazines as the world-champion Oracle “tweaker.” His modification costs $300 to $500, depending on the turntable’s date of manufacture and the tone arm used.