TAKUMI LEVEL 2.1DC TURNTABLE REVIEW

Takumi have been around for just over 10 years; however, owner Rik Stoet has been making audio products for many years. In this review, we are looking at his latest creation, the Level 2.1DC, which is also the entry level model into Takumi Turntables. Priced at £1599 here in the UK, it is far from being classed as “expensive”, and has plenty of features that turntable enthusiasts will love. 

BUILD QUALITY AND FEATURES OF THE NAME OF THE LEVEL 2.1DC

First off, the packaging is excellent, and everything internally has its own dedicated place within the poly inserts. This ensures the turntable is well protected during shipping, as well as being easy to unbox and set up. A word on setting the turntable up, if you have set up a turntable before, you likely won’t have any issues here. It’s all fairly straightforward if you follow the instructions, and I had it up and running in no time at all.

The turntable comes fitted with an AT-3600L cartridge, yet this is more for setting up and adjustment, as this turntable deserves a much better cartridge. This review unit was kindly provided with a Takumi Aka MC cartridge (€395), the entry-level model in their lineup and a great partner for this turntable. After some fiddling changing the cartridge, aligning it, and setting up the VTA, I proceeded to run it in for a few hours. 

This is where the features of this turntable come into play. It has a lovely titanium tonearm, which has all the adjustments you could ever want. Azimuth, anti-skate, VTA, and the arm lift are also easy to adjust to the VTA – so whilst it may take a little time to get these perfect, you can dial it in to whichever cartridge you decide to use with this turntable. 

The motor is a DC motor, isolated from the main chassis via O-rings. It also has a clever sensor system that keeps the speed constant and in check. This is a belt drive turntable; it has a switch on the turntable itself for 33.33/45 speeds, yet it comes with an external speed pod (missing from this loan unit) that is used to adjust the speed more accurately (in 0.01rpm steps). The main chassis is made from acrylic, as is the platter, which comes with its own record clamp and doesn’t use a slip-mat. The reason behind this is that you make the record and platter one solid mass that reduces micro-vibrations overall. 

The platter itself is decoupled from the spindle, the feet are height-adjustable and isolating, and the counterweight has a segmented design so you can adjust the weight for most cartridges. The built-in spirit level is extremely helpful for getting the turntable level. It’s such a well thought-out design that focuses on rigidity as well as minimising vibrations. The head shell, for example, isn’t removable, and the tonearm uses fixed cables for lower resistance, capacitance, and overall loss.

The Aka cartridge features a bonded tiny spherical tip on an aluminium cantilever and has a recommended tracking force of 1.8g, which is what I used during this review. 

I feel I have barely touched the surface with the above. If you check out the Takumi website, you can read into the design of the Level 2.1DC in more detail. It is a turntable that is built to last and is a solid base for any vinyl playback setup. With it in my system, I came to appreciate both the design and the sound of this turntable.

SOUND QUALITY

This turntable has been used in my main system with the Hegel V10 phono stage (300Ohm loading on the Aka cartridge), running XLR into the Keces S4/S300+ pre/power combo, driving a pair of Alchris Audio TX-1 via Tellurium Q cabling.

A slight confession, this is actually my first foray into MC cartridges at home, and I am enjoying what I am hearing here, so that’s something I need to explore more deeply in the future (even though my AT VM745xML sounds excellent for an MM at its price point). From the get-go, I could tell that the Level 2.1DC is a quiet and clear-sounding turntable, and these are two qualities that have stood out throughout my time with this turntable. 

I decided to play The Greatest Mistake of My Life, an album by Holding Absence, and from the beginning, you are hit with deep, controlled bass, whilst vocals hit prolonged notes without wavering; the stability of the playback was immediately noticeable during the first track Celebration Song. On the second track, the bass line is articulate and easy to follow whilst drum hits are accurately placed within the stage. To be honest, it was hard to write during this as I just wanted to enjoy the music. This is an album that has driving bass lines, emotional vocals, and shifting dynamics, all handled without a hitch by the Level 2.1DC + Aka combo. Never once did I find the sound cluttered; it was always easy to pick apart the recording whilst maintaining coherence overall. Whilst there is good imaging and depth, I would say that the width of the soundstage wasn’t necessarily a strong point.  

Tracking from the Aka cartridge is excellent here, channel separation seems spot on, and the centre image is focused. There is plenty of insight and detail for a more budget MC offering; it’s definitely a little cleaner than my MM cartridge, but without lacking in the musicality department. Cymbals have air and space to shimmer and fade away naturally, the bass kicks hard when the recording calls for it, and this setup offers a well-balanced sound. 

Following on from this, I put on The Gereg by The Hu, a fantastic album with lots of different elements to it. Once again, the Level 2.1DC delivers what’s in the grooves without any hint of it trying to influence the way the music is delivered. The Aka cartridge once again shows its ability to pick apart mixes with ease, whilst delivering plenty of detail and a driving bass beat. Wolf Totem, a well-known track from this album, is delivered with punch and energy, whilst retaining a clear and controlled sound at all times. This isn’t necessarily a party sound; it doesn’t quite have the bouncy and fun presentation that some other turntables will offer. Nevertheless, I didn’t find any lack of engagement during songs like this. 

I have a copy of Marantz Explorations in Sound (Vol 1 & 2) and put on Volume II, side B. These records make great test tracks and listening to Drop by Cornelius, the water drops are clearly defined whilst the panned guitars are well placed, and the repetitive beat is well focused. It’s a bit of an odd track, not my usual listening, yet it is delivered with great space and rhythm. Track B2, Forro Brasil by Fabiano Do Nascimento, is a little more to my tastes; an acoustic guitar track that gives an excellent sense of depth to the recording. The instruments are panned quite hard L and R in this recording, and this turntable/cartridge combo are able to handle it with ease, keeping both channels well separated and nuanced. These records are interesting, as they are mastered and cut extremely well, and this turntable handles both mainstream and audiophile vinyl equally well, yet it’s more than transparent enough to easily distinguish between good and poor pressings. It cannot proverbially “polish a turd”.

Earlier this year, I won an LP from Chasing The Dragon at North West Audio Show, and picked their Audiophile Recordings III compilation. Once again, these make for great test pieces when reviewing turntables, cartridges and phono stages. Playing the first track, which is a piece by Vivaldi, you get to see how a system will handle a spot of classical music, and suffice to say, the Takumi passed with flying colours. Timing is important in classical, and the Level 2.1DC had no issues keeping track of all the elements, without ever losing composure. The Aka never once came across brash or harsh; even the highest violin notes were delivered with composure.

Lastly, I put on Songs of a Lost World by The Cure. I have the Miles Showell half-speed master version, and I know there are plenty of opinions on how this record is mastered. I agree, there is a slight abundance of bass at times, and it is quite a dense recording. Listening on the Level 2.1DC, you still get that dense sound that is part of the record, yet there is enough clarity to allow for Robert’s vocals to cut through and the other elements of the mix to occupy their own space. Playing this album on a more budget turntable can make it sound a little muddy; this is where you can tell a good turntable from a poor one. The black background during quiet sections, the immediate start/stop of music and the insight into the tracks are all qualities of a good deck, and this comes across as an excellent bit of kit for the money. 

QUIBBLES

Slightly fiddly to set up due to all the grub screws and different-sized allen keys required.

CONCLUSION

I have enjoyed my time with the Takumi Level 2.1DC; it is a nice step up from my main Rega Planar 3 (Anniversary edition) turntable, and offers more refinement and detail overall. This is a turntable that aims to influence the vinyl playback in as small a way as possible, by reducing vibration where able. It’s a very clever design and features a ton of tweakability to get the best out of any cartridge you decide to fit to it. The materials are top-notch and this forms the basis of a very quiet turntable that will do justice to quite a few different cartridges. 

The Aka MC cartridge is also a cracking bit of kit; it’s a “budget” MC cartridge, and you’d be forgiven for thinking spherical tips sound dull. Well, Takumi have shown that by using a tiny spherical tip you can extract quite a bit of detail from the grooves. It’ll never quite dig as deep as some alternatives; however, for the price, you get the speed and effortless dynamics that MC cartridges are known for. It’s quite clean-sounding too, so if you prefer a bit more body, then it may not be for you. If you value a more neutral and well-balanced sound, then you’ll probably enjoy this cartridge. 

AT A GLANCE

Build Quality And Features:

Made to last from quality materials

Tons of adjustments built in for different cartridges and setups

Clever design

Sound Quality:

Crisp, clean, clear

Well-balanced overall sound

Value For Money:

Considering the quality of the parts and the flexibility built in, I’d say both the turntable and cartridge are great value

We Loved:

The setup was easy (though there were lots of grub screws) with plenty of adjustments available

The sound is clear and detailed, with great body when called for

We Didn’t Love So Much:

The different-sized allen keys, meaning more tools required (included), as with most turntables, adjustments can be a little fiddly

Elevator Pitch Review: If you are looking for a well-balanced turntable with both great sound and interesting looks, the Takumi Level 2.1DC should be on your list. There are tons of turntables at this level to choose from, but the Takumi stands out in terms of providing premium materials and clever design tweaks that are all in favour of making it sound better. It’s a turntable that’s impeccably quiet, and the Aka cartridge is a brilliant partner for it with snappy transients, plenty of detail, and great balance. As a package, this is a brilliant-sounding turntable setup that costs around £2,000, yet sounds more expensive. 

Price:

Level 2.1DC – £1599 including the SpeedPod, which is included with all Level 2.1DC turntables. Aka Cartridge €395 

Oscar Stewart

SUPPLIED BY SOUND DESIGN DISTRIBUTION / TAKUMI

SUPPLIED SPECIFICATION

• Base: PMMA Acrylic, flame and brush polished
• Platter: 300mm CNC machined semi-transparent acrylic
• Bearing: Ceramic shaft Bronze housing
• Motor: 12VDC motor with electronic motor control and Hall sensors
• Speed: 33 and 45rpm
• Arm: Takumi 9 inch fixed headshell, gimbal suspension, thin wall armtube
• Cartridge: Ortofon 2Mred, MM (upgrades available)
• Included options: hinged acrylic cover, bubble level, record clamp, and fixed interconnect with special ground configuration.
• Dimensions with cover closed: 430x320x150 (w x d x h)
• Dimensions with cover open: extra depth 85mm, total height 390mm