Turntables — J.Sikora REFERENCE LINE

The Reference Line is the top range of turntables from J.Sikora of Lublin, Poland, sitting above the Initial and Standard families in the maker's three-line catalogue. It is the only J.Sikora deck driven by four motors, and its square footprint differs from the long rectangular chassis of the lower models. The North American price is USD 47,820 for the deck, which comes with a clamp, a glass mat and its own power supply.

Key specs that matter

J.Sikora gives a total weight of 100 kg and dimensions of 560 x 560 x 380 mm. The 18 kg platter combines Delrin with cast iron and turns at 33 or 45 rpm, driven through rubber belts by four DC motors. An inverted bearing with a ceramic ball supports the platter. One tonearm is standard, with two more positions available as options. The chassis mixes aluminium, copper, stainless steel, bronze and cast iron, and finishes are silver, high-gloss black or matt black.

Engineering and use context

The four PAPST motors are spaced symmetrically around the platter and run from a single controller, which spreads torque evenly around the platter. Their drive pulleys are the only parts machined on CNC equipment, cut from aircraft-grade aluminium. Each motor sits in a one-piece stainless steel housing on a bronze base, isolated with silicone pads and PTFE screws. The platter is balanced both statically and dynamically, and its cast iron ring is placed at the rim, 8 cm from the cartridge, to keep it away from the magnetic field of the pickup. Inside the bearing a shaft of steel hardened to 58 on the Rockwell scale runs on a thrust point of self-bonded carbide with a 4 mm zirconium ball, a layout intended to run for decades without service. The base is PA6 aluminium with a cavity for the circuitry. The Reference power supply is a linear design with four regulation stages and about 350,000 microfarads of filter capacitance, fed from 230 V or 115 V mains and delivering 24 V. Two front-panel displays show the incoming AC and outgoing DC voltage, and the case measures 170 x 180 x 320 mm.

Pairing

Arm towers of stainless steel with a bronze lower section carry the tonearms, and J.Sikora points buyers towards Kuzma 4Point arms, though many other designs can be fitted. With three towers, three cartridges can stay mounted at once. The supplied clamp is bronze with a nickel-plated brass cylinder, and a graphite glass mat covers the platter.

Alternatives

The J.Sikora Standard Max Supreme is a two-motor deck of 98 kg that uses the same platter and is supplied with the Reference power supply.