The Rock 7 is the latest and most affordable in the Townshend turntable range. Available in troughless form for just short of £1,000, the Rock 7 was produced in order to bring down the entry level of the species to an accessible point for more vinyl lovers.

Whereas Townshend's top Rock V has a full chassis that hides all working parts, the Rock 7 lets it all hang out. It's a back to basics design that its maker hopes will bring the benefits of front end damping to a wider audience.

Fabricated from 6mm steel plate, it sits on three damped, spring feet which have no adjustment, with the outrigger on the opposite side of the platter to the armboard, there to balance the weight of the arm.

The feet are simple yet extremely effective, with a large coil spring inside a rubber bellows with small air holes. This allows slow speed movement and also stops the thing from bouncing.

The 39mm thick white platter is made from high-density polyethylene and sits on a steel bearing in a brass journal. It is turned by a sub-platter that looks rather better than our original review sample and driven via a short round section belt by a freestanding motor.

The motor sits in a steel case suspended on Nylonite bands, the whole thing powered by an IEC lead that plugs in the back. Speed change is manual.

Townshend rock 7 tonearm

The damping trough combines with silicone fluid, a double outrigger for the tonearm and an extra counterweight (to offset the outrigger) to provide a sink for resonance produced by the stylus. The trough swings away from the platter when you want to change records and a clamp is available as an optional extra. This Rock 7 was reviewed with a Rega RB300 arm, but the deck also accommodates the RB301 (£221).

Sound quality

This turntable impressed us the first time around with its solidity of imaging and high levels of detail. Panellists noted the impressive soundstage depth and the way that instruments and voices have more body and depth of tone than usual.

It clearly has an integrity to it that is rare in turntables at this price point. This allows cymbals to sparkle and bass lines to be followed with ease, each note clearly defined and differentiated from the others. It also manages to reduce background noise to such a high degree that makes way for low-level detail to come in and flesh out the picture.

You can easily hear how Steely Dan treated the guitar solo on Peg and the depth of reverb that Phantom Limb applied to the various elements of the song Don't Say a Word. It's surprisingly focused and detailed: the tuba on the Taj Mahal LP, for example, is well-defined, but there is a lack of midband warmth.

That last comment is telling, Rock turntables don't tend to have the same degree of vinyl warmth that you get with most others and some will miss it. But there will also be those who will find a whole lot more on pretty much every LP they spin.

It's not the romantic sound that many associate with the format, but rather a more robust and resolute variation that has the consistency of digital sources without their less appealing characteristics.

Follow TechRadar Reviews on Twitter: http://twitter.com/techradarreview