By Let us begin by first getting a few things out of the way. Yes, there is an actual Dr. Feickert. In fact, Dr. Christian Feickert holds a PhD in both physics and chemistry. He worked for years as a research scientist in the European chemical industry. A lifelong lover of music and vinyl LPs, in 2002 he decided to take a chance on a new and different career path by starting a manufacturing facility designing and building turntables. He also designed a very highly regarded Universal Protractor, which is still made today, and used for setting the overhang on cartridges during setup.
Secondly, in case anyone was wondering, the names of birds are used for several of his audiophile turntables, such as Blackbird, Firebird and the subject of this review – Woodpecker – because Dr. Feickert likes nature. His manufacturing facility is located in the tranquility of Germany’s Black Forest region, which is rich with a variety of wildlife.
Dr. Feickert aspires for longevity when building turntables. In fact, his goal for all the company’s designs are for their turntables to last a lifetime. Additionally, he values high-precision manufacturing with the ultimate goal of yielding a very neutral, very open sound. The company objective is for every turntable to be totally transparent, so only the music comes through. Throughout this review, several options offered for this turntable will be highlighted. The prices, where applicable, will also be noted.
Let’s take a more in-depth look at the Dr. Feickert Analogue Woodpecker to find out more.
What Makes the Dr. Feickert Woodpecker Audiophile Turntable Special?
- The Dr. Feickert Woodpecker uses a software-controlled DC motor, which yields very high precision and low noise. In my use, it was totally silent. both with the platter and without.
- The belt drive is by use of a flat belt and not the small-diameter round version typically used in most turntables. I found this an interesting choice because of the presumed benefits of the additional contact area that a flat belt may impart on the platter, versus a round belt design.
- There are five buttons on the top of the plinth. Three are for platter speed adjustments of 33.3, 45 and 78 RPM. The remaining two are for power and high-precision speed control. My review sample measured 33.9 RPM when I first checked the rotational speed. Using the fine adjustment, I was able to zero the platter speed in on precisely 33.3 RPM. For consistency, I checked the platter speed several times during the review. Each time, the speed measured 33.3 RPM. The logical, incontrovertible conclusion is that the speed remained constant.
- The plinth has been essentially designed in a constrained layer-dampening configuration.This design is intended to eliminate, as much as possible, any vibrational energy being picked up by the cartridge. The top and bottom of the plinth are aluminum, and in between are layers of specially insulated MDF. As mentioned above, the design intent is to thwart vibrations so that there is no transfer of vibratory energy from the motor to the cartridge.
- There are two different-colored bands that adorn the four sides of the plinth. Ruby Red is one color and Zebrano (a natural wood color) is the other choice. My review sample had Zebrano wood.
- Made from Delrin, a material with sonic properties similar to vinyl, the platter weighs just over 13 pounds and stands just under 2.5 inches tall.
- Around the platter’s periphery were eight round MS58 machined brass inserts. These inserts are precisely spaced and are designed to increase the moment of inertia during rotation. This results in greater platter speed consistency. Perhaps most ingeniously, these inserts increase the effective platter weight without substantially increasing the overall mass. These inserts also tend to reduce the turntable’s wow and flutter. The inserts are optional and carry a $600 price increase over the standard platter without any inserts.
- The Dr. Feickert Woodpecker turntable uses a low-friction, inverted stainless steel bearing, which is designed to circulate lubricant for effortless platter rotation. It also has an oil-release screw for maintenance.
- Something certainly not used on most turntables, the Dr. Feickert Woodpecker has an adjustable sliding arm board, which will accommodate a tonearm length from nine inches to 12 inches. Classified as “quick release,” the adjustable arm board uses two nuts and bolts, which allows the assembly to be slid forwards and backwards. Most providentially, this adjustable arm board allows for quick tonearm adjustment, as well as precise, easily and accurately measurable tonearm changes. Switching between multiple tonearms, set to a predetermined distance on the adjustable scale, makes these changes quite simple to execute.
- While optional for the Woodpecker, my review sample included the Universal Protractor designed by Dr. Feickert. It carries a retail price of $399. This protractor makes it mostly simple to adjust cartridge overhang and has calibrations for all three measurement protocols – Stevenson, Lofgren and Baerwald. The Dr. Feickert Adjust + software is no longer available. There are, however, other commercially available software programs used for cartridge alignment and setup.
A Few Words About Tonearms and Cartridges
As a standard factory-equipped turntable, the Dr. Feickert Woodpecker does not include a tonearm or cartridge. This does not mean there are not options, however. Dr. Feickert will soon be releasing a newly-designed 10-inch tonearm of the company’s own design and creation. There are also other options for two different Kuzma tonearms, two different tonearms by Schick, and one tonearm from Ortofon. My review sample included a separately-shipped Ortofon AS-212R tonearm. This particular tonearm carries a retail price of $3,500. It does not, however, include a headshell, which must be purchased separately. For convenience, I purchased an Ortofon SH-4 Headshell from Amazon for $49. All these options may be ordered in advance, and will be installed by either the distributor or the dealer. And of course, the consumer may choose a tonearm and cartridge completely on their own.
An “S”-shaped design, the effective length of the Ortofon AS-212R tonearm is nine inches, the minimum the turntable will accept. The Ortofon AS-212R is a gimbaled design and not particularly difficult to set up. It includes a gauge with a hole designed to fit over the center spindle and has printed measurements for the proper length. Using this simple plastic gauge, and because the arm board is adjustable, graduated for various lengths of tonearms, the correct length to the pivot point of the Woodpecker was very easy to adjust for the first time. Once done, the actual measurement on the arm board can be recorded, which makes swapping out tonearms quick and repeatable. As to the cartridge, the MoFi UltraGold retailing for $1,495 was also included. This made the total retail cost of the complete turntable package $11,539. Needless to say, different tonearm/cartridge choices will change the overall price.
Why Should You Care About the Dr. Feickert Woodpecker Turntable?
Like all the company’s products, the Woodpecker is built to obsessively close tolerances. Paired with a very low-resonance chassis design and three operational speeds, all of which may be individually calibrated for accuracy, the Dr. Feickert Woodpecker is designed and built for years of use. It has a very solid feel and imbues a feeling of quality. The adjustability of the arm board makes swapping out tonearms of different lengths and with different cartridges fast and simple, thus improving the user experience. Many users will see the variety and number of options for a tonearm and a cartridge as a benefit. Visually, it carries an almost understated elegance, which from an aesthetic standpoint will stand the test of time. Dr. Feickert tries to make the Woodpecker, and all his designs, provide many years of quality performance and have the ability to change with modernization. While it may be more expensive than many budget turntables, the long-lasting design is intended to provide an excellent cost-to-value relationship, making the Dr. Feickert Woodpecker a smart buy.
Some Things You May Not Like About the Dr. Feickert Woodpecker Turntable
- Obviously first is the need to choose and supply a tonearm and cartridge to begin with.While almost all turntables in this price class include a tonearm as standard, Dr. Feickert does not. By contrast, having the number of available tonearms from which a consumer may choose creates a certain flexibility most manufacturers cannot claim.
- Unless the user is pretty knowledgeable about tonearms, choosing one best suited to their needs may be difficult. Of course, the dealer may be able to make recommendations and even supply a tonearm and a cartridge. They might even agree to mount both of them. However, the user will then be subject to the brands the dealer carries. How this will ultimately be viewed will be the judgement of the end user.
- Anyone who likes a really flashy, visually dramatic turntable with a lot of bling, one capable of commanding an oh-wow reaction when viewed by guests, may not prefer or appreciate the understated elegance of the Woodpecker. Conversely, the Woodpecker is intended to look like a turntable in the classic sense and stand the visual test of time.
Listening With the Dr. Feickert Woodpecker Turntable …
Once the tonearm and cartridge are set up, as well as all the connections and phonostage settings had been completed, I was curious about something: the sometimes-present feedback loop that mysteriously comes and goes with an analog setup in my system. Having been overjoyed at the total silence of my now-reference E. A. T. Fortissimo with the F-Note tonearm (read review here), was I in store for more of the same with the Dr. Feickert Woodpecker? The answer is yes. Operationally, this turntable was totally silent. I tried to locate any unsolicited sounds with the platter running and I could not. In the world of turntables, silence is golden. Even walking around in my audio room did not produce any footfalls, which has happened with some previous turntables.
I was also struck by the immediacy of the overall presentation. Music seemed to start and stop very quickly. Frankly, I was somewhat surprised to have even noticed this sonic trait. Once I had, it was something I appreciated throughout the review process. Overall, this turntable/tonearm/cartridge combination worked very well and provided an effortless, imminently listenable collection of finely reproduced music – based, of course, on the physical quality of the LP and the recording. Things just flowed along in a relaxed, profoundly enjoyable manner.
Frequency-wise, the bass was outstanding. Not overly commanding, which is something I cannot abide, it had sufficient power to sound natural. Yet it did not sound boomy or overwhelm the midrange. Speaking of the mids, where much of the musical signal tends to live, they were presented with mostly equal dynamic authority as the bass. Not quite as much dynamic linearity as the E. A. T. Fortissimo, but certainly not enough to be problematic. Initially, the highs sounded a little off but, upon checking, I felt the VTA was not properly calibrated. Once I made the requisite adjustments, the highs were exceptionally rendered. There was a certain punch to the music I had not really expected in a product at this price point. And the imaging was very good and perfectly acceptable. I would have preferred a little wider linear, side-to-side image presentation, but what it did render was sufficiently pleasing. Overall, I did not find a lot of fault with the Dr. Feickert Woodpecker turntable and the ancillary components furnished as review samples.
In 1971, when Carol King released Tapestry, I seriously doubt she could have ever envisioned what would follow. Ranked number 25 in Rolling Stone’s Greatest Albums of All Time, multiple Grammy-winning and certified 14X Platinum by the RIAA, this album made King’s entire career. I decided to highlight the title song, “Tapestry,” on the MoFi Limited Edition 180G Half-Speed Mastered 33.3 RPM analog LP. Beginning with a simple piano intro, King’s voice comes in both clearly and cleanly. This is one of the places where I noticed the immediacy of the presentation. The piano notes are presented very directly and precisely and stop and start with a certain immediacy. There is a sense of warmth to this track and a smoothly flowing presentation. Both of these attributes are recognizable on the Dr. Feickert Woodpecker. In fact, the presentation is so excellently rendered, it is quite easy to miss the compelling story being told by King’s masterful lyrics. This track, and in fact the entire album, is a tour de force of lyrics and musical composition. The rich texture and harmonics of the title track are abundantly displayed on the Dr. Feickert Woodpecker.
While Stairway To Heaven and its LP receives a lot of attention, Houses of the Holy remains one of my favorite works by Led Zeppelin. The second track, “The Rain Song,” opens with Jimmy Page on guitar tuned to an unusual modal configuration. This gives the guitar a unique sound and introduces the listener to the flowing ballad this song becomes. This change in guitar tuning was recognizable on the Dr. Feickert Woodpecker. The interplay between the electric and acoustic guitars is easily heard. In fact, the Woodpecker handles the imaging of these two instruments magnificently. Very early on, the listener would believe there is an orchestral quality being introduced. What is ostensibly presented as a lush orchestration is actually John Paul Jones playing a Mellotron. And of course, Robert Plant delivers a vocal presentation which begins with a gentle restraint and builds in intensity, ultimately becoming Plant in full dynamic power. I see this mostly simple song, one of Zep’s rare ballads, as one of their best. It almost begs to be played loudly – something I enjoyed doing.
Will the Dr. Feickert Woodpecker Turntable Hold Its Value?
I looked at several different used gear sites and I only found one Dr. Feickert turntable for sale. This was the Volare, which is more towards the entry-level part of the company lineup. The Woodpecker is a turntable with a very solid feel, impeccable build quality and very listenable, if not excellent, sonic performance, so in my opinion, the Woodpecker will last for many years to come. I suspect a lack of performance will not be the reason this turntable would be replaced. My guess is that any replacement will come as a result of the owner wanting to significantly up the ante on analog music, and a new turntable is the best way to do it. Hold its value? I would say yes, absolutely.
What is the Competition for the Dr. Feickert Woodpecker Turntable?
I have owned a number of VPI turntables over the years and I liked every one of them. VPI is a highly-regarded manufacturer of turntables, not only in the USA, but also in other parts of the world. I have in for a pending review the VPI Classic 21 turntable. It has a total weight of 66 pounds, with a 20-pound platter. The motor is claimed to have an accuracy of plus or minus 0.0005 inches. The plinth is a combination of vinyl-wrapped MDF, aluminum and stainless steel. It comes standard with the VPI Fat Boy 3D-printed tonearm with Nordost premium wiring. While the gimbaled version is supplied as a standard, a Unipivot design is also available. Like almost all VPI turntables, the VTA may be adjusted on the fly, which is a very useful feature, especially when changing between LPs of varying thicknesses. This turntable prices out at $10,200 (cartridge not included), placing it at basically the same price point as the Dr. Feickert Woodpecker with the Ortofon AS-212R tonearm and the MoFi UltraGold cartridge used in this review.
With several available options, the Pro-Ject Signature 10 turntables carry a retail price of $8,499 to $9,999. The supplied tonearm is only furnished as a Unipivot design. The plinth comes in eight color options, ranging from piano gloss black to satin walnut burl. The plinth and the platter are both magnetically decoupled. The main bearing is an inverted ceramic ball design and has a speed stabilized drive system. Pro-Ject only offers speed selection of 33.3 and 45 RPM, and there are no fine speed adjustments.
Coming in just slightly higher in cost at $12,495 is the Luxman PD-191A. I once owned the Luxman PD-151A and I sometimes still wonder why I ever got rid of it. As did my PD-151A, the Luxman PD-191A utilizes a static balanced, knife-edge-designed tonearm, which is claimed to reduce tracking errors and provide excellent capture of the most sensitive musical signals. The platter is high mass with a significant moment of inertia for rotational stabilization – very similar in fact to the Dr. Feickert Woodpecker with the machined brass inserts option. There are three speeds, 33.3, 45 and 78 RPM, offered as standard. There is also a strobe with a fine adjustment feature to very accurately calibrate the platter speed. Optionally available are a variety of arm boards for several different tonearms. While not as universally adjustable as the Dr. Feickert Woodpecker, having these arm board options at all makes changing tonearms more convenient.
Final Thoughts on the Dr. Feickert Woodpecker Turntable …
When I was offered the Dr. Feickert Woodpecker turntable for review, I had my reservations. I knew a tonearm would be supplied for the review. I even knew a cartridge would be provided. With that said, I was reluctant to go through the presumed difficulty in setting up not only a tonearm, but also a cartridge. In actual practice, the sliding arm board on the Dr. Feickert Woodpecker and the pivot point gauge supplied with the Ortofon AS-212R made mounting the tonearm surprisingly simple. The supplied, although optional, Dr. Feickert overhang gauge even made mounting the cartridge to the tonearm pretty straightforward. I managed to get everything set up and was playing music in far less time than I first imagined it would take.
I suppose a turntable with the ability to mount two tonearms also makes sense, but having two motors and all the ancillary parts to make such a setup feasible would certainly increase the overall cost. Dr. Feickert’s approach is really very expedient, cost-effective and simple to orchestrate. All it takes is loosening a few fasteners and setting the distance to a predetermined position on the sliding scale. When you add in the build quality, the excellent sonic qualities, the performance and the usability features, the Dr. Feickert Woodpecker is a turntable that will easily be valued and enjoyed for many years to come.
This turntable is proof that a multiple five-figure version is not especially required for a magnificent vinyl LP sound. I was impressed with the easily listenable presentation and the highly pleasing sonics. It looks like a turntable is supposed to look yet has an understated elegance. It feels exactly like a well-built product should. The Woodpecker is my first exposure to Dr. Feickert turntables. Based on what I experienced, the quality of the sonic presentation and my enjoyment in its use, I certainly hope it is not my last.
