Garrard 401 vs Townshend Rock

Side-by-side specifications and a plain-English account of the recorded differences. Full profiles: Garrard 401 · Townshend Rock.

Practical differences

Highlighted cells show a lower reference price, support for more listed speeds, or the presence of a convenience feature. They are not an overall score.

The Townshend Rock undercuts the Garrard 401 by $1,000 — $1,500 against $2,500.

The Garrard 401 spins its platter via idler drive; the Townshend Rock uses belt drive instead. Neither is objectively better — a rubber idler wheel driving the platter rim directly, giving huge torque and a punchy, immediate character that's become a specific taste among collectors versus a motor that's mechanically isolated from the platter by an elastic belt, which is the usual route to a quieter noise floor — the default choice across most of hi-fi.

Bottom line: the Townshend Rock has the lower reference price; the table shows which documented features change with the $1,000 gap.

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