Cartridges height

Don't laugh about the Technics SL1200 ... I own one and it sounds fantastic with some mods

 

Of course it does, Arlequen. All of them sound fantastic, apart from the ones I have heard.

 

Arelquen - I don't know how good/close a technics deck can get to a domestic/high end turntable. I'm sure that the Technics you have doesn't really come close to your TW ..... does it?

 

Rob, Have you done the rim drive thing to your HRX or are you unable to hear any shortcomings it might address?

 

Hi from cold Vegas!

The rim drive is all positives. From top to bottom and the soundstage has also opened up giving more space for all the instruments. What is really great about it though...bass and pace and their relationship. Never heard it on this table before and the rim transforms that characteristic. And the rim is extremely quiet...you don't hear it at all. It's all good.

Vegas on the other hand is cold! I'm here for a day then off south just past Napa where I live.

 

No RobM! .. The TW is another planet .. but I was able to make the DJ SL1200 sounding better than the Gyro/Orbe
We have two friends in our hi-fi group one with a Gyrodec/SMEIV and another one with Orbe/SMEV ..so we have compared my SL1210 as we have compared my SL to the EMT948 and both sounded similar same way to sound also in PRaT
I have to admit I used the MintLP Tractor on my SL .. while the other friend used the normal paper SME template and this could have made the difference.

The TW with the Michell Tecnoarm is far superior to the SL expecially in "finesse" and in soundstage .. higher , wider and deeper .. but as many audiophile TT it lacks the magical PRaT of the Technics SL1200 .. for me unreachable

 

Hi Arlequen,

What mods have you done the the Technics? I've got a KAB modded one and think it is excellent for the price. The MintLP protractor is another brilliant bit of kit. Getting the alignment spot on really helped, allowing much more of the subtleties of the sound to be drawn out, particularly on note decay.

Stuart.

 

Hello Stuart,

My SL1210 is very lightly modified .. I only added a Boston Audio Mat1 removing the stock rubber mat and placing 3mm. neoprene disc with on the 3mm. Boston Mat so I didn't change the total 6mm. thickness of the stock rubber mat
I use the Kabusa rubber clamp .. stop.. nothing else apart the MintLP setup
The setup you can get with the MintLP is so good and so perfect compared to the one you get with the cheapo stock plastic gauge it makes the difference.

 

I'm glad to hear that. Its a sloppy old thing in its stock form. I suppose its isolation is somewhat compromised now, but if it sounds better, that's the main thing.

Get out of Vegas as soon as you can. It's dire enough even when the weather is ok!

 

Vegas - I quite like it here. Found some absolutley great restaurants and bars of course. The night life is fun outside of the strip. The audio is well audio... not really that interested as I use it to meet friends and catch up. anyway, it's 2.20am and I'm off out again.

 

Thanks Arlequen - sounds pretty standard then. I've gone a little further with most of the KAB mods: power supply, clamp, damping trough, tonearm re-wire, external RCA jacks, 78Rpm option and an Achromat.

Stuart.

 

Isn't this just "turd polishing"? This particular turd seems to have come back up the U bend, after decades lying dormant, during a time of "economic uncertainty".

What's the point of "upgrading" the power supply on the Technics, in any case?

 

SME Model 20 + Graham Phantom b44 Arm

Hi Guys

I had wanted to put this into my first post in this thread but I seem to be blocked from editing my posts.

Anyway heres is my SME 20 with Graham Phantom arm.

http://i549.photobucket.com/albums/ii364/davros124
/holidayandhifipictures227.jpg

Regards D Louth 77

 

Hi Guys

I wanted to place these photos in my first post on this thread, but can't, as there is now a time limit on editing: or so it seems? That must be new, certainly wasn't the case before. Anyway here will have to do.

The Graham is a bit fiddly to fit(on the Model 20 Motor Unit). This one has a SME mount, and the IC70 cables output plug is adjusted to a right angle. It will not fit otherwise. The Phantom B44 was designed for the SME model 30 and there is plenty of space beneath it (the Model 30) so the cable will fit as supplied from Graham. The Graham on this deck has caused no height issues, every Cartridge tried so far has fitted perfectly and no bottom of arm to platter issues would ever occur, as the bottom of the Graham Arm is not tapered.

The sound IMHO is much better with this arm, than with the SME 5 arm it came with (even using an output box to replace the VDH Cable). The SME 5 is now on an Oracle Delphi MK4 deck and used with an output box (so no nasty VDH arm cable used this time either). This combo with a Lyra Clavis sounds very good, but different to the SME+Graham combination. No height issues with this Cartridge,fitted on the SME 5, but I can see how such might happen with a small Cartridge ( none in my collection would cause a problem).

Here is my SME Model 20 fitted with a Graham Phantom B44 and Ortofon MC 7500 cartridge. This photo also shows some of the rest of my current System configuration. On view is a Moon Andromeda CDP, BAT VK10se Phono stage(with top off), also on view BAT VK 75 (75 Watt) 6c33 fully balanced Power Amplifier.



And a front on view



View of system from above with Oracle Delphi MK4 and system. Amp to right is a Music Reference RM 200 MK1 (100 Watt) KT66 fully balanced Amplifier



Oracle Delphi MK 4 with SME 5 Arm and Lyra Clavis Cartridge, at play---Thomas Dolby Aliens ate my Buick,spinning.



I am now able to post pictures and will do so from now on. Makes things more interesting.

Regards D Louth 77

 

James,

In my case, the 1210 was purchased as a bit of an experiment. Getting this with the KAB mods was less expensive than getting a Lingo for the LP12 so I could dust off the 45s. The 78rpm option allowing me to transcribe a pile of old jazz discs that my parents have stashed away under the house. For my purposes, I was happy for this to be a secondary table.

As it happens, using the same cartridge into the same phono (DV17 mk2, DV P75) stage, the modified Techinics sounded better to me than the LP12, which has been sitting in a corner gathering dust for a year now. I'm struggling to see the point of changing this setup now for anything less than an SME or similar.

The rational thing to do now would be to sell the Linn. I'll get around to this eventually.

Regards,

Stuart.

 

It seems rather strange to me that the Technics has suddenly been discovered to be a Linn-killer after all these years. It coincides with a time when many hi-fi lovers may be feeling the economic pinch, so to speak.

And what is the actual point of modifying the Technics power supply? It seems a completely pointless thing to do.

 

The SL1200 has the supply unit inside the TT and even it's shielded it's always better to remove the AC tansformer pulling oput and adding as an external unit

 

I imagine that makes a world of difference.

 

This is now way off topic but as the OP hasn't objected I will add my tuppence worth. It could also go in Nando's thread:

https://www.audio-forums.com/as-rediect/showthread.php?t=20954


I can see how it could appear that an external power supply wouldn't make too much difference to EMI on a 1200/1210. Especially when there is a large DC motor which sits directly underneath the platter.

However, one of the common sonic criticisms of DD TT is a lack of 'air' in recordings and a higher noise floor compared with belt driven designs. In some (credible) quarters this is partly attributed to the large EMI caused by the DC motor. In such instances I suppose that even one less transformer in the chassis is a good thing and may minimise EMI. Some enthusiasts deal with the EMI problem by employing Mu Metal shielding on the platter, which can also be effective.

In addition, most (if not all ) of the high end DD turntables have some form of external supply, The SP10MKII and III, the Pioneer /Exclusive P3a, Kenwood L07-D etc. Admittedly this is an assumption but I don't think this was done purely due to a lack of space in the plinth / chassis area.

I'm sure that improvements to motor performance, (and consequent lower wow and flutter figures*), that result from an improved PSU are easier to understand.

To my untrained eye the KAB PS-1200 appears to be pretty much the same approach as Linn took with the Lingo, VPI with the SDS, Lorricraft with the Garrard 401 / 301 PSUs PT with the Pink Link etc.


*I've seen no figures for the KAB vs the standard SL1200 / 1210 so I couldn't comment on that specifically, If anyone knows, then let us know.

 

Don't forget that even SME saw fit to upgrade the offboard psu on the Model 20 if I'm not mistaken.