|
Audio Asylum Thread Printer Get a view of an entire thread on one page |
For Sale Ads |
68.119.15.100
Moving to apartment living for a year, maybe even two. I currently have 5 tables here that I somehow have managed to collect, and I have to make the decision on which ones to box up and which one to keep out. I might be able to keep two out, but that it the only possibility. I am having to make some hard choices audio wise, and while I am lucky to have a decent system to listen too.....some stuff is just going to have to be put away.So the tables are as follows. These are my two most established tables, the senior members so to speak.
Galibier Audio Serac with 12" Riggle Woody arm
Thorens TD 124 with Eminent Technology II armThe latest one is a hot rodded AR XA by Marc Morin. Interesting aspect is the arm has been modded, and I can swap in a couple of Yamamoto HS-1a head shells. All my other tables are fixed head shell arrangements
The projects that are going to get neglected.
Garrard 401 refurbished by Loricraft and in a plinth made of ambrosia maple that is a variation on the Loricraft split plinth with squash ball suspension
Technics SP 10 MK II. This one needs a plinth.
I only have one arm set aside for these two tables at the time, and that is a new Project 12CC EVO. 12" of carbon fiber goodness. Not sure what the second arm is going to be.
Cartridges are as follows
ZYX 4D
Transfiguration Audio Spirit III
Shelter 501 MK II with line contact stylus
Denon DL 103M with line contact stylus
Audio Technica OC9 III
Audio Technica 33EV.If I keep 2 tables out, one of them is likely to be the AR XA with the OC9 III for casual record playing. For the other table, I am going to have to decide between the Serac and the TD 124. If the Serac the ZYX stays out, if the 124 than the Spirit III.
Difficult choices to make.....
Regards
Mister Pig
Edits: 10/01/15 10/01/15Follow Ups:
I hope you will be able to keep all your turntables instead of selling them. You have worked long and hard to acquire each component. Even if they cannot be used at the moment, there will come a day when you and your wife will find your next home.
I would keep out the AR XA and the Thorens TD-124 and box up the others. IIRC, you were smitten with the TD-124, and now I can see the smile on your face when you speak of the XA. I find it amazing what Mark and Steve can do to the AR and turn them into turntables to consider. The AR and Thorens will allow you to change out cartridges.
I wish you and your wife well on your next journey. As long as you have music flowing, both of you will be moving into your new home in no time.
whatever your favorite LP is that week*. Space the plays.
Sit back, figure which put the biggest smile on your face
for the longest period of time, which may have had you dancing
or put a foot into uncontrollable tap-tap-tapping...
Go with that, the intellectual approach is OK, but it AIN'T the
boogie/smile approach. In the long run I've found that is the
real test with results that mean the most.
*IF a classical/other LP that appeals more to intellect than hipsway,
please disregard my well meaning advice.
"Once this was all Black Plasma and Imagination" -Michael McClure
If it were me, with your B2B phono stage, I'd probably go with the Thorens TD-124 with the ET II and use the Shelter cartridge. Second choice would be the same table / arm with the OC9/III.
Lots of downstream dependencies. If there are any silver cables or silver wire anywhere in the signal path, then the 33EV might be the better choice for my listening preferences.
YMMV.
.
Liberty Audio B2B-1 phono stage.
http://www.libertyaudio.com/white-papers/b2b-1-phono-preamp
Regards
Mister Pig
Nah , finish Technics SP 10 MK II and box all the rest . You can put another arm for casual listening or mono. No belts , no suspension no special requirements for optimal replay, direct sound. Not very exciting but OK and very convenient . I would kiss goodbye those Garrard and Thorens clunkers
since the prices seem to be falling and the fad is fading away. AR-AX cough, cough keep it to keep AK folks entertained ....
Eh the AR XA is actually really damn good. But its not close to being in its original form. Also had the base done in lace wood with a french polish and the top plate painted in a metallic cream. Its actually a pretty classic looking table....I think the only stock parts left is the T bar and the on/off switch.
Regards
Mister Pig
Well , if lace wood matches "decor" why not ..small footprint , good sound . Will the arm take MC carts?
Its an apartment, and there really is not much of a decor to speak of. Within a year or so we will buy another house, but we need some temporary housing, and the chance to get to know which neighborhoods we want to live in.But turntables are pretty things, and their aesthetics do appeal to me at some level. I find this AR XA to have some classic lines, and I think it would be neat to pair it with something from Leben or Tokyo Sound. But that will be for when the house is done. I could even envision some Klipsch Belle with VTrak horn upgrades from Volti Audio. Hmmmm.
But I do agree with you that the SP 10 MK II needs consideration. I might order a stacked plinth from the builder in Molodova that did the plinth for my TD 124. Which came out quite nice really. He offers a piano black finished one, and if I add a few stacks of material I should get a pretty dead base for it.
The truth is that the SP 10 is an experiment for me. I owned a SP 15 and SP 25 and was underwhelmed by them. I hope the 10 can bring more performance to the table...so to speak. We will see what happens.
But the AR XA is for more casual vinyl spinning. So far I have had mixed results with cartridges on it. My ZYX did not live up to its potential. But the OC 9 III actually sounds very nice on it. I plan on trying the Spirit III on it, but I might run out of time before I got to get to the task of moving the stereo system. Fiddling with audio is not the highest priority at the moment.
Regards
Mister Pig
Edits: 10/01/15
the plinth does make a difference. . The good news is that the Sp10 will play reasonable music bolted to a studio console, as it was designed for that, and is better with a decent plinth. The most important thing you can do is to get the bearing serviced and replace the little plastic pad with a new one. While you are at it you may want to replace the ball as well. It is amazing how well some of them held up for over 30 years, but a new one made form good engineering grade bearing plastics will be much better. Also get the speed adjusted so it is tightly in spec and everything is running as designed. The SP10 is something that people either like or hate. It is far from perfect but it is the best table i ever had, I assume you had all the caps replaced everywhere....
one thing you cannot beat, is the utter convenience of the table, no fuss, put record on hit start and it plays rock solid,
dee
;-D
True terror is to wake up one morning and discover that your high school class is running the country.
quote by Kurt Vonnegut
SP 15/25 are very average TT's . I agree about aesthetics and turntables are addictive . Five is an absolute minimum ...haha. Best of luck with move to a new house.
.
"If people don't want to come, nothing will stop them" - Sol Hurok
Well the camera on my tablet is pretty sub par, but so many things are boxed away right now. We are in the process of remodeling and moving. But I snapped this, as the table is at a temporary location. Unfortunately its not possible to get great under the hood shots where the cool stuff has been done. And no matter what I do the metallic cream finish comes out looking more like white..... but its not.
Regards
Mister Pig
Like.
"If people don't want to come, nothing will stop them" - Sol Hurok
The photo really doesn't do it justice. I need to get a good camera out, but its packed away. The Ortofon Hi Jack arm lift makes it a convenient table to use. One thing I found is I hate the wiring on those Yamamoto head shells, very stiff.
In some ways it reminds me of those high end bikes that Olympians ride. Everything is stripped off and its inconvenient. The cartridge has to be shimmed for VTA adjustment for instance. But on the other hand the mechanical nature of the arm is more stout and should theoretically be less resonant...which allows the cartridge to perform as it should. So while inconvenient, it may very well result in better sound.
Its an interesting table at least.....
Regards
Mister Pig
Reminds me of sports cars in the '60s.
Very interesting table.
Thanks for posting.
"If people don't want to come, nothing will stop them" - Sol Hurok
Well I personally think the table has character. Heck I enjoy looking at it, never mind that it even sounds good. And it really does sound good, far better than I had imagined. It takes work to optimize its set up, and cartridge VTA is a real PITA, but its not a terribly complicated process. Just not convenient.
The depth and the finish of the lace wood is just superb in person. The character of the wood is complex, and the little tufts of light "fluff" just pop out from the base wood grain. It has a classic look, at least that is my take on it.
Interesting perspective to tie in 60's era sports cars. I suppose its true, as those cars were more distinctive, with lines that instinctively looked right..... Appreciate the post and your insights.
Aren't you supposed to be in Japan? I have been away from AA for a long time. I take it you came home?
Regards
Mister Pig
Yes, keep the AR XA. After that its your call.
Post a Followup:
FAQ |
Post a Message! |
Forgot Password? |
|
||||||||||||||
|
This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors: