Vinyl Asylum

Welcome Licorice Pizza (LP) lovers! Setup guides and Vinyl FAQ.

Return to Vinyl Asylum

Message Sort: Post Order or Asylum Reverse Threaded

I miss road trips and the people one meets to pick up 'Tables

97.82.221.142
Posted on August 2, 2022 at 07:22:11
B. Scarpia
 But I don't miss the itch to upgrade now in my elder days.

There was the 160 miles I drove to snag a Marantz 6100 from Audio Karma's Grumpy, a terrific guy I spent the afternoon with. He took me to a record store then threw in another cartridge with the deal. That was back in 2002 when I lived in central Ohio.

I got the upgrade bug a few years later and drove 400 miles to Scranton, PA in the aftermath of a January ice storm for an Ariston RD-11 Superieur with SME II Improved for 300 bucks. Too many semi's jacknifed off the road on I-90 to count. It was sunny and beautiful in Scranton at the lovely house of a retired doctor who had lost his brother to Cancer. The Doc kept the brother's Mac stuff but liked CDs for his listening. He helped me plan a southern route back on the Ohio Turnpike to avoid the icy road but 80 miles short of Pittsburgh that night it was snowing so hard I had to remain in touch with the tail lights of a truck to stay on the road.

I re-built the wobbly Ariston's worn suspension (the downside of being able to adjust the Bounce from the top) with new springs and bolts but eventually it went to a guy in Florida 'cause I found a VPI HW-19 MK IV with SME III just 60 miles from home. Not much of a road trip but the seller was an interesting guy, a Physician's Assistant, who had just received a Dr. Feickert rig he'd heard at RMAF. We kept in touch for several years after.

Anyone here ever take a long ride more for the drive than any doubts about shipping?

 

Hide full thread outline!
    ...
RE: I miss road trips and the people one meets to pick up 'Tables , posted on August 2, 2022 at 11:41:59
Sondek
Audiophile

Posts: 9630
Location: Fort Worth
Joined: May 17, 2000
Contributor
  Since: April 5, 2002
 Not for a turntable, but I did for my Acoustats and their servo amps.

Fourth of July weekend, 2010. Drove straight through from Dallas to Nashville. Stayed that Saturday and Sunday nights at his place before driving straight through back to DFW. Really nice older gent. He'd made his fortune as a building mover. He'd been forced to retire after Parkinson's got so bad he couldn't work. It had affected his ability to speak and he was barely able to still walk, but his love of music and ESL's hadn't diminished one iota. He had a very cool log-cabin style home in the middle of the woods. Finding his place in the dark that Saturday night when I got there was a bit like your following the semi lights in the snow. I'd forgotten how dark dark can be.

Stayed in touch with him for a few years after that. The progression of his disease has all but taken him now. A sad end I'm afraid, but I'll always remember his kindness and generosity.

 

I've been a fan of craigslist, posted on August 2, 2022 at 11:51:56
jedrider
Audiophile

Posts: 15167
Location: No. California
Joined: December 26, 2003
 I call it craigslist touring and I even get my wife on board.

Lately, I've been just wanting to stay home, however.

 

Road Trips are always an experience, posted on August 2, 2022 at 15:56:26
Barry
Audiophile

Posts: 1003
Location: PA
Joined: November 24, 1999
Contributor
  Since: January 18, 2009
 I seem to meet people in parking lots.

I met some guys in a very dark shopping center lot one night in Northeast Philly a few years ago in order to sell Pass Labs Aleph 2 mono blocks. They had very heavy accents. All cash transaction. They were going to ship the amps to a relative in Russia or Georgia as a recall. The whole thing kind of felt like a drug deal.

An earlier meet-up was in a mall somewhere between Baltimore and DC in 2011, but at least it was daylight. The guy I met was buying my Threshold S/550e power amp. This thing was a behemoth weighing in at just under 100 pounds.

Didn't really get to know these folks except for a few minutes. I don't mind shipping things as I always have the original boxes, but I'm very wary damage.

I'll soon sell an almost minty, classic, VPI HW19 III in piano black here soon. I'm pretty sure that'll be another road trip.

 

Only once for me., posted on August 2, 2022 at 17:59:01
Goober58
Audiophile

Posts: 5587
Joined: November 15, 2016
 I once drove to Hollywood to pick up an LP12. 900 miles round trip.

Few years back I sold my SP100s and a Thorens TT pick up only. Didn't want to pay a consignment shop like I had for other items like a Raysonic CDP and a VP17 that I wasn't willing to ship. A guy drove over from Southern Cal for the Spendors and the TT buyer took responsibility for all shipping. Paid me for the table then sent all packing materials and talked me through safely packaging his player. Few months later photos of his beautiful refurbished table showed up.

 

RE: Only once for me., posted on August 2, 2022 at 20:24:27
JDK
Audiophile

Posts: 19669
Location: Sydney
Joined: June 26, 2000
 The 900 miles for the LP12 was a wise move!

I went through months of transport pain with my LP12 purchase.
About 20 years ago I bought my LP12 on ebay and it was in another state. A asked the seller to take it to his Linn dealer to pack it for freight and send it.
Between him and the dealer they just about destroyed it - Packed with the platter and arm still installed.
Armboard, cart, cover, all destroyed. Somehow the arm, platter and bearing survived..................

But it didn't end badly - I contacted Linn who were amazingly helpful and embarrassed aboutr their dud dealer. They fixed me up with a new armboard, new cart, suspension rebuild, all for free ;-)



Trying to hide from entropy
John K

 

RE: Only once for me., posted on August 2, 2022 at 23:22:30
Goober58
Audiophile

Posts: 5587
Joined: November 15, 2016
 Glad it worked out.

First thing I did was take it over my local Linn dealer with whom I had already established a relationship. They checked it out, made adjustments as needed then mounted my cartridge on it.

Yes the 900 miles was a PITA but worth the peace of mind.

 

RE: I miss road trips and the people one meets to pick up 'Tables , posted on August 3, 2022 at 09:10:39
geoff
Audiophile

Posts: 3501
Joined: April 5, 2000
Contributor
  Since: September 10, 2003
 Drove to Cleveland, 2 hrs. each way, to pick up my (2nd) TD 124, then drove to Jim Campbell's place outside of Philadelphia to have him do his restoration magic. A few weeks later drove back to his place to pick it up. That is the second TD 124 that I have delivered to him.

 

RE: I miss road trips and the people one meets to pick up 'Tables , posted on August 3, 2022 at 09:39:57
B. Scarpia
 Seems like you lived not far from my old neighborhood,
70 Miles From Nowhere



 

RE: I miss road trips and the people one meets to pick up 'Tables , posted on August 3, 2022 at 18:24:53
beach cruiser
Audiophile

Posts: 7061
Location: so cal
Joined: September 24, 2003
 yeah, I once took a road trip from San Diego to a collage town on the outskirts of San Francisco for a turntable, and my girlfriend surely thought I was nuts. Of course this opinions was confirmed when I immediately did the same trip over again when I returned the product.

I thought getting a demo Sofa sapphire from a dealer at a good discount was worth the trip, but it didn't work out. Although the guy was a dealer, he was working out of his palo alto condo. It didn't matter to me, the Sofa product looked so attractive ,plus it had a super zippy arm only an audiophile could love on top. I was instantly in love, and just gave the man my money without question, the fever of acquisition was so strong.

However, once I got home, and plugged the thing in for a listen, I didn't even have to put on a record to enjoy how my new table upgrade sounded , the table had a clearly audible buzz coming from the motor.

When I called the guy up, he said oh yeah, that it might've been the result of someone spilling a coke can on it during a recent party, but since he was a dealer, it would be repaired by Sota under warrantee as if it it were new.

the other problem was I just didn't like the design of the arm , once I saw the liner tracking souther arm in person. it certainly was better as an aspirational object of hi fi lust than to actually own the contraption.

The carriage that held the cart was somewhat hampered by the flexibility of the cartridge leads, but the main problems I saw in the design were two: That the cartridge carriage used naked ball bearing assemblies as wheels. This bare steel traveled on glass rods, and I could picture every little spec of dust as a potential miniature doorstop, plus steel wheels have never been real silent in my experience, plus they make wind chimes out of glass rods and shapes, so any vibration will travel well.

But the real burr under the saddle was how the triangulated truss assembly was supported, for it spanned across the platter instead of being off to one side. the entire arm was hinged , so that it could be lifted to place a record on the platter, and although the location gave the benefit of a very short and light cartridge carriage, it required a compromise that was just unbelievable in a high end product such as this arm was reported to be.

The arm swung down, I will skip the potential sonic problem of the hinges , to be supported by a white plastic , I assume teflon , puck material that rested on the turntable spindle for support of the truss span, as the tip of an adjustment screw that leveled the arm for optimum carriage travel.

I certainly didn't want an additional friction point generating continuous noise , that was attached to a lattice work of light metal, just perfect for transmitting micro screeches into the glass rods that supported the cartridge carriage, and every other thing that came into contact with the arm.

So, when I put it all together it spelled return, and the repeat of a long high speed drive in consistent traffic. It was my first attempt to reach beyond mid fi, stomping out my little aspirational hi fi dreams. but the effect didn't last, for I now have my end of the road turntable, a Michell gyro se, supporting a definitely non screwy conventional design gimbaled Rega arm, symbiotically modified to provide optimum voicing to the table as old man Michaels last audio effort before he died. it's a cost constrained design, expertly executed. my wallet is also cost constrained, making it a good match. I only wish my wallet had such a guiding hand.

 

US-30 and I-77 near Mansfield, OH. I had to look it up as I thought that it was photo-manipulated! )MT(, posted on August 10, 2022 at 06:09:48
J. S. Bach
Audiophile

Posts: 9576
Location: Chester, SC
Joined: November 28, 2001
Contributor
  Since: June 29, 2004

Later Gator,
Dave
Find more about Weather in Chester, SC

 

Page processed in 0.028 seconds.

[ Top Top of Page ] [ Contact Us ] [ Support/Wish List ] [ Copyright © 2024, Audio Asylum, all rights reserved ]
[ General ] [ Speakers ] [ Tubes ] [ Vinyl ] [ Digital ] [ Hi-Rez ] [ Video Asylum ] [ Cables ] [ Tweaks/DIY ] [ Music ] [ Films ]