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I recently found a Goldmund T3 (serial number 003! I think it's one of the prototypes) at a flea market (only in Switzerland, and I landed this legend for $50). Anyway, I brought it home, mounted it and was sure it wasn't gonna work, having heard horror stories of how finicky these things are. Well, it did work, though I have to say it has a mind of its own. But it's allowed its eccentricities because the thing sounds fabulous, better than any pivoted arm I've ever heard (which doesn't include the new Graham Phantom and the top of the line Schroeders).Because I wasn't sure it would work I just plopped on an old AT OC9II I had lying around, and it seems to work very well with it.
My questions concern what cartridges other T3 and T3F owners use with theirs, and what would be optimal with it. I assume relatively heavy MCs, but I have no documentation for the arm and couldn't find any. Does anyone know the effective mass of it? Is it best with low compliance carts? I think I have the largest counterweight (it came with a choice of a few, correct?). I've looked in the archives but haven't found a whole of info. Thanks for whatever you can tell me.
Follow Ups:
Congratulations! Great that it works!If you have a prototype it does not say Goldmund but something with Application Architecture .... I am now at work, so I cannot tell you the exact name. Because I have such an old one. The first T3's were built by Levy, later were from Pierre Lurné, as I understand.
My old T3 servo controller PL5 is broken and Pierre does not have the schematics for this controller.The effective mass is 16 gramms so a lower compliant cart should work best. I always used Koetsu's in my T3F, but there are other possibilities as well.
Can you weigh your counterweight?, so I can see how much it is different from the others.
Originally there are 2 different headshells as well, they have different thicknesses. Also Sicomin made a ceramic headshell as well as Clearaudio. In the future I will experiment with a graphite one from Audionautes, see what it does. Of course the headshells were not available for $50 :).
Hi Rene,Thanks for the information. Mine actually says both: on the side panel, up above, it says Architecture & Physique Appliquee and then below it, Goldmund T3.
I weighed the counterweight and it's 90g. I don't know if that's average or more so for a counterweight. I want to use a Dynavector XX-2 on it. I'll have to check the compliance but I think it should work nicely. So far this thing has amazed me. The settings on the servo controller don't really correspond to real values anymore, but I've got the knobs in positions where everything functions fine. But one setting seems to affect another. If I set the cueing too slow, then the automatic lift at the end of the record refuses to work. If I change the impulsion too much, other things go haywire.
If you have any other suggestions for tweaking performance, I'd love to hear about them. Thanks.
Hello Tom,I will weigh my counterweights, I will let you know the results.
There are not so many tweaks. The most common is leaving the top plate off. To prevent microphonic effects, the sound will be less compressed anyway. The other thing is to tighten the hexa/imbus bolts on the backside more tight than on the frontside, so the whole construction is mechanically earthed on one point.
Can you look in your servo controller, if the IC's still have their identification number? Mine are blackened so that is why I cannot have it repaired.
I do not have experience with the T3 adjustments, I only have a working T3F. The one great thing about the T3F is that is maintenance free and fully automatic! There should not be great sonic differences, but the T3F is simply better built.
Perhaps we can exchange pics of our T3's I am curious how your looks :-).
Hi Rene,I couldn't find any serial numbers on the servo controller. Do you know where I should look? Of course my unit, while not beat up by any means, is showing its age as well. There were screws missing, and when I took a look inside I saw some interesting solder joints. It looks as if modifications have been made to it, to what end I don't know.
I'll remove that top piece when I use the tonearm; I've already had to make some small modifications myself to get the pincher thing to grip the belt properly (I glued on a little piece of rubber to it because it was slipping sometimes in the beginning). The belt on it is some kind of Thorens, and probably a TT belt. It works quite well despite being off-brand and off-function - seems to have just the right tension. I doubt I'll order a real Goldmund replacement (it would be hard to pay more for the replacement belt than I did for the whole tonearm!)
If I can get my wife to take some pictures I'll gladly send them on to you. All we have these days are digital cameras and I'm just as digitally inept in photography as I am in audio.
The great knock on the T3 was that it's so fidgety, but the one I now own seems to have survived quite well, and in its long life I imagine it suffered a few indignities. For one the flea market guy I bought it from had transported it upside down, and wasn't exactly handling it like his first born. I've heard the build quality is much better on the T3F, but I have to say that I'm very impressed with how this has held up. There are a million tiny wires that can break, the servo stuff looks like an accident waiting to happen, and the pilot arm is bendable in all directions of the compass, but the thing is a good 25 years old and still going strong (knock wood). I have to say I absolutely love this tonearm.
Tom
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