John Curl's Blowtorch preamplifier part II

Status
Not open for further replies.
You are right, Kamis. The newer SME's should be made heavier with extra damping tape and gunk. That is why I gave away my SME. T, I have an old FR arm that would be KILLER for your application, under my bed for the last 10 years. I use a Linn. Wish I had a Breuer, like I once had. Oh well, can't afford everything.
 
Last edited:
Hi,

I'm not buying the argument at all that the DL-103 is the ideal cartridge for playing vintage stereo recordings

It depends on the "vintage" actually.

I like best an Ortofon SPU (T) elliptical for really old LP's. The DL-103 is really best for mainstream 70's and 80's stuff. The sibilance thing seems to depend on mounting...

BTW, for modern audiophile pressing I like line contact best, set with a single null point near the outer (but not lead out) groove...

table.jpg


Right now, no LP (post divorce and all), restoring a Revox 791 right now slowly, to get vinyl again. It will be modded to run a 103R of course.

Ciao T
 
I still don't call myself an 'expert' in phono cartridge design, and I have similar experience.
However, when it comes to Denon, I have used the C,D,and S. Just look at my 1978 IEEE paper. The D was a pretty good compromise, and I used it for years. Today, I prefer Lyra, and have for the last 20 years. I was given a relatively expensive Denon that I loaned out to Jack Bybee, when his cartridge failed, but I can't find it at the moment. Anything below $1,000, I usually don't bother with, today. Not to be a snob, but the cartridge that I am using today, annoys me slightly, and it cost about $1000. The replacement will be about $2,500 retail, that I have already.
When it comes to pricing. Most of you are 'all wet'. We can discuss it in detail if you wish.
 
John,

T, I have an old FR arm that would be KILLER for your application, under my bed for the last 10 years. I use a Linn.

Keep the FR. If you are still on Linn, build yourself one of Charles Altmann's "Harley" DIY turntables and put the FR on there and stick a DL-103R into the FR... You might even like the results...

Ciao T
 
So would any modern (affordable) equipment track this that I bought new @1964 (and still have)? Really good equipment back then had a lot of trouble with it and the out of date Thorens/SME arm and Shure cartridge I have now aren't too happy with it either.

Messiah: Part I, Comfort ye . . . Every valley (Vickers, Beecham) [G] : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive

The records in my set were apparently pressed in Canada and seem to have a bit more than usual surface noise. I have the CD - released in @91 - but the CD doesn't sound quite as "nice." I have a feeling that's maybe the fault of the folk who digitized it - I don't think the EQ is quite right.

(I like the recorded sound and, to say the least, the performance is magnificently idiosyncratic and magnificent - right over the top).:D

The Hallelujah! chorus is of course an inside track. cymbals! triangles! Ooof!

Handel: Messiah: Hallelujah (Beecham) : DWTKenInNY : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive
 
I used to be able to recommend the Denon DL-160 to everybody for every (vinyl) use, but they're discontinued and friends have talked me out of all my spares. They sold for less than US200 and could be exchanged for retipping very affordably. Looking for the current counterpart if it exists. Any recommendations?

Currently reconditioning a Thorens TD124 SME3009 for a friend that came with a DL-160 on it! What luck (for him)!

Thanks,
Chris
 
Anyone remember the old ADC 25? Came with 3 stylus assemblies. I was spherical tipped and the other two were elliptical, one being of different geometry to the other. I had one in an SME 3009. Tracking force was in the .75-.85 range. One record shop refused to continue to sell me records as this set up simply bounced around on the then modern vinyl! However the older records - if well maintained - were very good.

JC: the FR 64S/66S arms were superb with an Ortofon SPU family cartridge. They are really too heavy for a Linn. An old Lenco 75 in a really heavy base is better, cheap, good motor - provided it is cleaned and re-lubed. Google Lenco Heaven! Some amazing stuff.

Happy Christmas Everyone!:xmastree::xmastree::xmastree:
 
Scott,



Some, I think.

The key is not to mount the 103 rigidly. It is a quite cute design and the body must be allowed to resonate, otherwise it does not work as designed. It comes with two small plastic washers. Put them between headshell and cartridge and do not he-man over-tighten this frankecartridges bolts...

Check the LF resonance, if too high add weight around 2/3rds down the arm (lead tape is useful) and crank the counterweight outwards, add more weight if needed.



Not the INF146, which is low but not crazy. If you get the plain 103 watch the capacitive and resistive load, it does not like as much load as most MC's. The 103R is more mainstream for load but the output voltage rapidly disappears into transformer land...

Ciao T

Thanks, now that I am settling into my rented lab/office it's time to play with my TT. No the FET is a 4 digit part number, I consider a single JFET with .75S at 5mA to be a little crazy, .3nV at 10Hz and theoretical noise at 1kHz of .09nV (will need to verify). Definately Zen, the sound of one FET clapping.
 
Administrator
Joined 2004
Paid Member
Thanks, now that I am settling into my rented lab/office it's time to play with my TT. No the FET is a 4 digit part number, I consider a single JFET with .75S at 5mA to be a little crazy, .3nV at 10Hz and theoretical noise at 1kHz of .09nV (will need to verify). Definately Zen, the sound of one FET clapping.

Sounds like the ideal device for this application.

Merry Christmas!
 
If that FET is the process I think it is it was developed for a space born infrared telescope (or so they said). Its a huge die. something like this: InterFET Corp. Page Selector - NJ3600L process Input C is a little high. Testing .09 nV/rtHz won't be easy.

Certainly are some beautiful transfer (I_d vs. V_gs) curves. Does linearity come with large geometries in a way similar to vacuum valves? I never would have guessed.

Thanks,
Chris
 
Hi,

BTW, for modern audiophile pressing I like line contact best, set with a single null point near the outer (but not lead out) groove...

I see I mistypes, I meant null point near the inner groove of the LP, not outer. As we are back on this, I may as well enlarge...

If one simply looks at the whole geometries involved (including the signal cut into the record surface, say 15KHz, etc.) it quickly becomes clear that all the two point alignments for pivoted tonarms are about minimising the average deviation from tangential, without reference to the simple fact a relatively much greater deviation has little effect on the signal in the outer grooves than an even minor one has in the inner grooves...

Spherical stylii get around all this of course, but they are not the ideal solution either, they are however essential to play back correctly any LP that was cut using a tracing simulator.

However, the sins of most spherical stylii are ones of omission and I can accept those more easily than those of commission...

Ciao T
 
minimising the average deviation from tangential, without reference to the simple fact a relatively much greater deviation has little effect on the signal in the outer grooves than an even minor one has in the inner grooves...

Spherical stylii get around all this of course, but they are not the ideal solution either, they are however essential to play back correctly any LP that was cut using a tracing simulator.

However, the sins of most spherical stylii are ones of omission and I can accept those more easily than those of commission...

Spherical styli are *always* wrong, but in a simple way dependent on the engraved wavelength. Any other shape has unwanted vertical modulation from any errors of roll, pitch or yaw. Vertical modulation is the difference signal, so errors sound bad in a strange way.

Thanks,
Chris

ps: I still recommend an elliptical shape for any conventional use. Best compromise usually. But it's a personal choice.
 
Member
Joined 2004
Paid Member
IF3602

It turns out I have two samples of this part.
Getting it dialed up at 3V and 5 mA I don't get as good figures as Interfet. I'm getting: .94 @ 10 Hz, .62 @100 Hz, 1.08 @ 1KHz, 1.34 @10 KHz and .62 @ 100 KHz. Gm = .69S

Very good by any standards but higher than spec. I need to check the calibration on this instrument since the numbers should go down, not up with frequency. Another maintenance chore.
 
Hi,

AFAIR, pre-distortions with spheric stili in mind were abandoned when ellipse stili got over. But still, how to know if some particular disk was recorded using pre-distortions?

The tracing simulator cassettes where in Neumann Lathes in the 80's and they where not switched to bypass when I witnessed record cutting...

There is absolutely now way to tell but to compare the LP using two cartridges, one spherical and one preferably line contact... It tends to be quite obvious which one is "right"and which one is "wrong".

Many excellent quality performances and recordings shunned by audiophiles as "poor" transform dramatically and magically into sheer excellence once the correct playback stylus and playback EQ is applied, instead of audiophile line contact stylii and RIAA EQ with less than 0.05dB deviation from the standard.

Ciao T
 
Status
Not open for further replies.