Yawn, another DIY TT.

[Paul Dimaline]

Apologies for the poor photo, were out in the sticks with the worlds slowest dial up connection at the moment.



I first started this well over a year ago and only retrieved it from the spare room a few weeks ago and finished it. The base consists of 4 layers of 18mm birch ply veneered with burr oak. The sub chassis is made from 2 pieces of 12mm clear perspex glued and then painted satin black and sits on 3 Stands Unique carbon fibre isolators. The motor is rigidly mounted, the idea being that the plywood base damps out any vibration. The bearing and inner platter are from a LP12 (as is the motor) and the outer platter is a Thorens (TD160 I think) with a cork mat fitted to it.







So, on with the RB300 and OM30 from the 401 and fire her up.
I've been listening to the TT for a week or so now and I must say I am quite pleased with it. I didn't have any preconceptions on how it would sound so I set my sights pretty low and wanted it to at least match a Planer 3, well it's most certainly done that I'm pleased to say.

Much lighter on its feet than the 401 with a more natural sound in the higher frequencies makes for a nice believable sound stage, voices are clear and sibilance is slightly reduced also.

I would love to say that its bass performance is a match for the Garrard but that really would be asking for too much! However it's certainly miles ahead of a budget Rega, being fast and tuneful with the ability to go surprisingly deep.

So, have I managed to buld the worlds finest record player at the first attempt? No, not quite! Although it uses a LP12 bearing, inner platter and motor it certainly does not possess that Linn bounce. Its odd really, it has decent though not outstanding timing but sometimes pace is lacking. This seems to be very dependent on the recording, older records sounding noticeably better than modern ones. I have not checked the speed with a strobe, just counted the revolutions of the platter but I don't think it is running slow. The only other fly in the ointment is slightly more noticeable surface noise. Strangely, lowering the voltage to the motor has made this more apparent. Mechanically it is much quieter than the 401, more a consequence of the Garrards age and general condition I would imagine.

Overall though I am quite pleased, its most certainly a usable TT and now that I am close to getting my milling machine working I am really looking forwards to making one with fewer manufacturing restrictions (this one was made using only woodworking tools)

Before I do any major mods to the TT I want to try some different mats, I'm using cork at the moment, and sort out a better PS for the motor, the variac I'm using is quite noisy.

[vinylkid58]

Pretty decent TT for a first attempt IMHO. For a better PS, look around for a dead Valhalla or two. Most just seem to need fresh caps, based on recent postings.

Jeff

[pixpop]

Nice work, very simple and elegant.

My TT and tonearm are also waiting on the completion of a milling machine, which is very close to being done, so I know where you're coming from.

You wrote:

Its odd really, it has decent though not outstanding timing but sometimes pace is lacking.

I'm sorry if this sounds like a stupid question, but what do you mean by timing and pace? What would I listen for on my system in order to evaluate these qualities?

Neil

[harwoodspark]

That's excellent.I'm very impressed. Have you tried it with the Linn platter and felt mat? This may just give you the Linn bounce.
Si.

[YNWOAN]

I suspect the 'bounce' is as much to do with the specific chassis construction and arm termination as it is to do with the platter material or felt mat.

[harwoodspark]

I do think it would be worth a try though. There's nothing to lose for such little effort is there? Si.

[YNWOAN]

I quite agrre - well partly. A felt mat is easy to try but a Linn outer platter is quite an expensive object and is also made from Mazak - the same as the one Paul is using.

[SigFire]

Hello ,
...well -- let's put it this way :"Yawn ......" is the brutest form of understatement I've come across in a long time. Sincerely.
But the appearance of this TT definitely justifies this.
First rate craftmanship. This veneer is a real killer, not only regarding the looks but also regarding the finish.
And the rest of the chassis is not much worse either, if I may say so.
Just in case you want electronics, bearing & tonearm to match this chassis at reasonable expense, this one may give you some inspiration: http://www.krishu.de/de/index.php?id=DE
(it's written in both German AND English)
And I just stumbled into that one: http://www.clarisonus.com/blog/?p=92
(If I remember correctly there may have been a group buy for that on this forum, too.)
BTW: Why not try and take an old useless or "done" vinyl LP and use it as a platter. You could also try and mill both sides flat.
Not a solution for all cases, but worth a try.
Hope this is of any use to you.
Greez
Siggi K.

[GDJ]

Very nice build. Clean, simple, classy.

[planet10]

Thanx for posting that... it ids inspiring -- i have the same Linn parts stashed.

dave