Technics project

[Harderror]

Ok, my latest project. THis will probably invite some flames but hey, whatever. Comparing this to my Thorens TD124 with a 3009 arm. This is far cleaner, lower noise floor, better tracking, overall better soound. Armboard I made from 3 layer mahogany ply, finished with amber shilac.
A few stats:

Technics SL1200 MkII
SME IIIs tonearm
Shure V15 III MM cart with VN35MR stylus

System I compare it to:

Thorens TD124
SME 3009 S2
Shure V15 VMR

Hope this inspires some that for whatever reason have been made to feel inferior by the belt drive fanatics of the world.

[Netlist]

I have done extensive test with TD124 with SME3012 vs. SL1210 with stock arm and the only difference I notice was a much higher rumble on the TD124, despite the many efforts I made to get the numbers down.
I believe its hard to beet the 1200's 78db rumble figure.
Still I love the great craftsmanship of the TD124.

Very nice picture.

-=Hugo=-

[Harderror]

Originally posted by Netlist
I have done extensive test with TD124 with SME3012 vs. SL1210 with stock arm and the only difference I notice was a much higher rumble on the TD124, despite the many efforts I made to get the numbers down.
I believe its hard to beet the 1200's 78db rumble figure.
Still I love the great craftsmanship of the TD124.

Very nice picture.

-=Hugo=-

Yes, the TD124 is a beautiful TT. I inherited mine from the original owner (my grandfather), so it is in absolutely mint condition. I do love it. The rumble is as you said a bit high. I am surprised that you didn't notice a diff with the stock arm on the 1210. I have done a great deal of listening as well and the difference in sound is huge, to my ears at least. The Technics stock arm is first and foremost not a good choice for a high compliance cart (read: tracks with a great deal of noise and distortion as well as the 10 Hz speaker cone dance). Secondly, I find that he bass is subdued on the technics arm. I beieve this is due to it not being a terribly rigid or isolated system. Third, the technics arm doesn't have a very deep soundstage. It is incredibly shallow. Now, all these hairs aside, the technics table arm setup is very very good, especialy for the money. The Direct drive is sooooo smooth and silent. The arm is not bad for what it is. But in my experience, putting the SME 3009 as well as the IIIS on the technics deck transforms it into a truly superb deck that EASILY competes with the 2000-3000 dollar decks of today.
Hmm, I dunno, thats my 2 cents.

Tom

[Netlist]

Perhaps I should find a way to mount the SME3012 on the Technics turntable. Then, I would be able to compare both arms on the same deck. Cartridge is a Grado prestige series.

/Hugo

[audio-kraut]

otice was a much higher rumble on the TD124,

then you should try a td 125 with cleaned and freshly oiled bearings.
Your statements confirms my prejudice against idler wheel TT.

[Netlist]

I tried a TD125 as well but that one has another odd problem, most likely a misaligned arm or cartridge. Sounds very odd and collects dust until I feel the need to tackle it.

As for the TD124, I did everything that could possibly be done to get it quieter but it still can't beet the 1200 by far.
Stock rumble +/- 40 to 44db IIRC.

/Hugo

[Netlist]

I realize I'm threadjacking here. Sorry for that.

Harderror, could you tell us more about the construction of the arm base? Damping?

/Hugo

[Harderror]

Originally posted by Netlist
I realize I'm threadjacking here. Sorry for that.

Harderror, could you tell us more about the construction of the arm base? Damping?

/Hugo

I am sorry but I just noticed that there had been another reply to this post. I will post pics and description soon. I built a new one and am very pleased with the results. I don't damp the armboard at all. I leave that to proper damping of the table. This TT is so quiet that you won't get any rumble through the deck, just through the base. That is why you must damp the entire TT itself. Here is a pic of the new armboard. It is actually recessed as I was a little disappointed in the original one as it didn't lower enough to set my vta correctly.

Tom

[pengboon]

Originally posted by Harderror

The Technics stock arm is first and foremost not a good choice for a high compliance cart (read: tracks with a great deal of noise and distortion as well as the 10 Hz speaker cone dance). Secondly, I find that he bass is subdued on the technics arm. I beieve this is due to it not being a terribly rigid or isolated system. Third, the technics arm doesn't have a very deep soundstage. It is incredibly shallow. Now, all these hairs aside, the technics table arm setup is very very good, especialy for the money.

How about the arm on the Mk5g? From the technics website, they claimed it is of a better material/construction? It's a golden-ish colour instead of the silver of the original Mk2.

[Harderror]

Originally posted by pengboon


How about the arm on the Mk5g? From the technics website, they claimed it is of a better material/construction? It's a golden-ish colour instead of the silver of the original Mk2.

I am not familiar with that arm, however, I would assume it is not a great deal better. These arms work well but lets be honest, they are mainly targeted at DJ applications these days. When the 1200 came out it was a mid end deck and therefore didn't have a fantastic arm on it. They made a deck called the 120 that was essentially a 1200 minus the arm. They of course manufactured an armboard for it as well. That is actually where I got the template for my armboard. With it being so easy to fit an arm to the 1200, I can't imagine why you would want to get the higher end Technics anyway. Even if you were to go with a newer arm such as a rega you would be far better off than if you kept the stock arm.

Tom