Hi, I agree with the EAR choice, for your system. If you use the suggested upgraded when building the EAR clone you get a big improvement over a standard EAR.
Cartridge wise track down a Denon DL-109, and put a Shibata stylus on it. However you will need to sort out some sort of height adjustment for the Rega arm as getting this right is critical with a Shibata stylus. Happy hunting
Isn't the EAR 834 utilizing feedback for RIAA compensation? I'm not a big fan of this approach because as the tubes age, the RIAA becomes inaccurate. This was one of the drawbacks with the older Dynaco et al. designs.
You just need some transformers to bump up the voltage. A 1:10 step-up should work fine. Try the Cinemag 1254's. You can buy them direct and make your own SUT. I'm using older Sowter 1:20 transformers with my Pearl 1. They work well with either the DL-103R or 33PTG.
jeff
I would try the fantastic valve Itch phonostage from our own Salas;
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/analogue-source/140635-valve-itch-phono.html
Use his SSHV2 psu for an excellent sound.
It has made a huge improvement to the overall quality and resolution, and my Shure v15iii sounds better than my AT mc cart.
Ian
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/analogue-source/140635-valve-itch-phono.html
Use his SSHV2 psu for an excellent sound.
It has made a huge improvement to the overall quality and resolution, and my Shure v15iii sounds better than my AT mc cart.
Ian
Suddenly I'm envious ...I'm not looking for a phono stage ... I already got that sorted out ...
I've got 5 phono stages 3 turntables , 25 carts and lost count on tonearms and I'm far from sorted, I don't get no satisfaction , but I'm cheap
Suddenly I'm envious ...
I've got 5 phono stages 3 turntables , 25 carts and lost count on tonearms and I'm far from sorted, I don't get no satisfaction , but I'm cheap
LOL ... I've finally thinned the herd down to 3 phono stages, 3 tables and 4 cartridges ... I'm building what I hope is my reference phono stage which is a hybrid design of my own based off of Thorsten's LCR.
I am just looking for input on a better cartridge and/or table
How much are Lenco L75's near you? You could try rebuilding it in a plywood plinth, in my opinion it is one of the cheapest ways to get a high-end deck. I cut out the back corner of mine and incorporated an arm-board into the plinth. A Linn-geometry arm can fit in the stock arm hole, but a Rega-type arm requires a different distance. I use an Audiomods (Rega derivative) in my L75 mounted into the arm-board. The stock Lenco arm is OK at very best, the motor units are great. Here is my plinth in build:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZiwAgwTUGMoGTlos_xt0HZ-S_oclP3-X6g/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZiwAgwTUGMoGTlos_xt0HZ-S_oclP3-X6g/view?usp=sharing
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I have a similar Lenco/Audiomods combo, it does justice to the Lyra Delos and AN IOI carts I own. With a bit of work and thought, a hifi bargain. And they can look good!
Check out the Lenco Heaven web site, one of the best forums (he said only slightly biased!!!!
)Within reason all PU's are very good. Nearly all preamps are very good also and yet the sound is not. Two reasons. Most pick up arms are not very good. The Rega is nothing special nor the SME 5 it should be said. The 5 better than the Rega when fancy PU used. The 5 and Lyra works. Phono stages need minute gain setting changes to be right ( and EQ if possible ). I Doubt any in common use stages are optimum as used. If a NAD3020 I don't mind. When A Clear Audio cheapest design I do as I have heard it excell. The better Rega or Origine Live arms do work nicely. SME M2 also. I have doubts about Jelco. Lenco TT is better than most. Not than a 401 . Better than LP12 and to me the SP10.
I am starting a batch of Garrard 501 soon. New ultra low distotion PSU made to advance it furture ( works with Lenco ) All are sold. The Lenco will live with it as they blow the rest away. I helped my friend fix up is Lenco. I was jealous. It's the best one ever I say. Very high torque as good as the 501.
I heard that a reviwer can not cope with Terry and I as we are ecentrics. Dam right we are. Joke is he is worse than us. Pot Kettle. He forgot about us when saying no one makes an idler drive. Forgot being not exactly the word. Can you imagine Audio without ecentrics ? In Audio one never knocks a company. Clear Audio and I have very different views. One shouldn't convert that into hearing bad when it was good.
I am starting a batch of Garrard 501 soon. New ultra low distotion PSU made to advance it furture ( works with Lenco ) All are sold. The Lenco will live with it as they blow the rest away. I helped my friend fix up is Lenco. I was jealous. It's the best one ever I say. Very high torque as good as the 501.
I heard that a reviwer can not cope with Terry and I as we are ecentrics. Dam right we are. Joke is he is worse than us. Pot Kettle. He forgot about us when saying no one makes an idler drive. Forgot being not exactly the word. Can you imagine Audio without ecentrics ? In Audio one never knocks a company. Clear Audio and I have very different views. One shouldn't convert that into hearing bad when it was good.
Nigel, delighted to hear you are making more 501s. Eccentricity is not a bad thing particularly if it means you are thinking out of the box. I've never had the opportunity to hear a 501, although I have seen one. I thought it was rather nicely done. Maybe in reach someday if I get lucky...
I'm with you on the arm thing, but not entirely with you on the cartridge end of your comments. I've found relatively few cartridges I think are great or for that matter even good, and the few I like and can afford to own are in the unaffordable category for most - and I have not, and won't explore the extremes one can go to in this department. I have unfortunately found that some stupidly expensive cartridges are a lot better than the their less expensive brethren. I will say the DL-103 in a proper body on a great arm hints more than subtly at what is possible, and for a reasonable price. I currently own 4 Ortofon LOMCs and a Benz Ebony H so this might hint at my own proclivities. Forever I was convinced that expensive cartridges were a cynical scam and that they did not differ significantly in performance from their much cheaper cousins, unfortunately in my own case I have pretty much disapproved that notion, however I still feel ripped off when I buy one, and live in perpetual fear of breaking something that might cost a half month's pay to fix.
Funny thing really about the SME arms going quite a long way back, I still sort of like the 3012 in any incarnation, but tempered by the ownership of three SME 3009 Series II, and lots of exposure to 4s and 5s. I can't live with any of these arms today as filled with admiration as I was for them, they all exhibit colorations that bother me. It seems to me the M2-9 or M2-12 might be amongst their better choices.
I am currently experimenting with a couple of vintage Souther linear tracking arms, and find them quite compelling - for the moment at least. Resisting the urge to buy a CA TT-3 which I also like.
I'm with you on the arm thing, but not entirely with you on the cartridge end of your comments. I've found relatively few cartridges I think are great or for that matter even good, and the few I like and can afford to own are in the unaffordable category for most - and I have not, and won't explore the extremes one can go to in this department. I have unfortunately found that some stupidly expensive cartridges are a lot better than the their less expensive brethren. I will say the DL-103 in a proper body on a great arm hints more than subtly at what is possible, and for a reasonable price. I currently own 4 Ortofon LOMCs and a Benz Ebony H so this might hint at my own proclivities. Forever I was convinced that expensive cartridges were a cynical scam and that they did not differ significantly in performance from their much cheaper cousins, unfortunately in my own case I have pretty much disapproved that notion, however I still feel ripped off when I buy one, and live in perpetual fear of breaking something that might cost a half month's pay to fix.
Funny thing really about the SME arms going quite a long way back, I still sort of like the 3012 in any incarnation, but tempered by the ownership of three SME 3009 Series II, and lots of exposure to 4s and 5s. I can't live with any of these arms today as filled with admiration as I was for them, they all exhibit colorations that bother me. It seems to me the M2-9 or M2-12 might be amongst their better choices.
I am currently experimenting with a couple of vintage Souther linear tracking arms, and find them quite compelling - for the moment at least. Resisting the urge to buy a CA TT-3 which I also like.
I will use a Lenco for a while as I really like them. Everything you say I could have said. Like many staff I can not own what we make. I can have a lend and often do. I have a really good LP12 EKOS with own PSU. It is not typical of a belt drive.Good to use mine as it's has been in the loft a long time. It's 1989 and looks new.
Terry myself and Maurice Arditti have just completed the new Garrard worldwide registration in the Gradiente name ( it is a different name now owned by Gradiente Brazil ). We were so proud it was given to us to do it. My son did the legal work ( typing really ). That's 10 more years. Gradiente are like Nokia in style with a 25000 staff. New turntables might be made. This is a worlds exclusive here. The value of Garrard is about $2000000 says Maurice. A total gentleman. We have been curators in a way. Loricraft has many Newcastle Street objects inc the factory number plate. J W the last MD of Garrard arranged our liecence saying we are a safe pair of hands. J W wishes not to be named although still helping us. His time at Garrard was difficult. Brian Mortimer works with us as advisor, his dad designed 301.
Terry myself and Maurice Arditti have just completed the new Garrard worldwide registration in the Gradiente name ( it is a different name now owned by Gradiente Brazil ). We were so proud it was given to us to do it. My son did the legal work ( typing really ). That's 10 more years. Gradiente are like Nokia in style with a 25000 staff. New turntables might be made. This is a worlds exclusive here. The value of Garrard is about $2000000 says Maurice. A total gentleman. We have been curators in a way. Loricraft has many Newcastle Street objects inc the factory number plate. J W the last MD of Garrard arranged our liecence saying we are a safe pair of hands. J W wishes not to be named although still helping us. His time at Garrard was difficult. Brian Mortimer works with us as advisor, his dad designed 301.
Have you tried an Audiomods arm Nigel? To my ears they are much better than a stock Rega, I bought two of the arm kits for around £250 each. The Lenco in my picture earlier was tatty and only cost me £20, I had few qualms about cutting the corner off and attaching the arm to the plinth. There are better decks/combinations to be had but I think something like this is hard to beat in terms of value for money.
I haven't. I fitted a incognito kit to the arms. Knew the designer before he died and visited his villliage. My cousin in law lives there by chance . Denon 103 works well. There is a Rega type arm with a big bearing block and drillled tube by Jeff ???. That is very good. I have built a RB300 at Rega. I won the prise of not needing to be shown. All the years with engines paid off. It's is easy to do if you use some sense. The bearings of 250 are the cheaper grade. Better SME type as in RB600 would be a cheap upgrade. Swiss I think. Don't buy via dealers. Go to a bearing supplier. Basic type os OK quality 37 pence, £20 at a guess Swiss. Ceramic balll type with silicon greese of the compotible tye could be ideal. Remember it's the stiction you don't want. Near imovable damping is fine. If using cheap bearings get them looose on the point of flapping. Tap the bears as you adjust. Tight - 90 degrees works.
Yes Nigel, the Audiomods uses a new inner housing that is inserted into the stock bearing housing, the counterweight stub is attached to the new housing and not the arm-tube. Ceramic bearings are provided. The latest Audiomods arms have an outer housing that entirely surrounds the armtube. I have two of the previous generation of arms.
audio mods Rega arm conversion kits and DIY mods
audio mods Rega arm conversion kits and DIY mods
i have one of those audiomod arms and while its great it's let down by not having any adjustment on the bearings which in turn lets them 'rattle'. i can understand why due to them being DIY and ham fisted builders but its not a clever solution. i also enquired about upgrading the yoke bridge to the latest mk5 and was told no you will have to buy a mk5 which are fully built at 3 times the price when all i wanted was the bridge which sadly put me right off. Jeff is a nice man and will help but only to a point.
the problem is they are loose.
bike bearings are different as they are high speed. you will also find that the inner spacer of bike wheel bearings has slight play so when you tighten the spindle it pulls the bearings onto the races and this is why you should never use a socket to drift them in when replacing them as it forces the inner race out against the outer race too much causing premature bearing wear.
for tonearm bearing to work properly you need to set the inner and outer bearing races so the bearings are riding on the races and not 'free'. problem is ambient temperature can cause them to bind so you need to set them at your maximum ambient temp or just over say 30c in the UK. when it all cools down they will be very slightly loose but not as loose as if they were 'free'. bearing grades are just the tolerance of how much play there is between the balls (inc roundness) and the races. you can get high grade ABEC3 that are just as good as 7's but they need set.
bike bearings are different as they are high speed. you will also find that the inner spacer of bike wheel bearings has slight play so when you tighten the spindle it pulls the bearings onto the races and this is why you should never use a socket to drift them in when replacing them as it forces the inner race out against the outer race too much causing premature bearing wear.
for tonearm bearing to work properly you need to set the inner and outer bearing races so the bearings are riding on the races and not 'free'. problem is ambient temperature can cause them to bind so you need to set them at your maximum ambient temp or just over say 30c in the UK. when it all cools down they will be very slightly loose but not as loose as if they were 'free'. bearing grades are just the tolerance of how much play there is between the balls (inc roundness) and the races. you can get high grade ABEC3 that are just as good as 7's but they need set.
You guys are too ambitious for me!
I like DIY but am more comfortable at the PCB and electrical level than mechanical. I'd rather buy a good table.
I did a LOT of research the last week or so and am leaning towards a VPI Classic 1 with a Soundsmith Zephyr cartridge. The Classic 1 gives me an upgrade path plus a 10.5" arm. Some don't like SS carts, but I prefer transparent and nuetral, so I think it will suit me well and work with my existing preamp without the need for an SUT.
I like DIY but am more comfortable at the PCB and electrical level than mechanical. I'd rather buy a good table.
I did a LOT of research the last week or so and am leaning towards a VPI Classic 1 with a Soundsmith Zephyr cartridge. The Classic 1 gives me an upgrade path plus a 10.5" arm. Some don't like SS carts, but I prefer transparent and nuetral, so I think it will suit me well and work with my existing preamp without the need for an SUT.
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