this is getting fine tuned now
To all,
Just made a new armwand with a 5 g solid alu block headshell, a substantial improvement !. It is 3/4" w 5/8" h and 1/4" deep, and the cart mounts to the underside 3/4" x 1/4" section . I'll post pics later, had quick listen and tracking is even more improved noticed on the first 10seconds easily
.
Colin
To all,
Just made a new armwand with a 5 g solid alu block headshell, a substantial improvement !. It is 3/4" w 5/8" h and 1/4" deep, and the cart mounts to the underside 3/4" x 1/4" section . I'll post pics later, had quick listen and tracking is even more improved noticed on the first 10seconds easily
.Colin
This is about as good as it gets so far, no lf resonance due to rigid mounting, and the aluminum headshell has taken it another notch up. Mass loading above the cartridge is a good thing here, and with the headshell being wide but shallow diminishes microphonics since as many may have noticed the typical thin/ flat headshell seems to become its own amplifier in many cases.
This aluminum block diminishes greatly the sound heard with volume off comng from the cartridge which means less energy lost from tip to coils.
Colin
This aluminum block diminishes greatly the sound heard with volume off comng from the cartridge which means less energy lost from tip to coils.
Colin
Chris,
Clearaudio is no slouch, say what you will about looks but their designs fall on par with typical German engineering, meticulous. The only thing they have just clearly recently tended to is low slung counterweight in the prototype. The mass directly below bearings is useless here, but with a bit of sneakiness we can not only load the bearing and create a little damping but also in the process increase the vertical mass which is clearly leading to better defined sound.
I am assuming we have collectively designed a much better cantus, while not being a Clearaudio, the single or two tube is by nature more stable and rigid in he lateral movement.
Colin
Clearaudio is no slouch, say what you will about looks but their designs fall on par with typical German engineering, meticulous
. The only thing they have just clearly recently tended to is low slung counterweight in the prototype. The mass directly below bearings is useless here, but with a bit of sneakiness we can not only load the bearing and create a little damping but also in the process increase the vertical mass which is clearly leading to better defined sound. I am assuming we have collectively designed a much better cantus, while not being a Clearaudio, the single or two tube is by nature more stable and rigid in he lateral movement.
Colin
Chris,
There are two camps in audio, logical and eccentric, eccentrics often redefine what is engrained in our thought process, this is good. Too much in audio is defined by what we are told, not always by what we hear, what moves us. I designed a preamp, phono stage and power amps against the grain, some would say I was nuts but the sound has consistently been a revalation to those who have heard the one offs. None of them function on the tried and true blocks, and two of three use zero global feedback which is relied upon so heavily but they deliver sound that can make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up with musicality .
IMHO, highest accuracy is best left at the source, but this must not be the dull Accracy, it must have life.
Colin
There are two camps in audio, logical and eccentric, eccentrics often redefine what is engrained in our thought process, this is good. Too much in audio is defined by what we are told, not always by what we hear, what moves us. I designed a preamp, phono stage and power amps against the grain, some would say I was nuts but the sound has consistently been a revalation to those who have heard the one offs
. None of them function on the tried and true blocks, and two of three use zero global feedback which is relied upon so heavily but they deliver sound that can make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up with musicality .IMHO, highest accuracy is best left at the source, but this must not be the dull Accracy, it must have life
.Colin
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Hello Colin
I had a bit of an experiment tonight. I added extra mass at the cartridge end, courtesy of a steel 'spacer' I had from a Clearaudio cartridge and counterbalanced it at the counterweight end. Result-a significant improvement was immediately noticeable-everything was more 'real' and tangible. I'll be fabricating a new carriage this weekend incorporating the higher mass principle.. This is beginning to get more than interesting! I don't think that adding mass under the pivot will give similar results.
Chris
I had a bit of an experiment tonight. I added extra mass at the cartridge end, courtesy of a steel 'spacer' I had from a Clearaudio cartridge and counterbalanced it at the counterweight end. Result-a significant improvement was immediately noticeable-everything was more 'real' and tangible. I'll be fabricating a new carriage this weekend incorporating the higher mass principle.. This is beginning to get more than interesting! I don't think that adding mass under the pivot will give similar results.
Chris
Chris,
Glad to see you have tried it, it's a night and day difference in the focus, power and imaging of sound. Weight below the pivot is wasteful I feel, use it to improve stability and vertical mass at the same time.
If I do the rough math here the cart 6.5g alu 5g and wand 1.5g makes for a minimum vertical mass of 13g. the total lateral mass is about 30g now.
Colin
Glad to see you have tried it, it's a night and day difference in the focus, power and imaging of sound. Weight below the pivot is wasteful I feel, use it to improve stability and vertical mass at the same time
. If I do the rough math here the cart 6.5g alu 5g and wand 1.5g makes for a minimum vertical mass of 13g. the total lateral mass is about 30g now.
Colin
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colin: COG should be just below the pivot point for stability. There are programs out there which will calculate COG for you. I would rough guess that if you shoot for just over half the total mass to be just under the COG by say half a mm but that's just my very rough guess. I will leave the details to those mechanical engineers out there. Best regards Moray James.
I think there's an easier way to achieve this .. by getting the wand in balance w/o the cart and CW installed . when perfectly in static balance you don't need any program to get the COG spot-on under the pivot .
Than the only thing left to do is to get the cart attached in the shell and finding apropriate CW mass to set balance / VTF properly .
Perhaps I am missing something .
Anyhow , I'll find out myself soon .
THX
Paul
.. by getting the wand in balance w/o the cart and CW installed . when perfectly in static balance you don't need any program to get the COG spot-on under the pivot .Than the only thing left to do is to get the cart attached in the shell and finding apropriate CW mass to set balance / VTF properly .
Perhaps I am missing something .
Anyhow , I'll find out myself soon .
THX
Paul
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To all,
Just made a new armwand with a 5 g solid alu block headshell, a substantial improvement !. It is 3/4" w 5/8" h and 1/4" deep, and the cart mounts to the underside 3/4" x 1/4" section . I'll post pics later, had quick listen and tracking is even more improved noticed on the first 10seconds easily
Colin
Colin,
Real curious as to how you got those dimensions up to 5 grams. I cut a piece of aluminum to those dimensions and get 2.9 grams. Does either or both of us have scales that are that far in error?
BillG
Ralf&Colin,
Thanks guys. I guess my scale needs new batteries or throwing out.
BillG
That is an interesting talk , and an easy thing to diy . AKA stated that besides the stabilizing properties , it also smooth out HF resonances .
Have been working with bakelite diy headshells in the past , which is also an extremely dense material capable to deal with cart/arm resonances .
easy to cut , file , drill , tap etc.
More work to do .. but first I need to get the new LT arm + mount going here .
THX
Paul
Look what happens with DVM readings as soon as the battery collaps , weird values
, same story with a scale I guess .