Oh darn. Hope this will do the job properly on my SL-D2 🙂 I have a few hours to cancel the order I imagine.
Maybe someone who uses these tables can comment on whether a clamp helps them.
Sometimes using a clamp will transmit more of the bearing noise to the LP.
The new cork mat certainly will help.
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Regarding the mat, although I am gonna have to make a 1mm spacer between the cartridge and head shell because the old mat was 4mm thick. I'll print the spacer on my 3D printer. Assuming PLA material is okay to be between the cartridge and head shell. I don't know what it might do to the vibrations.
Before you do that, check whether the arm is horizontal now with the present mat when on the record.
If not, you may need a spacer of different thickness.
Yeah I'll tweak it to where it's perfectly horizontal. If I recall correctly my printer prints fairly accurately in fractions of a mm.
Eyeing it right now with stock 4mm mat and it seems like the arm is angled downwards a tad. So no wonder someone recommended a 5mm mat to me for this turntable.
With a J type (curved) arm, it's kind of tricky to tell when the arm is exactly horizontal by sight.
Make sure that your eye is in the plane of the bottom of the tone arm.
Then it's best to get a thicker cork mat, if the spindle is long enough for the mat, record,
and the weight/clamp. Some aren't.
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Should I just get the 5mm achromat and be done with it? It has the label recess right? I suppose I could always sell it for 75% of what I paid for it? That wouldn't be too bad just to try it out.
The weight will be good. I’ve not yet found a clamp I’ve liked.
Don’t worry about the change in VTA with a mat thickness change. The difference in damping and interface will make a much bigger sonic impact, particularly as you are using a stylus with an elliptical profile.
Save the Acromat $$ now and buy one in the future for your SL-1200... 🙂 🙂 🙂
Don’t worry about the change in VTA with a mat thickness change. The difference in damping and interface will make a much bigger sonic impact, particularly as you are using a stylus with an elliptical profile.
Save the Acromat $$ now and buy one in the future for your SL-1200... 🙂 🙂 🙂
Looking at Herbie mats now. Wow they offer a lot of options: thicknesses and diameters. Good prices too. Like a 5mm one is $85.
You are totally misinterpreting my point. 🙂
1) Do the mods to your table, as you will learn for yourself what makes a difference and what doesn't. This is the most important point. Your TT will be much better with these mods.
2) The advice given for what to do to the table is pretty good and should make some real benefits.
3) Don't equate more expensive with better. It's rarely that easy, particularly in audio. Get the cork mat and see what it does.
4) Your table isn't bad. In fact it's pretty darn good. That they don't sell for a lot now speaks to how saturated the market is with decks that seem similar. I'd much rather start with a Technics when modding and hot rodding than any other brand.
5) When you have real experiences of what sounds like what and how the mods interact for positive benefit, then applying that knowledge to a -1200 is a ton of fun and will yield a TT that can stand tall with anything out there.
Same family, same overall looks, some shared parts, very different in overall details.
1) Do the mods to your table, as you will learn for yourself what makes a difference and what doesn't. This is the most important point. Your TT will be much better with these mods.
2) The advice given for what to do to the table is pretty good and should make some real benefits.
3) Don't equate more expensive with better. It's rarely that easy, particularly in audio. Get the cork mat and see what it does.
4) Your table isn't bad. In fact it's pretty darn good. That they don't sell for a lot now speaks to how saturated the market is with decks that seem similar. I'd much rather start with a Technics when modding and hot rodding than any other brand.
5) When you have real experiences of what sounds like what and how the mods interact for positive benefit, then applying that knowledge to a -1200 is a ton of fun and will yield a TT that can stand tall with anything out there.
Same family, same overall looks, some shared parts, very different in overall details.
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That makes sense. Looking at the photos it looks like you have SL-1200 MK2. .. that's a 1979 turntable right? Sure looks sweet. Looks like ones in not great condition are like 400.. stock one in excellent shape is like 600-700.
I just got added to the group buy for Salas Folded SImplistic -- requested parts for MM build .. very excited about this. Can't wait to compare against my $50 BBE pre 🙂.
I just got added to the group buy for Salas Folded SImplistic -- requested parts for MM build .. very excited about this. Can't wait to compare against my $50 BBE pre 🙂.
Production of the SL-1200 went from '72 well into the 2000s. They made something like 3.5 million of them.
It's great! I still have mine and use it. I jumped off the deep end by mounting a Graham tonearm on mine, knowing that I'd have to make an enormous jump in quality to beat the rewired Techincs tonearm. The Graham is incredible and better, no doubt, but I tell ya, I feel like a complete idiot for trading away the Technics arm to a friend. It had a lot going for it and sounded fantastic.
Anyway, my current rig is a SP-10 that I restored (and painted black) with another Graham 2.2
It's insanely good. 😀
It's great! I still have mine and use it. I jumped off the deep end by mounting a Graham tonearm on mine, knowing that I'd have to make an enormous jump in quality to beat the rewired Techincs tonearm. The Graham is incredible and better, no doubt, but I tell ya, I feel like a complete idiot for trading away the Technics arm to a friend. It had a lot going for it and sounded fantastic.
Anyway, my current rig is a SP-10 that I restored (and painted black) with another Graham 2.2
It's insanely good. 😀
Thanks Hiten 🙂 That's really cool!
6L6, wow those SP-10 really go for quite a bit 🙂. It's direct drive right? Doesn't the DD motor cause some unwanted vibrations? Always heard belt was better.
6L6, wow those SP-10 really go for quite a bit 🙂. It's direct drive right? Doesn't the DD motor cause some unwanted vibrations? Always heard belt was better.
The SP-10 is direct drive, yes. As is the SL-1200, and your SL-D2.
"Belt is better" is probably one of the most effective misdirection and disinformation campaigns ever mounted. (By the American high-end magazines in the 80's, and has persisted to this day) All of the arguments the belt drive crowd made against DD are incorrect, and many of them are the exact opposite of their claims - the things that belt drives does wrong is attributed to DD, and some claims are complete fabrications. The belt-drive camp would have you believe that the very best way in the world to spin a platter is with a $10 Philips motor and a rubberband. 😕😕
But don't get me started about that particular subject. There are plenty of threads with real info about it, including this epic thousand post one Turntable speed stabilty Which is probably one of the best threads on the forum from the past year or so.
"Belt is better" is probably one of the most effective misdirection and disinformation campaigns ever mounted. (By the American high-end magazines in the 80's, and has persisted to this day) All of the arguments the belt drive crowd made against DD are incorrect, and many of them are the exact opposite of their claims - the things that belt drives does wrong is attributed to DD, and some claims are complete fabrications. The belt-drive camp would have you believe that the very best way in the world to spin a platter is with a $10 Philips motor and a rubberband. 😕😕
But don't get me started about that particular subject. There are plenty of threads with real info about it, including this epic thousand post one Turntable speed stabilty Which is probably one of the best threads on the forum from the past year or so.
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6L6, what thickness is your Achromat for your SL-1200? 3mm or 5mm? I see an herbie 4mm for $80. I emailed Herbies and they said 4mm 11.22" diameteris best for SL-D2 -- 11.22" diameter is ideal for SL-1200 as well. I am wodnering if the SL-1200 is the same thickness mat as the SL-D2 at 4mm ?
Since the mat is the same diameter for SL-1200 and SL-D2, I was thinking about just getting the herbie mat if 4mm is approriate for the sl-1200
Since the mat is the same diameter for SL-1200 and SL-D2, I was thinking about just getting the herbie mat if 4mm is approriate for the sl-1200
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