Steve's current turntable journey

[DSJR]

I remember Scott Strachan of Syrinx fame telling me that the PU2 sounded better with one side of the bearing pairs decoupled with rubber, the other side directly coupled to the housing. Aparently this is one reason the Ittok vertical bearing worked so well, being held rigid at one end and free at the other, in a sort of "C" arrangement..........

[Magna Audio]

Right. After a few sessions here is the low down on the air bearing arm.

Startling clear & detailed mid range. Hear some delicacy's and nuances that are new. Top end was a little fizzy - cured by damping the vertical knife edge bearing with Bluetac. Perhaps need to make something more solid than a Stanley blade.
Bass was light so I increased the total lateral mass of the arm / carriage.
Some improvement but the same cart (AT 33PTG) still sounds more composed overall in the O.L Rega RB250 arm.

Still not quite there yet then:-
Need to try more mass on the arm or a heavier arm all together.
Need to put the air pump out of the listening room - broom cupboard perhaps better than outside as one can get condensation problems with cold air to warm room.
Need to improve the arm lift system to make it more pleasant to use.

Probably not worth developing this arm further.
On to mkII an inverted air bearing with underslung shorter and massier arm...

[Magna Audio]

Short update.
AT - 33 PTG is running in nicely.

Terminator air arm should arrive today or tomorrow.

I have made a sound deadening box for the air pump which is going in the cupboard under the stairs.

Still lovin the vinyl BTW.

[Magna Audio]

This is a big step up from anything I've so far heard. I need more listening time and perhaps a few more adjustments but the musicality and timing are just in a different league. Bass weight is good with very good control. Very involving.

Thanks to John, Marco and others who recommended giving it a try.

This one is the Prototype that Vic has lent me. My homebrew attempt taught me a lot about installing and setting up. I got some of the benefits of parallel arms on mine but not all of them - chiefly I think down to the shorter arm and more solid knife edge bearing arrangement. Perhaps the carbon tube also plays it's part.

It's actually very easy to set up and use.

[Magna Audio]

Well chaps, I've gone and bought a Pioneer PL-71.
Not arrived yet - It's all Gromit fault of course



I'm very curious to see how this will stack up against the Techi decki.

Has anyone changed arms on the PL-71? I guess I will have to put the parallel tracker on her at some point...

Now I wonder who has a Spu and can be here in a flash on his powerful bike to let me hear a PL-71 Spu'ing..?
Blat in my ex race car 7 in return Richard :-)