PetRat HiFi

[walpurgis]

I prefer the TD150. It sounds as good and is simpler.

[petrat]

INTERCONNECTS



These have turned out to be perfectly adequate, and I'm now using them on the vinyl rig. Oddly, I had bought the cable some years' ago, before the AoS recommendation, and had built up a pair of XLR cables to link an EAR 868 to a Naim NAP 300. For whatever reason, it (the cable) wasn't a great success ... so, I was rather surprised at how good these RCA ones have been. Thanks to Marco for nagging me to get them built

In the past, I have experimented with Rega's recommendation to use the balanced output of the Isis, but had always found the RCA outputs to be slightly better. Despite the fact that I'd come to the conclusion I generally prefer RCA connectors, the acquisition of a Music First MkII preamp prompted me to give XLRs a go once again. This time I decided to get a couple of pairs of basic, cheap microphone-cable jobbies ....
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B0030LWZCC
.... which I connected up between cd player and preamp and power amp. Now, neither the pre or the power amp are true balanced components (and I doubt the Rega is, either), each using transformer 'isolation' for both their relevant XLR and RCA outputs & inputs, so I wasn't expecting much of a difference ... if anything, I was expecting a slight degradation, as they were replacing some very fancy RCA i/c's.

Result? They work very, very well. No loss of fine detail (which is what I experienced previously), very low noise floor, maybe slightly more dynamic than the RCA predecessors. Not bad for £5.50 a pair! Goodness knows how they sell them for that price, as their construction seems OK. Anyway, just goes to show it's all system-dependent. What amuses me is that previous XLR interconnects that I rejected in long-gone systems included some quite high-end (i.e. expensive) ones. I'm trying not to wonder how they might sound in this set-up

[petrat]

I prefer the TD150. It sounds as good and is simpler.

Never heard one, so an interesting observation. I prefer the look of the 125, though

I do like your sig, Geoff. Actually, I'm not too far from what it 'advises' ... just the DD turntable, really ... there's that damn itch again ... must not scratch itch, must not scratch itch, must not ... too many turntables ...

[petrat]

Thorens TD125

Woke up at 5am this morning, couldn't get back to sleep, so went to listen to some music. Using the TD125, it sounded a bit lacking in bass, and rather sluggish. I remembered I had a new Thorens belt stashed away, so decided to dig it out. The one that came with the deck was a Thacker, and when I took it off and compared it to the new one ... well, it must have been about an inch longer! New one fitted ... now much better. Leading edges of notes have now reappeared, bigger sound-stage, dynamics, bass, etc, etc.

[walpurgis]

Good TT the TD125. Keep it! You'd have to spend a fortune to better it.

[struth]

a new belt is a big upgrade...surprising but true

[petrat]

Thorens TD125

This is the third 125 I've owned, and with all of them I've ended up playing around with mats. Tried all sorts, but always thought there was more to come than the mats were allowing. Been messing around with them again today, when I had a thought. Looking at the Platine, with its metal platter, and then realising that I use a Tenuto mat* on the 401 ... both with really good results ...

Took off the mat, reset the VTA, plonked the record on ... bingo! Huge improvement. I mean, really noticably better in every way.

Looking round, I see I'm not alone in preferring vinyl resting on the bare platter/metal. In addition to Verdier, VPI turntables seem to follow the same approach on some models. Jeff Day's is another of the same opinion on his always-interesting blog (Jeff's Place). I am guessing there are two 'philosophies' of vibration control, much in the same way as equipment stands. One view says that you should 'isolate/dampen'', the other says 'couple/disperse'. Looks like I prefer the latter.

Now, the platter on the 125 is two-part construction, and so doesn't ring at all when 'in situ', but it does look a bit rough with holes in it, so I am looking for a suitable thin metal mat to put over it. The Tenuto is too heavy for the suspension, so I guess I maybe need an aluminium or alloy mat. Unfortunately, the only one I can see is Japanese and cost $350 via a retailer in New York.


* http://www.hifiwigwam.com/puresound-tenuto-platter-mat/

[struth]

have you tried a 3mm funk? my fav on my thorns so far. also srm s tripod iso discs between platters is a top tip

[walpurgis]

TD125 should benefit from strategically placed bracing and damping if retaining the standard plinth.

[Parkie37]

Thorens TD125

Woke up at 5am this morning, couldn't get back to sleep, so went to listen to some music. Using the TD125, it sounded a bit lacking in bass, and rather sluggish. I remembered I had a new Thorens belt stashed away, so decided to dig it out. The one that came with the deck was a Thacker, and when I took it off and compared it to the new one ... well, it must have been about an inch longer! New one fitted ... now much better. Leading edges of notes have now reappeared, bigger sound-stage, dynamics, bass, etc, etc.

I can relate Peter. I had my setup in the family room along with all sorts of other gear, before moving it into it's own dedicated room. I had been bothered by some hum when playing records. Not really bad but it interfered somewhat when turning the volume up to 'fun' levels. Finally with the help of a friend, I/we broke down and ran dedicated ground wires from the turntable to the SUT and from the SUT to the integrated amp. Hum is gone! So much more enjoyable

I should have gotten up off of my bum much earlier and taken care of this!