There have been some minor production delays with my new CNC machined alloy armboards for Technics SL-1200 turntables, both old and new. Fortunately, we are nearly there, with the main production run under way at the fabricators. Visitors to the Bristol Show will be able to see and touch the armboards at the Timestep stand on the ground floor - I will be assisting Dave there on the Saturday.

In the meantime, I've been playing around with the SL-1200GR and new 'knife edge' Jelco TK-850S 9" tonearm. As a temporary measure I had to use a black armboard rather than silver, but it still looks pretty good



Fitted with a Timestep T-01HS machined ebony headshell and a NOS Ortofon Kontrapunkt B cartridge, the combination is luscious, musical, lyrical and 'grown up' - just lovely. The 'knife edge' Jelco is definitely a sonic step up from the old SA-750D, but shares the easy handling of that arm. The Timestep headshell weighs 15g so useful for adding a bit of effective mass, but it too lends a cultured and organic character to the sound. I'm very much enjoying listening to this deck, and a big bonus is that the TK-850S fits usefully under the Technics' lid, unlike the old SA-750D.