New room new system

[SLS]

I thought I’d do a thread having just completed a Garrard 301 restoration, the final part of a new room started in 2021.

Or at least other people did it for me. I got the idea in my head years ago when I went up to see Terry at Loricraft to collect a PRC3 record cleaner machine, which still does regular service for me and my son. I spent an afternoon with Terry and had a demo of his 501.

For the last 10 years I’ve used a turntable made by Claro Precision Engineering up in Richmond, N Yorks, which works very well, but is a bit black and industrial for our new music room that was built in 2021. The Claro has a high mass perimeter weighted platter and the thing is made to exacting specifications using state of the art equipment and is serviceable thanks to using Premotec motors and Rega belts. So no need to change, but what the hell, go for it.

Claro procured an Origin Live Illustrious arm when I bought it and I soon added a second Jelco 750 supplied by Hugo at Ammonite Audio. A few years later I upgraded the 750 to the 850, also from Hugo, and around the beginning of 2023 I changed the OL Illustrious to Reed 3P, also from Hugo. I told him I’d had in mind for years doing a 301 and he put me in touch with Ray at CTC. So I spoke to Ray who told me to get a donor machine. I was also speaking to Emporium because I had a couple of things to sell. They offered me a donor machine at a very good price that they sent to Ray to check out first that it was OK They also offered to buy my Claro if the whole thing worked out.

So after about five minutes I decided to go ahead, and Ray put me in touch with Carl Ellis to make the plinth. I spoke to Hugo about the second arm and for whatever reason I ordered a The Wand from New Zealand via their UK dealer. One factor was the very short stubby counterweight and they are very highly regarded performers. It turned out the problem was that it was advertised with a rather pretty metal armrest that has been changed to a rather not pretty black printed job that turned up with glue smears. They sent me a metal one and it had a design fault, hence the change. So regretfully I sent the whole thing back. I went through the options with Hugo and decided on a Groovemaster III. I considered a Frank Schroeder, but you have to pass an examination/interrogation with him before he’ll even consider selling you anything.

Patience is a virtue with Carl, but he did a nice job at a very nice price. I think 4 months from first giving him the go-ahead. We bought a huge bundle of veneer when we rebuilt the house, used it for the kitchen and 5 other large units, so I asked my cabinet maker to send some up to Carl.

I decided on a gloss rather than a satin finish and Carl said that he could do a polyurethane gloss, but you need a special safety license and a spray room to do a high quality gloss lacquer. My cabinet maker friend Paul, who has done a huge amount of work in our house over the last 30 years, said he would do it, but it took five weeks because there’s about 16 layers of lacquer and each has to be polished, so it’s quite a process.

There wasn’t a huge amount of effort on my part. I had a very pleasant return trip London to Wakefield to go and see Ray and pick up the 301 and platter, Paul’s workshop is only 20 minutes from my home.

Terry impressed upon me the importance of the power supply, although Ray seems fairly indifferent on the subject. Anyway, I spoke to Nick Gorham who I’ve always admired as an engineer and it was a simple decision to order his LDA power supply. They do seem remarkably popular and the price is pretty good. The cheaper option would’ve been the Deco unit, but it’s the same circuitry as the power supply in my Claro unit, so I could’ve used that.

For stability and isolation I had a steel rack built by a chap called Kevin, also local, and who regularly makes stuff for Paul and made a steel stand for a drinks cabinet for me a few years ago. It’s absolutely rock solid made out of 25 mm² steel with 3 mm² walls to my specification at a grand total cost of £540. That included 5 feet at about £3 each. I got a piece of slate from a kitchen worktop supplier in Wales for a little over £200. Paul made the shelves using more of the same veneer, so for a few pennies over £1,000 I have myself an absolutely rock solid hi-fi stand without needing any more fancy isolation products or feet.

I bought a sheet of Sorbothane off Amazon and there are few squares between the steel and the slate and also between the steel and a couple of the shelves. The 301 plinth is sitting on feet from Kridon I bought off their eBay shop a few years ago when I made a stand for my Claro turntable.

I bought the Luxman 509X from @hifidave advertised here a couple of years ago. It was too heavy for him to lug around. I try not to make a habit of lifting it. It’s a really lovely thing. I use the internal phono for the Groovemaster, I have an RCM phono for the Reed 3P.

I'd been using Class D since 2016, but the new room's acoustics made it just a bit too brutal, the Luxman is still super-resolving, just a bit warmer.

The end result far exceeds my expectations, which was for something as good as and a lot prettier than the Claro. I think the brass platter and upgraded bearing has a lot to do with it.