Vantage Audio upgraded technics bearing

[worrasf]

I have just got my technics bearing back from Vantage Audio (http://www.vantageaudio.com/) after a level 1 upgrade which essentially consists of a new thrust pad with integral oil well and thrust pad support.

I shipped them my old bearing (well brand new actually so as to get the most out of the upgrade) and got it back after 4 days including a 24 hour test bench run - pretty darned impressive service and all for a miserly £82.

So any difference to the standard bearing? I should preface my response by saying that after getting my Decca Blue setup correctly last week my system has never ever sounded so good.

The difference is subtle but most definitely audible and becomes more obvious the more one listens - especially complex pieces.

The first thing I noticed was that vocals were more "expressive" (probably the wrong word) but on long-held notes - especially going up and down scale I can hear much more of the natural variance in vocalisation and inflection - it imparts a more natural "live" sound - it's like hearing subtle differences in regional accents. Having heard this difference I then became aware of similar differences in instrument "voices" - especially sustained notes such as bass guitar, harpsichord, piano where there is more detail to the trailing edges of notes than before. Interestingly, while the biggest changes to my ears are in these "harmonics" and "inflections" there is also no doubt that fast notes start and stop with more control - so plucked strings have better definition. Bass guitar "riffs" already well presented before are now that bit more defined and controlled. There has been no change to the essentials of PRaT or sound presentation/stereo imagery.

So not a night & day improvement but an improvement nonetheless. I suspect that when replay kit gets to this level then improvements of necessity will be small and incremental.

I am very pleased with what I got for my £82 and very impressed with the service and communication I received at all stages from Vantage Audio.

Steve

[MCRU]

If it improves the sound then its money well spent boss.

[chris@panteg]

looks very good Steve , Richard is very good to deal with and his work and service , 1st class .

He has a very different and much simpler way of improving the 1200 , and is worth listening to , and to add that he's paying me another visit today , and in his word's , bringing some Bit's and Bob's with him , he's keeping mum though .

[MCRU]

looks very good Steve , Richard is very good to deal with and his work and service , 1st class .

He has a very different and much simpler way of improving the 1200 , and is worth listening to , and to add that he's paying me another visit today , and in his word's , bringing some Bit's and Bob's with him , he's keeping mum though .

come on then, let's have it

[Tarzan]

Bearing shootout, bearing shootout!

[chris@panteg]

I now have a vantage modified bearing on loan from Richard to try out , we had a very long chat about all sorts of stuff yesterday ,we also found time to do a quick A-B between the QL1 and the 1210 now fitted with strat's 1042.

He felt the 1042 needed some hours on it ! and to play with the VTA a little , i am finding it difficult to hit the sweet spot ! Too high and it sounds a bit shrill ,all good fun though .

He also told me was at Scalford last month ! He enjoyed hearing a system using some old Radford's ,will have look through the pics again , unfortunately he couldn't get in the AOS room , it was packed at the time .

[chris@panteg]

And to add he also told me any problems i had in the bass ! Would not be down to the 1210 but elsewhere in the system so i was in the wrong on that score , happy to be proven wrong in fact !

[Marco]

Indeed...! Ahem.....

Marco.

[Gromit]

Thought I'd resurrect this thread, rather than start a new one, therefore anyone who might be searching after info on the Vantage bearing can find it all (or much of it) here in the one thread.

I haven't made up my mind 100% about the VA bearing in my 1210 yet, but am working on it. Will post here as and when - Richard's kindly loaned me this one for a couple of weeks (along with the VA feet) to get my slant on it.

[DSJR]

Interesting. That bearing mod looks to have a deep nylon? support but a different material to actually take the weight of the platter.......

Regarding the 1042, try using it ever-so-slightly down at the back, tracking sat around 1.7g or so. may or may not improve things, but it worked for Rega 3's fitted with these cartridges.