Love affair with the SPU

[Dr Bunsen Honeydew]

What models do you have, have you tried many different one and how different are they, with what do you use them with.

For me I find them still (after 50 years of production) the musically informative cart around within my experience. My current one is the gold. Pioneer PL-71 and the rest inc phone stages is nva obviously.

http://i51.tinypic.com/hwilqb.jpg

[Marco]

Being an SPU user, I of course agree. It's not a hi-fi lover's cartridge, in that it doesn't major on 'sparkly', shimmering highs, uber-detail retrieval, or super-wide or deep sound-staging, but boy does it latch onto rhythms and suck you deep into the music in the most mesmerising, alluring and addictive way imaginable!

It's also, by a country mile, the best cartridge I've heard for accurately reproducing the sound of trumpets, sax and piano, reproducing it with the requisite dynamics and vibrancy to make those instruments seem real, which makes listening to jazz music, in particular, a joy :)

Here's a couple of pics of my Classic GM in action:


http://img847.imageshack.us/img847/6971/img0177oj.jpg (http://img847.imageshack.us/i/img0177oj.jpg/)


http://img130.imageshack.us/img130/4471/img4495w.jpg (http://img130.imageshack.us/i/img4495w.jpg/)




I plan to get a Meister-Silver by the end of the year, and the top A23 SUT to partner it.

Richard, if I can make it to your bake-off in July, I'll bring my SPU along. It would be interesting comparing it to your Gold :cool:

Marco.

[Dr Bunsen Honeydew]

Bake off doesn't look very promising, no-one seems interested. It strikes me only hifiwigwam makes a success of these meet-up. Yet I really like them and they are well useful to anyone wanting to hear different gear in a natural environment, or compare specific things. Plus of course the social element, people are never who they seem from their on line persona, reality is different.

I still haven't even started on getting my 401 / Pioneer arm organised, so I doubt that will be ready by August. But the SPU and PL-71 arm seem made for each other. There has been a lot of dissing and crap talked about the arm on-line by so called experts - per usual. It is not a Rega R200, even if it shares parts with it. Also much argument as to who made them, well for certain they weren't made by Pioneer, it is another example of Japan inc, they are all in each others pockets.

[Marco]

I've been to loads of bake-offs involving members of AoS, Richard, but as for who comes, much depends on where and when they're on and what's going to be demo'd....

How many people could you realistically entertain at your place? We should at least be able to get half a dozen between here and on your forum. Have you asked people there if they'd like to come? :)

As far as I'm concerned, the arm on the PL-71 is very good quality and nicely engineered, and in fact much better than quite a few modern tonearms. It'll be on the high side, mass-wise, so I'm not surprised that it works very well with your SPU.

For me (and I've examined one up close), it's of comparable quality to the Jelco SA-750 - indeed it's highly possible that Jelco made some tonearms for Pioneer.

So don't listen to the so-called "experts". In my experience, the only thing most of them are 'experts' at is in promoting their own self-importance and ego! :rolleyes:

Marco.

[Dr Bunsen Honeydew]

The arm is medium mass, but the weight of the integral SPU headshell and additional counterweight mass I use should tips it just into the high side. I love its simplicity, I am a "make it simple, stupid" kind of guy. If I have a criticism of Jelco (and I sold my only Jelco made for DSC in the UK on ebay a couple of weeks ago) it tends to overcomplicate things.

I am afraid I don't like any current UK arms. I think SME is over worshipped. They made a couple of good ones and some really duff ones as far as I am concerned. As for the RB300 then the less said the better otherwise I will go into expletives, I even find the RB250 slightly better for some reason. Both those two and the bad SME's are bland, cold to my ears.

Yes I have posted about the bake-off at subjectivist, but the forum is dead, which is one of my motivations to want to get going at another more active one. AND it has ended up being a NVA forum even though that was far from the reason for setting it up, but that is the way it has gone. So now it is largely me waffling to myself, and NVA owners asking advice and questions. There is one person out there who caused this situation with the forum as I trusted him to take on the admin, and a couple of others that seemed to follow him, and they assassinated it and then started another one. So there will be some payback for that unless I calm down about it. One or the major ones and a couple of the minor ones are members here, but I can assure you there will be no carry over onto this forum.

Anyway if it doesn't become a Bake-off you are always welcome to come down at your convenience.

[Barry]

There is a slim change I could make your 'bake off'. If I do, I'll bring my EMTs with me to compare with your SPU.

I could also bring some of my interconnects with me. :rolleyes:

Regards

[Dr Bunsen Honeydew]

Well perhaps changing it to a cart bake-off? instead of DAC, I really don't care personally. Obviously only headshell mounted jobbies.

[Barry]

Well perhaps changing it to a cart bake-off? instead of DAC, I really don't care personally. Obviously only headshell mounted jobbies.

What do other potential attendees want to do? I thought Marco might be attending with his SPU and I know he is also interested in EMTs. (The EMTs would be headshell mounted.)

Regards

[Dr Bunsen Honeydew]

So far you are the only two possibles.

[WOStantonCS100]

I don't own one... ...yet. Nevertheless, aesthetically, it is one of the most "beautiful" cartridges I've ever seen. It's lines flow with the platter and, especially, S-shaped tonearms. Just like LP's, it's art and sound. Don't they have an elliptical (or the like) version for those who prefer a bit more detail: Ortofon SPU Classic GM E MkII? That's the one I'm leaning towards.

[Marco]

Anyway if it doesn't become a Bake-off you are always welcome to come down at your convenience.


Cheers, Richard. If the bake-off doesn't work out, we'll definitely do that. I'll bring the Limoncello! ;)

However, let's see if we can sort something out for 7th August. DACs, cartridges, phono stages, or whatever, I'm easy... If it's only a few of us, why not make it all three? :)

Or if we do a cartridge bake-off, then let's extend it also to turntables. I'd like you to hear my Techy (with SPU).

I suspect that Shuggie may also be interested in attending.

Marco.

[DSJR]

It is not a Rega R200, even if it shares parts with it. Also much argument as to who made them, well for certain they weren't made by Pioneer, it is another example of Japan inc, they are all in each others pockets.

Are you damning the R200 with very faint praise Richard? :lol:

The R200 is a very basic arm, but done to a very high standard IMO, and with a good rigid tube and bearings, which are gravity loaded on the horizontal ones so don't rattle when playing, even if they "click" when the arm is roughly handled. It takes the Microscanner with no issue other than a tad more mass in the headshell (I'd rather have the jelco's variable damping option here though, althoug htracking at under 1.5g isn't at all an issue).

OK, the PL71 arm shares some of the parts, or at least appears to. I'd regard that as a sincere complement personally, as the makers/designers of the Lustre arm which pre-dates both, certainly knew a good thing or two about detachable shell arms of the period and the R200 is no mean performer as long as the bias-belt is still ok.

I really must have a go at the KD750 tonearm I have, as I can now source the ball-bearings to finish the bearing block. I need to fine a way to replace the piano-wire style counterweight suspension, which claimed to be better than the rubber grommet, nut and bolt convention used by most others. maybe it's irrelevant and I should just use a carefully set nut and bolt anyway. Re-wiring should be a doddle as everything comes apart easily.

[Dr Bunsen Honeydew]

Well there is one thing for certain the R200 is a far better arm musically than either RB250 or the RB300, obviously IMO and TME (to my ears / experience).

[southall-1998]

I've had an R200. I agree with Dr Bunsen, I too find the R200 far more musical than the RB250/300.

I will take an R200 any day.

Regards.

[Mighty Ant]

So far you are the only two possibles.

I know I'm a newbie here, but I might be able to come. I have both the 'Gold' and 'Synergy'

Anthony.

[Magna Audio]

I have a Royal N and a Silver Meister.
I use them with 12" arms. First I made my own, Then I made a PL-71 12" convert and now use a R200 12" convert.
I've tried Litz copper and silver and currently use silver.
I have another Rega to convert when the fancy takes me.
Pioneer PL-71 and Rega R200 arms are examples of Acos arms made for them and they are quite similar looks wise and very similar sonically.
The 12" just calms things down a bit but allows excellent info retrieval - lowers distortion levels a little over a 9", bass is improved and so are the highs IMHO.
I've stopped searching or wondering about other arms / carts - that's quite a nice place to be at for a while at least.
Coupled to the SP-10 I am happy.

[BTH K10A]

I used to have an SPU/GE, one of the original versions. I was always impressed with the natural presentation of the music it gave but after getting the next generation SL15E and S15TE I felt that these gave a little extra detail without being to cold and analytical.

Ultimately, I'm a fan of EMT cartriges though but I must admit I do have a soft spot for the Denon DL102 as well.

:hmm: .........Epping is only about 30 mins away

[Marco]

I think, guys, we should go for this and support Richard's bake-off. I would certainly be good to meet some of you - I'm sure we'd have a good laugh :cool:

Marco.

[BTH K10A]

If the times & date are convenient I could bring these. They are all vintage designs.

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f120/emttsd15/IMG_0941.jpg

I have a NOS Shure M33-7 Pro to go in the stability headshell while the TSD15 that was in it goes away for a new cantilever. I've had the Shure years and never used it. There's not much on the web about it so I can't say if it's a giantkiller or a pile of dog poo.

[Marco]

Oooh... It's getting even more interesting now! The 7th Aug is being proposed, Andy - can you make it then? :)

Marco.

[BTH K10A]

Yes Marco, 7th should be ok. I can't do before that as I've got a planning appeal hearing on the 3rd and need to do some serious prep in the intervening weekends