RobbieGong
21-09-2011, 10:21
Hi guys, Recently fitted the Mike New bearing & Timestep psu to my beloved Techie MK5g. Prior to this mods are KAB fluid damper (which calmed arm resonance down nicely, subtle increase in inner detail / nuances), vital really if like me you want to keep the stock arm). Isonoe feet - (subtle increase in inner detail / nuances) and looks gorgeous too, 2M Black at the helm - great highly rated cart, loads of detail and texture to instruments and vocals.
I fittted the bearing and external psu together so must give a brief review with that considered. Please note I received the Timestep used, mint and already run in so I'm sure a lot of the changes I have heard have been whilst the Mike New bedded in. Firstly after fitting the two I noticed that the sound definately changed. I wasn't quite sure if I liked it at first because it is a fair change in sound. My deck had previously been meticulously set up and was sounding very nice and sparkly indeed, lots of detail and emphasis of certain frequencies probably due to inherited coloration which was fine with me. As well as greatly changed I found the presentation initially a tad edgy or grainy over time this changed to less edgy, yes the Mike New requires a lot of running in as expressed to me by a few members. Now I've had these mods in place a while and a good number of hours clocked up on the deck
(100+ including left running over several nights) I find things are now calmer on certain tracks I can turn the system up a lot more due to a calming of things probably due to the power supply being no longer under the platter so any hum from that is no longer incorporated in what the arm and stylus have been picking up ie: more music amplified and less of the nasties too. Again, more inner detail is now revealed.
The stock bearing is very light indeed a bit of a toy - If it dropped on your foot from a height you'd utter 'ouch' the Mike New bearing is as heavy, robust and as solid as you like made from solid brass and looks and feels absolutely quality in comparison, now if this fell on your foot you'd probably collapse in a heap on the floor followed by a visit to A&E with a deep laceration, severe bruising and a toe fracture or two :eek: I kid you not !! - I'm not sure technically how having a solidly engineered bearing such as this works from a sonic perspective but it obviously has good benefit which I'm sure Mike would be able to explain. These mods have added a further sense of realism to the presentaion ie, seperation of parts and I can hear the performance as well as a sense of space around what the musicians and singers are doing rather than just a nice glossed over tune.
In summary - This is where you really start to see the fruits of this modding the Techie labour, where all the other primary mods (feet, KAB damper, mat etc) start to come together. The external power supply and Mike New bearing are undoubtedly key componant parts to taking things that real step further unveiling the truth behind the recording, performance and what really is in the groove, it has really made me understand this 'audiophile' term where some guys who have really taken the journey far express being able to place where musicians are stood or how close or far away from the mike a singer might be. As a result these changes or key mods are very revealing. I can now tell that the Mike New Platter which calms the shouty presentation of the ringy stock platter (Ask Marco) is what I will need to look to in order to again push further into this addictive realism of presentation where each track reveals something of its own, all your records do not just sound the same because they are not - hope I'm making sense. I can also tell that my QED Silver anniversary speaker cable I have enjoyed for so long although very detailed does have a degree of brittleness within it's bright character so I'll look to a speaker cable upgrade too along side maybe a 'better' psu than the stock Timestep - things are looking good - sincerely hope this has helped. In a nut shell, Mike New bearing and an external psu are key componant parts IF you really want to get 'there' !! ;) :)
P.S - Please forgive me for the very wordy thread !!
I fittted the bearing and external psu together so must give a brief review with that considered. Please note I received the Timestep used, mint and already run in so I'm sure a lot of the changes I have heard have been whilst the Mike New bedded in. Firstly after fitting the two I noticed that the sound definately changed. I wasn't quite sure if I liked it at first because it is a fair change in sound. My deck had previously been meticulously set up and was sounding very nice and sparkly indeed, lots of detail and emphasis of certain frequencies probably due to inherited coloration which was fine with me. As well as greatly changed I found the presentation initially a tad edgy or grainy over time this changed to less edgy, yes the Mike New requires a lot of running in as expressed to me by a few members. Now I've had these mods in place a while and a good number of hours clocked up on the deck
(100+ including left running over several nights) I find things are now calmer on certain tracks I can turn the system up a lot more due to a calming of things probably due to the power supply being no longer under the platter so any hum from that is no longer incorporated in what the arm and stylus have been picking up ie: more music amplified and less of the nasties too. Again, more inner detail is now revealed.
The stock bearing is very light indeed a bit of a toy - If it dropped on your foot from a height you'd utter 'ouch' the Mike New bearing is as heavy, robust and as solid as you like made from solid brass and looks and feels absolutely quality in comparison, now if this fell on your foot you'd probably collapse in a heap on the floor followed by a visit to A&E with a deep laceration, severe bruising and a toe fracture or two :eek: I kid you not !! - I'm not sure technically how having a solidly engineered bearing such as this works from a sonic perspective but it obviously has good benefit which I'm sure Mike would be able to explain. These mods have added a further sense of realism to the presentaion ie, seperation of parts and I can hear the performance as well as a sense of space around what the musicians and singers are doing rather than just a nice glossed over tune.
In summary - This is where you really start to see the fruits of this modding the Techie labour, where all the other primary mods (feet, KAB damper, mat etc) start to come together. The external power supply and Mike New bearing are undoubtedly key componant parts to taking things that real step further unveiling the truth behind the recording, performance and what really is in the groove, it has really made me understand this 'audiophile' term where some guys who have really taken the journey far express being able to place where musicians are stood or how close or far away from the mike a singer might be. As a result these changes or key mods are very revealing. I can now tell that the Mike New Platter which calms the shouty presentation of the ringy stock platter (Ask Marco) is what I will need to look to in order to again push further into this addictive realism of presentation where each track reveals something of its own, all your records do not just sound the same because they are not - hope I'm making sense. I can also tell that my QED Silver anniversary speaker cable I have enjoyed for so long although very detailed does have a degree of brittleness within it's bright character so I'll look to a speaker cable upgrade too along side maybe a 'better' psu than the stock Timestep - things are looking good - sincerely hope this has helped. In a nut shell, Mike New bearing and an external psu are key componant parts IF you really want to get 'there' !! ;) :)
P.S - Please forgive me for the very wordy thread !!