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guyb
26-11-2014, 11:22
Hey All,

I am just about to take collection of a TT that has a ADC ALT-1 tonearm.

Could any one tell me if a standard tonearm cable will fit this tonearm?
(such as this http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Van-Damme-miniature-StarQuad-tonearm-cable-for-Linn-SME-Jelco-Roksan-etc-/221610393029?pt=UK_Sound_Vision_Other&hash=item3399023dc5)

Could anyone recommend a reasonably suited cable (based on quality/cost against the arm) that will suitable for this arm.

Also, what carts would be a good match? The arm already has a Ortofon VMS 20 E on it. I am not sure the condition but what do folks think of this one?

I have a Ortofon 2M Red I could use but I am not sure this will even fit or be a good match. Will the 2M Red be better than the VMS 20 E?

Thanks in advance :D

Guy

walpurgis
26-11-2014, 11:41
I've had a couple of ALT-1 arms and to be honest, it's not worth spending that kind of money on. I'd use the cheapest cable you can find if I were you. I expect the Vanne Damme would fit but it's going to cost you nearly what the arm is worth.

They were cheap arms new and the sound quality is very average indeed. I'd stick with the existing Ortofon cartridge, anything better will be wasted in the ALT-1. There is only one 'enhancement' worth doing on the ALT-1 and that is to put some viscous silicone on the counterweight's sharp helical adjusting thread which is always too loose. This stops it resonating.

Sorry if I've damped your enthusiasm, but it's just not a great product.

guyb
26-11-2014, 11:51
Yeah, I had read similar things about it.

Could you recommend a new arm that doesn't cost too much that would fit the same arm board?

Guy

walpurgis
26-11-2014, 11:57
Yeah, I had read similar things about it.

Could you recommend a new arm that doesn't cost too much that would fit the same arm board?
Guy

Not having the data handy, I can't. There should be info online somewhere with dimensions for the ADC arm and others, maybe a Linn Basic+ would substitute.

guyb
26-11-2014, 12:15
Looks like a Rega RB 250, RB 251 or RB 300 might be a good fit.

Guy

struth
26-11-2014, 12:17
i believe an AT 110 works well with that arm.

walpurgis
26-11-2014, 12:20
Looks like a Rega RB 250, RB 251 or RB 300 might be a good fit.

Guy

You didn't say what the turntable is. Give us a clue.

struth
26-11-2014, 12:23
there was an adc100 went on ebay recently. might be? sure that used that arm

guyb
26-11-2014, 12:29
It's a Denon DP 2000 with a Denon DP-2550 plinth and ADC ALT-1 arm with Ortofon VMS 20 E

13583
13584

struth
26-11-2014, 12:38
i remember them. they often came as motor units only or with plinth. quartz direct drive

walpurgis
26-11-2014, 12:54
Nice turntable. It certainly deserves better than the ALT-1. If you're considering the Rega, check it will sit high enough, there's not much height adjustment and that's only by spacers. The DP2000 is fairly tall, so you may find the Rega would need a mount raising block. An AT-1005 II in good nick or Linn LVV would be nice on that (avoid the Rega RB200). Bung a rigid headshell on and a decent MC and you're away!! :)

guyb
26-11-2014, 13:56
The AT-1005 II looks interesting! Do you think I would need to change the arm board?

Sorry if it is obvious - most of the turntables I have had have been 'plug and play' so I have no experience changing, setting up and aligning arms!

Guy

Mr Kipling
26-11-2014, 20:12
Get shot of it! Get shot of it!
(The arm.)

I can only share Geoff's (lack of) enthusiasm for it. I bought one new - and never got over the experience. It was £40 and for and extra £7 I could have got a Rega 200. A bitter experience I can tell ya. It's not worth a £50 lead.

P. S.
The ADC is mounted 218mm from pivot to platter spindle. The Rega arms are mounted 222mm. Depending on how big the hole is, you might have to engaged in a bit of woodwork.

guyb
26-11-2014, 21:46
I just bought a Audio Technica AT 1005 MKII tonearm from eBay :D

Let hope it fits OK now :D

The AT 1005 is 3mm longer than the ALT-1 but, if it makes any difference, the overhang is 4mm shorter!

I will use the 2M Red if it fits OK until I have the cash for a nice Denon MC cartridge!

Guy

struth
26-11-2014, 22:09
The mounting distance is different by 7mm, so a bit of an adjustment to the arm board will be necessary. the 1005 is 225 mm pivot to spindle and the alt1 is 218mm

Mr Kipling
26-11-2014, 22:28
The AT 1005 MM II was about the cheapest arm you could get one time. When the ALT-1 was £40, the 1005 could be had for £29.

struth
26-11-2014, 22:34
May have changed the distance for the mk2 version I suppose. never noticed the mk 2 bit, and dont have data on it. if it is then itll be a drop in distance wise.

walpurgis
26-11-2014, 23:10
The AT 1005 MM II was about the cheapest arm you could get one time. When the ALT-1 was £40, the 1005 could be had for £29.

That was because at that time the ALT-1 was fancy and new and the AT-1005 II had been in production since around 1970 (ten years earlier), so continued production involved no further tooling costs. I don't actually remember the AT being quite that cheap (even an SME 3009 was only £25 in 1970). None of this alters the fact that the AT is a nice bit of engineering. I know which I'd sooner have and I've owned them both.

Mr Kipling
26-11-2014, 23:33
Not sure exactly when I got my ALT-1. '81, thinking about it. I got it from Linton Audio who were also Rega dealers. Being somewhat tight-fisted I opted for the ADC saving myself a whopping £7. The 1005 MK II could be bought mail-order for, as I say, £29. I remember it well. The episode is burnt into my memory.

walpurgis
27-11-2014, 00:21
Not sure exactly when I got my ALT-1. '81, thinking about it. I got it from Linton Audio who were also Rega dealers. Being somewhat tight-fisted I opted for the ADC saving myself a whopping £7. The 1005 MK II could be bought mail-order for, as I say, £29. I remember it well. The episode is burnt into my memory.

Wasn't that 'Lintone Audio'? :)

Mr Kipling
27-11-2014, 20:55
Wasn't that 'Lintone Audio'? :)

Bit of a stickler for detail, Geoff. (Keyboard suggestions on my phone removed the 'e' without me noticing it.)

Yes, Lintone Audio of Gateshead. Over time they branched-out with premises in Whitley Bay, The Metro Centre and Newcastle City Centre. Now I think there is just the original Gateshead location. There was a time when there was at least five hi-fi shops in Newcastle town centre plus the likes of Laskey's and Comet plus second-hand shops which sold hi-fi. They all went years ago and now there is just a Richer Sounds and a Cash Converters. Sad. I stopped buying from Lintone due to a long period of unemployment, which changed my outlook on things. Having said that, I've bought more gear off eBay over the past four years than I ever got from dealers. Admittedly, most being non-working, and most still waiting to feel the heat of an iron on their innards.