AJSki2fly
18-10-2019, 12:55
So having sold a few bits on and bobs and some CD's one of little upgrade I wanted to try was a better head shell. Having looked at several and asked around it seems the best VFM and possible high sonic improvement might be with a Timestep T-01HS Ebony Headshell, I ordered one from Hugo at Ammonite Audio and it arrive earlier in the week but I resisted playing until today as was tired from working, and I really do not like playing around with arms and expensive cartridges when tired.
So this morning I got the Voyd off its shelf and onto the table, and carefully went about swapping the LP-S over from the standard Jelco HS-25 Headshell to the Timestep. The Timestep is reasonably easy to set up although the setting up the azimuth is a little tricky as the grub screw to secure the head shell is underneath, so patience is required. I used a Tonearm VTA & Cartridge Azimuth Alignment Ruler Headshell Alignment Block to get it spot on, a process I do not enjoy with an expensive cartridge on board. Anyway all went well and once I had balanced the arm and set tracking weight the TT was returned to its shelf.
So first impressions listening to 4 prime listening tracks are as below.
Firstly I thought things sounded a little bass heavy, but immediately I also noticed an slightly improved mid-range and what sound like a sweeter top end.
I listened to Ravi Shankar - Portrait of a Genius track 1 and Eva Cassidy Fields of Gold several times, and came to the conclusion that there were definite improvements but I suspected the VTA was not quite right. I am lucky in that my Jelco is mounted on an Easy VTA adjuster and so can fine tune it on the fly. I never do this with a record playing but adjust up of down listen and then go up or down again depending on what I hear. So after 30 minutes of so tinkering and careful sight examination of the base of the cartridge in relation to the record surface. I actually found I needed to raise the rear of the arm by about 0.3mm not much but it got the sweet spot. The result being improved clarity and bass was still there but as you would expect more controlled.
So I re-listened to the two track above and went on to 10cc - The Wall Street Shuffle, Alan Parson's - I Robot (MFSL 45rpm) and Sinéad O'Connor - Feel So Different & Am Stretched On Your Grave (I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got), all great tracks with superb dynamics.
So this is my final thoughts on these.
Ravi Shankar - Improved low end detail evident in the drums, mid-range is more fleshed out, there seems to be better top end
Eva Cassidy - What is clear here is that tonally the voice rendition is improved, also there is more detail and presence from the recording. I would also say that the blackness is more present (quietness), Guitars have a more natural timbre. Top end is sweeter.
10cc - Some great bass extension, piano has better tone, depth and sound stage feel better defined.
Alan Parson - A wonderful experience this, great clarity and depth superb punch on the bass line and ver good mid-range.
Sinéad O'Connor - Feel So Different, I find this is a very telling track, Sinéad's vocal have a great subtlety that is easily lost of smothered by the bass lines from the plucked basses and cellos. Not so with the tilmestep, this was the best I have heard it form my system, bass superb great extension and detail, cello definition and clarity top notch, vocal was wonderful, no harshness just purity of voice. I also noticed that separation is better across the soundstage, presumably because of less resonance in the head shell than the stand one. I went on to listen to the rest of side one, Stretched On Your Grave came to life with the drums and echo the recording was clear to hear, bass drum deep and tight, felt like the snare drum was in front of me, detail and attack extremely good. The vocal is improved with more detail and clarity, seems more real, better intonation. Violin at end has great sound/tone and clarity, no harshness.
So to sum up if you have a reasonably good cartridge and an arm that will take a Timestep T-01HS Ebony Headshell I would recommend that you think of giving it a go it gets more from the groove and makes it very musical, just make sure it can take the overall weight, and make sure you get set everything up properly then sit back and enjoy. For the relatively low cost it is worth IMO.
https://i.postimg.cc/1XSfMgNk/IMG-1439.jpg (https://postimg.cc/R6PSZZdd)
https://i.postimg.cc/qqGgFksz/IMG-1443.jpg (https://postimg.cc/1Vf9n1YQ)
So this morning I got the Voyd off its shelf and onto the table, and carefully went about swapping the LP-S over from the standard Jelco HS-25 Headshell to the Timestep. The Timestep is reasonably easy to set up although the setting up the azimuth is a little tricky as the grub screw to secure the head shell is underneath, so patience is required. I used a Tonearm VTA & Cartridge Azimuth Alignment Ruler Headshell Alignment Block to get it spot on, a process I do not enjoy with an expensive cartridge on board. Anyway all went well and once I had balanced the arm and set tracking weight the TT was returned to its shelf.
So first impressions listening to 4 prime listening tracks are as below.
Firstly I thought things sounded a little bass heavy, but immediately I also noticed an slightly improved mid-range and what sound like a sweeter top end.
I listened to Ravi Shankar - Portrait of a Genius track 1 and Eva Cassidy Fields of Gold several times, and came to the conclusion that there were definite improvements but I suspected the VTA was not quite right. I am lucky in that my Jelco is mounted on an Easy VTA adjuster and so can fine tune it on the fly. I never do this with a record playing but adjust up of down listen and then go up or down again depending on what I hear. So after 30 minutes of so tinkering and careful sight examination of the base of the cartridge in relation to the record surface. I actually found I needed to raise the rear of the arm by about 0.3mm not much but it got the sweet spot. The result being improved clarity and bass was still there but as you would expect more controlled.
So I re-listened to the two track above and went on to 10cc - The Wall Street Shuffle, Alan Parson's - I Robot (MFSL 45rpm) and Sinéad O'Connor - Feel So Different & Am Stretched On Your Grave (I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got), all great tracks with superb dynamics.
So this is my final thoughts on these.
Ravi Shankar - Improved low end detail evident in the drums, mid-range is more fleshed out, there seems to be better top end
Eva Cassidy - What is clear here is that tonally the voice rendition is improved, also there is more detail and presence from the recording. I would also say that the blackness is more present (quietness), Guitars have a more natural timbre. Top end is sweeter.
10cc - Some great bass extension, piano has better tone, depth and sound stage feel better defined.
Alan Parson - A wonderful experience this, great clarity and depth superb punch on the bass line and ver good mid-range.
Sinéad O'Connor - Feel So Different, I find this is a very telling track, Sinéad's vocal have a great subtlety that is easily lost of smothered by the bass lines from the plucked basses and cellos. Not so with the tilmestep, this was the best I have heard it form my system, bass superb great extension and detail, cello definition and clarity top notch, vocal was wonderful, no harshness just purity of voice. I also noticed that separation is better across the soundstage, presumably because of less resonance in the head shell than the stand one. I went on to listen to the rest of side one, Stretched On Your Grave came to life with the drums and echo the recording was clear to hear, bass drum deep and tight, felt like the snare drum was in front of me, detail and attack extremely good. The vocal is improved with more detail and clarity, seems more real, better intonation. Violin at end has great sound/tone and clarity, no harshness.
So to sum up if you have a reasonably good cartridge and an arm that will take a Timestep T-01HS Ebony Headshell I would recommend that you think of giving it a go it gets more from the groove and makes it very musical, just make sure it can take the overall weight, and make sure you get set everything up properly then sit back and enjoy. For the relatively low cost it is worth IMO.
https://i.postimg.cc/1XSfMgNk/IMG-1439.jpg (https://postimg.cc/R6PSZZdd)
https://i.postimg.cc/qqGgFksz/IMG-1443.jpg (https://postimg.cc/1Vf9n1YQ)