Hmm then it will be lighter but that photo / lighting doesn't really capture the effect it was just a quick shot with the DSLR on auto and under flash so looks blacker / not as alive as it will.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Marco
Hmm then it will be lighter but that photo / lighting doesn't really capture the effect it was just a quick shot with the DSLR on auto and under flash so looks blacker / not as alive as it will.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Marco
That's absolutely fine. It's never going to exactly match the finish of the T/T, anyway, so if there's going to be a contrast, it may as well be one which shows the natural grain and beauty of the ebony wood! :)Quote:
Hmm then it will be lighter...
Please polish it as highly as you can, too, as there is a shiny effect to the appearance of the MK5G Techy, so a matt finish wouldn't look right.
Yup, sure. "Alive" (and super-smooth, to the touch) is exactly the finished effect I'm looking for :cool:Quote:
...but that photo / lighting doesn't really capture the effect it was just a quick shot with the DSLR on auto and under flash so looks blacker / not as alive as it will.
Also, as discussed, try to use long black allen bolts (if possible) for securing the whole assembly, as I prefer the look of those, or if not, some other fixings with heads that are as unobtrustive as possible, perhaps countersunk, (anything but phillips screws). I'll leave the exact choice up to you. Cheers, dude!
Marco.
I suspect that this thread will be getting updated this weekend ;)
Marco.
Marco drove down with his deck and left it with me for a few hours...
After removing the metal arm plate the first thing I had to do was make some bespoke blind nuts so that a one piece arm board can be fitted with access to the nuts that are recessed.
3 threaded steel pieces - oddly each recess in the deck is different.
They are retained from spinning when you drop the arm board bolts in and locate easily for tightening.
Here's the unfinished sunken arm aboard (needed to allow the Ortofon arm to be low enough and have a nice range of VTA.
I've never seen black saw dust / swarf from wood before! The flash makes it look grey but it really is black.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...2a5c501185.jpg
Trial fitting
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...599955e5b0.jpg
Now with Ortofon arm base mounted. I love proper 2 piece arm bases like this. The FR64 had a similar arrangement.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...8d9d4eecc3.jpg
The recess means you need a shorted allen key so you can get at the VTA bolt - something that was a challenge with the other board Marco was using. I cut one down for this.
Some shots with the arm in place and a spot of finishing and wax polishing done. These are under fluorescent light.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...808c3e8ec0.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...1888ba77f9.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...9b18754340.jpg
On to testing with the VTA set and in the music room with more natural light.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...de86575258.jpg
I made the board to look sympathetic to the curves of the Ortofon arm and the SPU.
We played the deck with Marco's SPU and my Royal N - interesting nuances in sound. The Royal N is a little smoother / refined in the top end. Ideal for classical - the Marco's SPU is more full bodied & with timbre in the mid and bass I like.
Marco tried a deck tap test and thought the Ebony better at damping than the metal board.
It sounded very good.
Marco is now driving home and will no doubt have some comments and report on how it sounds compared to the other arm boards listening on his system.
All in all I am very pleased with the result.
Lovely work Steve :) Looks the business & I'm sure it'll do it to :cool:
Very nice work, Steve. Looking forward to Marco's comments.
Lovely work Steve. I'm sure it sounds as good as it looks.
Not long in and bloody knackered... Drove a total of 435 miles today, but it was worth it! :)
Thanks again to Steve and Marie for their hospitality, and to Steve for the fantastic job he's done with the armboard. When you see it in the flesh, it looks superb and as if it was part of the original T/T! :eek:
I'll be crashing soon, so will offer my thoughts on the sonic differences the ebony armboard (compared to the birch ply and aluminium one) has made tomorrow.
Marco.
P.S Steve, I knew that I'd end up leaving something... The birch ply armboard, alignment ruler, screws and my little allen keys, are all on the table in your garage! So if you could pop them in the post for me, I'd be much obliged! :cool:
Beautiful job Steve. Looking fantastic Marco.
Regards D S D L
Cheers, Neil. The effort has definitely been worth it! :)
Btw, as an aside, on the way to Guildford, Del spotted this little antique/bric-a-brac shop, so we stopped and went in for a look....
There was some interesting bits and pieces in the front of the shop, but nothing we were interested in buying, but that changed when we went through the back and we saw a huge pile of records, which turned out to be mostly mint condition vintage classical recordings, from the 60s and 70s, on the likes of Deutsche Grammophon, Decca (FFRR and Ace of Clubs), RCA Victrola, Phillips, EMI (His Master's Voice), etc...
So I grabbed 75 of the best ones (all minty mint - some were even still sealed from new!!) and got them for, wait for it.................... £45! :D :eek: :eyebrows:
I'll list all the different titles in the Classical music section tomorrow. So, all in all, it's been a fab day!
Marco.