Thats how I ran my Valdi, base removed, Michell cones and a Rata Toralyte tripod stand. I was an idiot to sell all of that.
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Ok I will see what I can find and have a go. Thanks
I have been listening to my Audionote (voyd) reference past few days feet make a huge I mean huge difference to the sound. I have some custom made heavy brass feet certainly and improvement to the bass the midrange is a little to forward for me. I then tried the track audio feet a huge step from the brass feet so much more controlled imaging was great for the money they are actually good value. I then went on to the Harmonix 888 deluxe these are superb the midrange is totally open and musical so much flow to the sound the whole sound is way more fleshed out and holographic treble has far more detail without being harsh. I also have a set of the of the Shun mook feet these were stunning too maybe a little soft not quite the grip of the harmonix but very sweet.
Interestingly I just put 4 25mm sorbothane hemispheres under the Voyd and am currently listening to St Germain - Tourist side 3 Track "Ponts Des Arts", this has copious amounts of driving bass and some lovely electric piano, with some subtle vocals, and great cymbal & snare beats. It sounds superb, tight bass, detailed and smooth mids, with crisp top end. Perhaps you should invest in these and see what you think https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/5-x-SORBO...-/301297544931, check what side for you TT weight. :)
Funny enough I have some of those and have just tried them, I find them interesting while smooth and textured does not have any where the detail of the track audio and the sheer musicality of the harmonix while it is a good value upgrade the Harmonix while costly do do so much more. I would most certainly recommend the Harmonix with the Voyd.
Well I just thought I would do some interconnect cable swapping from phono stage to amp. I have a variety of 6 cables and using the same St Germain track Ponts des Arts I listened to each, there were differences between all, I ignore cost and just put then in order of preference. As soon as I put my 10 year old Eccose Reference in it was like flicking a switch, more detailed top end, lovely mid ranged and so dynamic, previously I had a Chord Camelaon vee 3 in place which is well respected, but the Eccosse is much better. I also have a pair of Eccosse nu-diva’s which I will try tomorrow.
Amazing the effects of cables.
[QUOTE=Amazing the effects of cables.[/QUOTE]
I totally agree adrian with your findings,and not always the most expensive are the best, but there is most certainly big differences to be had in my opinion the very good ones are just like changing a component.
I found out only recently that AN Voyd Reference decks would be supplied with 9.5mm thick "reference" arm boards.
Obviously they add mass, but also remove the need for the brass spacers under the arm board.
Anyway, I had one made in 10mm aluminium with black powder coat finish and replaced the regular board on the FR64fx, and it does seem to have grown some big boots, improved clarity and bass definition. Quite an interesting change overall.
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/...5-FR64fx_2.jpg
Hi Simon, now you need to try a brass one! Nari (Vjrbasi) suggested I try a brass armboard for my FR64fx which works very well. Also do you have the heavy mount (N60) on yours? I've been thinking of asking Steve (Magna Audio) to make me one as it's supposed to make the arm even better. All the best. David
David,
I have the standard arm base for the FR64fx, and with the 10mm arm board (90g) I can still balance out the Voyd suspension, I am not sure if the extra mass of the N60 can be accomodated.
I also have an FR64s which will be next up, but I don't expect I will be able to use the heavier arm board with that as I hear that it is only just possible to balance the Voyd suspension with the S fitted, but we will find out soon enough :D
Brass could be interesting, I saw the thread from Steve, it looks very nice. I went for aluminium to keep the same material as the originals, and the same as the whole sub-chassis etc. Simon
Yes, I would beware of adding mass for the sake of it, it is more important that you get the suspension dynamic right. There is quite a lot of 'folklore' regarding armboard materials.
The Track Audio feet work very well. I have tried the spike version and the non spike version, both work well, but the lower height non spike version sound better and look better when used under a turntable.
I don't think I'll be doing any experimenting or tweaking with my Voyd, just set up and ready to go.
I use a brass arm board on my Voyd reference it works very well its 6mm I have a 8mm one too but like the 6mm, I am getting a ebony one machined soon so lets see, I never liked the aluminium arms boards I have quite a few of varying thicknesses. I find the finishing of the boards also makes a difference for some reason, powder coating is a bit sterile and naked sound a bit brash, I like gold plating for some reason soften the sound and keeps the sense of scale.
Strange how when you look for something they are not to be found and then all of sudden they pop up all over the place.
If anyone is interested I have been told of I very nice Audio Note Voyd TT3 with Split PSU made Feb 2000 that's for sale, basically its a Voyd. It has what looks like an Audio Note One arm and Audio Note ANVx 31 strand silver phono lead. The owner has sent me pictures and the whole lot looks in superb condition. If you are interested I can put you in touch with the owner.
I have had my Voyd 0.5 for many, many years. It has a rewired SME V and an AN Io. Gary Dews brought it around and the base it sits on has a solid metal frame and the only way to move it is to stand inside the frame and lift it up and move it in small steps. A job and a half. Setting the table up was much easier, Gary did it!!
I had an intermittent problem with the TT refusing to rotate. I went round to Guy's place and he found the power strip inside the TT had a small intermittent break. Soon fixed and whilst my TT was 'naked' Guy rebalanced the motors to ensure it was running with minimal noise. Apart from that it just sits there and just does the job.
I re-check the level and bounce of the TT and it does not change (or is minimal). I have compared it to a lot of other TTs and for me it has the best overall balance. A great product and I am not surprised they are difficult to get buy. I think Pete (Coco) had to really search for his Ref (bought abroad?).
I tried using two belts but by heck, it was a tricky job getting both belts around three motors. I prefer a single belt.
Good to know that the electronics are still serviceable. Are there readily available replacement belts?
Not sure. It has twin speed from the PSU. I need to find my bag with its last remaining new belt. Got them from Farnell, I think.
A regular Voyd, 0.5 Ref or Ref has pulleys that look like this:
https://img.ukaudiomart.com/uploads/...-turntable.jpg
The double speed version of the 0.5 Ref has skinny pulleys that look like this:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/.../Voyd-05_2.jpg
When it is on a Voyd and is a Benz Micro LP-S
I thought that some of you might find my views on the LP-S interesting or possibly helpful as it can be very difficult when buying a cartridge, especially when it can be a costly affair.
I have spent quite a bit of time auditioning various cartridges as I wanted to get the best from my Vinyl collection, the Voyd and my SME IV. A couple of dealers very kindly lent me a cartridge each, both which were very good, Hana SL being equal musically but quieter in the groove than the Michell Cusis (Benz Micro Wood S in a different body), the Phasemation PP-300 having more detail and being quieter in the groove, these are both very good cartridges IMO. Both these cartridges were around £1K so not an insignificant outlay, at least for most of us.
I still thought that more could be had and after several discussions with a friend and a couple of trusted dealers I came to the conclusion that to get what I wanted was going to cost more, but how much more? I short listed a Phasemation PP-500, Transfiguration Pheonix S (very hard to find as no longer being made but they are out there new), possibly a Koetsu Red, and Benz Micro either an Ebony S or perhaps a LP-S. Then a spanner was thrown in the works and that was the Esturo Urushi Cobalt Blue, now this is a very serious spanner being a £4.5K cartridge, but is highly recommended by this that have heard it.
To be honest I spent many weeks wrestling with the idea of spending over £3K on a cartridge, and I nearly got my head around it, but selling it to my better half, Sue, was a difficult one, to say the least. Although she did say if I could raise the cash then fine. Then my best friend, Dave, and fellow audiophile purchased an LP-S, he has one on a SME V on a SME 20/3 TT, even though it had only done around 50 hours what he reported sounded extremely good. So after careful consideration this is what I went for as the photo below shows.
I actually purchased it from Henrik at Lydprodukter DK as he is a Benz Micro main dealer and holds all of them in stock, he also supplied me the Voyd. I actually got it for a great price and would recommend you speak with him if you are after a Benz.
So how does it sound in my setup? I have a selection of 10-12 tracks that I regularly use for listening assessments, and that is what I used initially. I actually expect it to be a bit bright straight out the box, initially it was a little but after around 4 tracks started to settle down. The recommended bedding in time for it is 40-50 hours.
A few tracks with my notes of how I felt about it at the time:-
Supertramp - Crime of the Century
School - Harmonica at start has strength and presence, more than Cusis, low bass note in back ground clear and controlled. Vocal is warm and natural (he can sound edgy). Very good clarity and detail, detail of guitars and echoes not heard before are clear. Drum attack is as it should be. Bass punches but not dominating, piano arpeggios are clear in mix. A brilliant rendition.
Bloody Well Right - Electric piano perfect, everything just flows. It punches, but all the detail is there, does not become cluttered, which it can do as the bass can over-dominate. Instead it all is there in depth and detail.
St Germain - Tourists
Rose Rouge - Lots of detail in the cymbals and good decay. Good instrument separation. Bass is tight, piano repeated notes are clear. The tonality of the trumpet is great, no harshness, sounds real. Sax is natural, blending with the trumpet is best I have heard, can still separate the instruments.
Montego Bay Spleen - Masses of bass on this track, you just feel it, the depth is so controlled compared to the Cussis. Attack on drums and percussion is cutting. Guitar has lovely overtones and detail. Soundstage is wide and detailed.
Ravi Shankar - Portait of a Genius (a very telling album for any system)
Tala Rasa Ranga - Hand drums(tablas) sound as if in the room. wood block has a clear resonance, drums hollowness is expressive, can hear hand rolls on skins, Sitar is clear and strong in mix, flute is natural in tone. It all flows together in a balance mix, still able to pick out individual aspects. Superb sense of musically. I’m sat in front of the band.
Eva Cassidy - Nightcalls 7*45rpm LP’s
Fields of Gold - Eva’s voice comes across as effortless, her guitar has more depth and natural tone. Electric guitar harmonics are very good, with interplay between both clear. A slight sibilance occasionally, may need VTA tweak, but may be natural.
Baby I Love You - A difficult track that can easily sound dry, but with the LP-S it comes to life. I think this is because the dryness of the bass can overwhelm the mix and thus dull down the other instruments in the mix. This does not happen with the LP-S all the instruments are clear and it comes to life as a result.
Hugh Masekela - Stimela from Hope(live album)
Best I have ever heard it on my system. Sounds like I am stood in front of the stage. The detail is fantastic. The lightly played electric piano chords cut through the mix, often being lost before. Lightly strummed guitar chords are clear. What is very evident is the the LP-S is getting every bit of detail on the grooves it can and is producing a great sound. the attack on the cowbell strikes reaches out and touches you. Saxophone and Flugal horn just soar. The only time I can remember it sounding slightly better was on a system at a dealers which cost a £400K.
Richard Strauss - Also Spracht Zarathustra (Duetsche G. 2530 402)
Sehr breit - opening track has huge bass from double basses, horns are imposing, kettle drums are here in the room! I can sense the orchestra, the organ note at the end is immense and detailed, with decay and echo. What is noticeable is the detail and separation of instrumentation on the Weniger breit, the violins soar in beautiful harmony.I can hear detail of the horns at the crescendo, and can pick out instruments in the orchestra. Very impressive and musical, so much so I listen to the whole record.
So to sum up, so far I have played all my test listening tracks and around 10 varied albums and the LP-S in my opinion is quite an exceptional cartridge. The initial assessment I did was very early on straight out the box and I was quite surprised at how good it sounded after just a couple of hours use. It improved as I played more tracks, I personally do not think this is due to me becoming more accustomed to its sound, more that as it settled in and warmed up the general rendition improved. My comments are as accurate and as honest as I can be. In some ways it is tonally similar to the Cusis(Wood S), which is not a bad thing as I always liked it in my system. However it is quite evident that the LP-S is getting a great deal more detail and control of what it is extracting from the grooves. I have noticed a slightly warmer feel coming from it as it beds in. To be honest I was prepared to not hear a great difference at the start but I am pleasantly surprised. It will be interesting as to how it is in 50 hours of use. One point to note is that I detected some slight sibilance listening to Eva Cassidy - Fields of Gold, the VTA may need slight adjustment to hit the sweet spot, but I shall revisit this track after at least 30 hours of use before tweaking. From what I have been told it will only improve, the LP-S works well with my current set up, certainly the SME and Voyd.
The Benz Micro LP-S is extracting a great deal of detail from the grooves and in a very musical way, and is pretty quiet in the groove. I think I have made a very good choice of cartridge, and it is taken my vinyl enjoyment to another level.
https://i1339.photobucket.com/albums...soucujrtg.jpeg
https://i1339.photobucket.com/albums...sz98efmdv.jpeg
Remove the lid, in my experience the Voyd sounds significantly better without it.
Also, 2nd hand AN IO 1 is an exceptional thing for around £1k
Rebuilds on AN UK carts are very good value, and come back effectively good as new
And I have a 1042 and I wouldn't take 10 in exchange for an IO tbh [emoji6]
I'd have an IO any day over anything else.
Wot......even a Denon DL103 Chris !!!
Your all mad.
:D
And there are a few carts I'd use in pref to an IO.:eyebrows:
My io ltd sits in a draw gathering dust :lol:
I'll just have to make do with my lowly AT33EV.
any thoughts on the spacers between armboard and sub-chassis? I have a set of 6mm aluminium spacers, but normally use 9mm brass spacers as they sit the armboard level with the top plate, but I never thought about whether they would change the sound. Any thoughts? aluminium, brass or stainless steel? and possibly also the 4 bolts holding the armboard in place :D
I had some spacers made out of Copper which to my ears sounded alot more natural than aluminium, brass was certainly more rocky while stainless emphasised the midrange further, for me copper was great. Plating the arm board changes the sound I have driven myself crazy with this so will nore bore you here. Yes and bolts do make a difference also how much you tighten them.
Any chance of a photo of the spacers, and were you can buy them. I may need something similar for my Technics SL150
I had a discussion on using spacers and was advised that they would impede the transmission of vibration/resonance from the arm into the chassis and this was not a good idea as you want these to dissipate into the chassis and not be fed back into the arm and cartridge which will affect the cartridge and sound.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Every Voyd and Valdi I have owned, setup or serviced since about 1990 has had spacers between the armboard and the sub chassis, I have always seen them as a part of the design tbh.
It also provides a gap under the armboard for the screws or bolts which attach the arm bases for Linn, sme, etc bases without them fouling the sub chassis.
The spacers are something like this:
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?m...2F272141969986
Either 6/6.3mm or 9/9.5/10mm
The "reference" armboard AN started supplying were 9.5mm thick, but the holes for the arm pillar mounting bolts were recessed on the underside so the bolts didn't foul the sub chassis.
Just a brief update on my Voyd, still waiting for the psu to be sorted, there is an issue with it, but in the meantime I've had an offer I simply couldn't refuse.
My Voyd now has an SME V, for £400 + my 309.
I thought about it for about 5 seconds, I had to have it.
Set it up last night, my Voyd now has some Linn parts, set of new hinges and a p-clip.
I'm also getting more confident at fitting the belt, just make sure you fit the rear pulley first.
I actually received it via Johnnie of audio origami, it's been serviced and also the rotating socket had to be refitted, I think it must be about 20 years old but it looks really good and has also been silver wired by Johnnie.
It looks mean, moody and magnificent on my Voyd, I just need the psu now, so I have a very nice looking turntable but that's all I can do at the moment, is just look at it.
hope you love the arm !!!
ive got some new metal and plastic composite headshell SPACER sets if anyone is interested :eek:
1mm thick = 1 gram
2mm thick = 2 grams
3mm thick = 3 grams
4mm thick = 4 grams
Attachment 26251