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Thread: Heybrook TT2 w. RB300 -- cartridge recommendations

  1. #21
    Join Date: Feb 2008

    Location: Sunny (occasionally) Devon

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    I'm Shane.

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    Voila!


    https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?m...2F142539204698


    A bit pricey for what it is, but not for what it does.
    Time flies like an arrow.
    Fruit flies like a banana.

  2. #22
    Join Date: Oct 2017

    Location: Ontario, Canada

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    I'm Svend.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Rothchild View Post
    I was under the impression that the RB300 was considered 'medium mass' rather than lightweight?
    Light-ish? I was of the impression that at 11.5g eff. mass, this was on the light side(?). Seems that might be a bit off then. Lighter side of medium then? Thanks for sorting that out.


    Gents, thanks for the head's-up on the R200, and to Shane for the links. Very helpful! There's an original P2 with R200 arm for sale near me for reasonable money (C$250) -- I might go check it out once I'm back home from this latest business trip.

    Re. arm swap, it seems that a direct swap is possible -- as far as I can glean from a quick search, the mounting point for R200 and RB300 are the same, so no further mods to the Heybrook should be needed. Nice!

    Shane -- that Audio-Talk thread is a good one. It's possible that I will rewire the R200 if I get it, so that's all described there. Another post on Vinyl Engine describes how to check for a broken bias belt on this arm while it's still on the table, so at least I will know how to test that bit. But good to know the belts are available if needed, and your ebay seller will ship worldwide.

    On the subject of inspecting a used arm, is there anything else I should look for wrt. bearings, play/looseness anywhere? I suppose this question applies to any older used tonearm, not just the R200.

    Thanks,
    Svend

  3. #23
    Join Date: Apr 2012

    Location: N E Kent

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    I'm Geoff.

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    All very well, but to be honest, for a 'universal' type Japanese arm at around the same money, I'd buy a Linn Basik LV-V every time. I sold the R200 and still have my LV-V. It's well built and trouble free.

    Oh. And if you do rebuild an R200 anti-skate assembly. The job is a pain. You need the right tools (which fortunately I have). The bearings shed their balls from the races as you disassemble the stem and you need to catch them all (and put them back on reassembly). The plastic anti-skate helix mech will misalign many times before you get it right and the ebay kit with the tensioning spacer is a compromise. The belt spacer (required because the belt is the wrong size) adds a lot of drag, causing bias adjustment to need more force than originally and it imparts a nasty 'rubbing' feel to operation.

    The R200 is a waste of time!!
    It is impossible for anything digital to sound analogue, because it isn't analogue!

  4. #24
    Join Date: Oct 2017

    Location: Ontario, Canada

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    Jeez Geoff, just when I was getting all wound up to get a nice R200... Actually I appreciate the insight. Better to hear this now than curse the darn thing later when a wee ball bearing flies off into a dark corner of the workshop never to be seen again. My whiskey budget just started looking better knowing I may not have to fiddle with an arm rebuild like that.

    Seems like there are lots of other good arm options for the Heybrook, so no rush to go chasing after something. And now that I sit back and think about this (sanity check), I would really like to hear what the RB300 can do with a good cartridge...something with some drive and punch. My gut feeling tells me that something from the Goldring 2000 or Ortofon 2M series might work quite OK here. And there are pages and pages of mods and tweaks written about the Rega arms. Some of these are likely to be dead ends in the search for real (vs. imagined) improvement in sound quality, but some might be well worth a little time and expense. We'll see... I will have to choose carefully, otherwise the comment at the end of the previous paragraph may prove to be rather the opposite.

    Regards, and thanks for the insight.

    Svend
    Last edited by Svend N; 23-10-2017 at 04:22.

  5. #25
    Join Date: Feb 2008

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    Quote Originally Posted by walpurgis View Post
    The R200 is a waste of time!!
    One man’s meat is another man’s poison! Here you see the eternal dilemma of the hifi forum. To some the R200’s a bargain that just needs a little effort to sing like a bird, to others it’s a waste of time and an impossible challenge that’s not worth the effort. In the end, only you can decide.

    One other point about the R200, it doesn’t have any facility for VTA adjustment so you need a selection of spacers to set it up, which is a bit of a pain, but once you’ve got it right it stays that way, unlike some. Also, you’re correct about it being a direct swap for the RB300. The geometry is the same.

    OK, I’ll stop banging on about arms now. In your original post you mentioned that the turntable’s away having its suspension tweaked. I’m curious, what did it need? The TT2 suspension system is pretty straightforward and robust so there isn’t much to tweak unless the the rubber mounts are perished (which I’ve only ever seen once!) in which case there’s not a lot you can do as they’re the only parts other than the platter that couldn’t be knocked up by a competent workshop, and spares are unobtainable.

    lastly, photos. We need photos!
    Time flies like an arrow.
    Fruit flies like a banana.

  6. #26
    Join Date: Oct 2017

    Location: Ontario, Canada

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    Quote Originally Posted by shane View Post
    One man’s meat is another man’s poison! Here you see the eternal dilemma of the hifi forum. To some the R200’s a bargain that just needs a little effort to sing like a bird, to others it’s a waste of time and an impossible challenge that’s not worth the effort. In the end, only you can decide.
    I will read that Audio-Times thread more closely and see what's involved. I'm reasonably handy with tools, and have done some complex brute jobs (e.g. cylinder head on an '85 Saab 900) and some finer work too (numerous vintage camera lenses with leaf shutters). Compared to the latter, the R200 will probably be a cake walk.

    As for VTA, spacers are easy to come by, and a perfectly good option for me -- no real need for a VTA-on-the-fly-arm as I'm more of a "set it and forget it" type, so once the cart is on and set up right I ain't touching it.

    Re. the suspension -- sorry, I probably used the wrong wording. I meant the shop will adjust the suspension springs to give the right bounce. Nothing more needs to be done -- no mods or repairs; all is intact and in good shape, as far as I can tell. Not sure if they will tackle the tonearm wire attachment pattern or not, as I understand that is somewhat important. I'm sure they will check it, but I will ask anyway....

    On that topic, at some point I may add some RCA jacks to the back panel so that I can play around with different RCA cables. Not sure yet...will wait to hear how the present cables sound, then decide.

    And finally, here are your pictures... Not the best, just what I pulled off my mobile from a few weeks ago while the deck was sitting on my workbench. I will take some more once I get it back from the shop.

    IMG_20170930_111723.jpgIMG_20170930_123233.jpg

    Cheers,
    Svend

  7. #27
    Join Date: Feb 2008

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    Sounds like the job will be well within your compass, and if you don’t like the result it should then at least be worth more than you paid for it!

    Seeing the photos reminded me that the TPS version had no power switch. On standard versions this was located on the right hand side of the nameplate in front of the arm board. That will make it a little trickier should your TPS not be reparable, but hopefully all will be well. The TPS was introduced some years after I left the company so I’m not that familiar with it.
    Time flies like an arrow.
    Fruit flies like a banana.

  8. #28
    Join Date: Oct 2017

    Location: Ontario, Canada

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    I'm Svend.

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    By the way, I can see how this refurbing of old turntables can quickly become a real hobby. I discovered a rather sad looking Dual 1010 idler drive in my Mother's basement this weekend, which upon closer inspection looks salvageable. I've no idea whether this model is even worth it (arm looks pretty cheap and tinny), but my first reaction was "Brilliant! An old Dual to that needs some TLC and a good home!". Must resist such urges in future or else the house will soon be filled with decks.

    Svend

  9. #29
    Join Date: Apr 2012

    Location: N E Kent

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    I'm Geoff.

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    The idler Duals are pretty good and the 1010 should be well worth reviving.
    It is impossible for anything digital to sound analogue, because it isn't analogue!

  10. #30
    Join Date: Oct 2017

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    Quote Originally Posted by shane View Post
    Sounds like the job will be well within your compass, and if you don’t like the result it should then at least be worth more than you paid for it!

    Seeing the photos reminded me that the TPS version had no power switch. On standard versions this was located on the right hand side of the nameplate in front of the arm board. That will make it a little trickier should your TPS not be reparable, but hopefully all will be well. The TPS was introduced some years after I left the company so I’m not that familiar with it.
    Yeah, that's kind of what I am thinking re. the R200. Might be worth a stab at it. Worst case, I'll have a perfectly usable Planar 2 for one of my daughters with either a refurbed R200 or the RB300 arm. With a couple of the more sensible aftermarket mods for this, it should make quite nice music for an entry level system. Just the thing for a young person's apartment.

    Re. the TPS, I haven't heard back from the tech as to present status. Not sure if no news is good news, or the converse. All this waiting is making me antsy. I will let you know once I hear...

    As for my original question about cartridges, the more I think about it, the more I like the idea of having an arm with a removable headshell. Lets me play around with a couple of different carts to see what sounds best. As my preamp is switch-able between MM and MC, this is a snap to do.

    Best,
    Svend

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