Magna Audio's custom-made counterweight balance and armboard service!

[Magna Audio]

The Cabinets I made for a pair of Tannoy HPD drivers could finally be collected after the lockdown easing.

The drivers were dropped off to me and I installed them during the day for afternoon collection.

The aftermarket crossovers are external hence dedicated boxes.
Nice components in the crossovers.

We also used high quality Janzen integral cable and gold plated Tannoy 4 pin plugs.

These are built using the Scandinavian birch plywood throughout and designed to be taller and narrower than the original Tannoy GRFs.
Modelled you have the same tuned backloaded horn path.
These also feature the bass cleaning up Tear drop baffle in the throat of the horn section.

Finished in English light oak.

The customer (a Dolby surround sound engineer) had the drivers in original chipboard Tannoy Berkeley cabinets.
Needless to say the cabinet material, construction and backloaded horn bass make these a very much improved Hi-fi experience.

















Driver installation

[Magna Audio]

Heavy stand alone armpod now finished.
Fitted with a Jelco armbase mounting. The internals are designed to also fit the larger Fidelity Reseach FR64S/66S tonearm.
Pictured with my arm test fitting.

These are cast lead filled for super stability and mass. 3 brass adjustable height feet and ebony armboard (of course).

[Magna Audio]

Ebony armboard for a Sony TTS8000 Resinamic plinth.

[Magna Audio]

Next up is a pair of arm stands in brass.
Made to the customer's drawings.
Machined and milled allowing the tonearm cable to pass down and out under the plinth.
One for a Fidelity Reseach FR24 and the other a Moerch UP4.









Some pics of the making in reverse order.

[Magna Audio]

Technics SL-1210 GAE limited edition getting the armboard and Kuzma Stogi Reference treatment (what a heavyweight and beautifully engineered deck).

This time in order of execution




Kuzma Stogi Reference



Chosen piece of ebony



Taking the original arm out



Checking the required armboard depth





Turning the armboard



First trial fitting



Platter cutout done



Under deck threaded mounting done



Next up armboard base fitting armboard finishing, arm and board fitting.

[Magna Audio]

Technics SL-1210 GAE limited edition and Kuzma Stogi Reference armboard and fitting.

Here's the finished armboard with arm mounted on the deck.







Under armboard fixings



All back together



Checking the VTA range

[Magna Audio]

The customer collected today.
He'll be installing soon, so expect some pics and a review.
He also has another very nice deck with a Kuzma on, so comparisons will be possible.

[Magna Audio]

I've been giving birth to more copper cube / ebony Platine Verdier type arm mounts.
This time 3 armboards in ebony and 2 cast copper cubes.

The customer in Hawaii didn't want the visible copper sides too bright.
So I came up with a black powder partial dusting that is then clear acrylic finished.

2 different size round hole mount armboards and a SME mount one

[Magna Audio]

Latest satin black armpod bound for CA USA.
Removable Ebony armboard drilled for a Schick 12" tonearm.
Cast lead filled, super stable.
15cm plinth height. Height adjustable +/- 1cm.

[Magna Audio]

Here's a couple of pics of the installation and setup of the Kuzma Stogi Reference tonearm on the ebony armboard I made and installed on a Technics SL-1210 GAE Limited Edition.

The customer wrote

"All set up (using a smarTractor) and sounding great. The P2S distance was spot on so thank you once again for an amazing job!"

Always nice to see follow pics of installations and things working.