Just got a 401

[Ammonite Audio]

Was the same on my Jelco 750, impossibly tight. Looking at the Yannis Tome website, I see din plugs in slightly different sizes. Doesn't seem to be a standard size.

Yannis Tome states quite clearly that he prefers to use Zavfino 1877Phono mini-DIN connectors since they are the best quality at a good price, although he does also offer Furutech for people who must spend more. According to his website http://www.back-promo.co.uk/html/423_5phono_litz.html under 'Tonearm 5-pin DIN options' you can see that the Zavfino 1877Phono connectors have a diameter of 11.8mm and the Furutechs are 11.75mm, so a difference of just 0.05mm. I check every Zavfino 1877Phono cable with a new Jelco TK-850S, Glanz MH-94S, my old Fidelity Research FR-64S and (when I have one in) the Timestep T-609 too; and the Zavfino connectors always fit snugly and securely, and easy to unplug without any great force. If there is a problem with your old Jelco SA-750 then I would suspect that the arm pillar has been somehow bent out of shape, since Jelco have not changed that part of the design in any of their current range.

I am totally confident that there is nothing wrong with Zavfino 1877Phono's DIN connectors but if any of my other customers here on AoS have experienced any difficulties, then I would ask then to post details on AoS.

[scotty38]

Mine is absolutely fine on my Jelco. Came from Hugo, perfect.

[Mikeandvan]

I am totally confident that there is nothing wrong with Zavfino 1877Phono's DIN connectors but if any of my other customers here on AoS have experienced any difficulties, then I would ask then to post details on AoS.

Sorry Hugo, wasn't criticising the Zafino cables which were of a fantastic build, just trying to make sure the next cable I buy is right for my tonearm. I noticed on the Yannis Tome website that he offered din plugs of varying sizes.

[scotty38]

As I said my Zavfino fits my Jelco perfectly. It couldn't fit any better if it tried

[Mikeandvan]

Just looked in my hifi bits'n'bobs drawer and realised I had 4 washers and nuts that came with the 401, its been so long since I got it from Vinylspinner back in June. So fitted those, and the hum has gone, the TT is now running pretty quietly indeed. The bass is over whelming and their is a rawness to the sound, I'm hoping this will be corrected when I get a tonearm cable which allows me to raise the tonearm higher, as it is a bit down at the back. As yet I can see the good qualities of idlers, but it needs to be mellowed. Not sure how much I'm willing to put into that, we'll see. I'll try it with my Nima as well when I get it back from NAS. So I now wonder what a new plinth would do, I'm always wary about these supposed upgrades, as the plinth I use now is lead lined and very heavy so is damped somewhat already. Also with the big plywood plinths can you still connect the nuts onto the mounting bolts as they don't seem to be long enough to go through all that thick ply, from looking at pics anyway.

[Mikeandvan]

Depending on the arm it can sometimes (and sometimes not) be a good idea to earth the arm cable to the chassis - if you want to try it you can usually find a screw on the underside of the chassis to connect the cable to. As with earth arrangements generally, you have to experiment to find the quietest solution. I didn't need to earth the AT 1503 I had on my most recent 401 at the chassis (though I did at the SUT), but I recall earthing other arms previously on 401s and Lencos to the TT chassis as that was the quietest option.

Sometimes the quietest solution can be to let the phono plugs take care of earthing and don't connect a wire at all, in other cases one earth connection (at SUT/preamp) or two (also on TT chassis) can be best. Suck it and see. There is no universal principle here and people's experiences will vary according to what arms they have tried and how their various earths have been set up.

Had a look at the underside of the 401 this morning, attached the tonearm earth cable to a green cable on the 401, now its perfectly silent, all hum has gone, perfect, very silent. It is attached on the amp end as well of course.

[donmarrese]

Best with a Roksan cable then perhaps if the Nima plug is a bit weird. I've used the Zafvino cables with four different arms and never had any bother. (I run a Zavfino Highlands on my Ikeda IT345).

Hi Tom, can I send you a PM pls?
Sorry pls delete after...slightly off topic...happy new year everyone!!!

Sent from my ONE A2003 using Tapatalk

[Mikeandvan]

Just wondering what most people who run idlers use amp wise?

[Patrick Dixon]

Just wondering what most people who run idlers use amp wise?

I don't think it makes much odds what amp you use with a particular turntable, I think it's more relevant to consider what amp you use with a particular pair of speakers.

[Wakefield Turntables]

Just wondering what most people who run idlers use amp wise?

Croft Epoch Pre, Sondex S100 Power.