The Final Turntable
- Thread starter CGabriel
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This is a picture of the cup that holds the arm. There is no other point of contact for the arm and there are no support wires.
The counter balance weight is an eccentric type so that turning it adjusts the azimuth in addition to the tracking force. Very elegant design.
You can see in this closeup the arm entirely supported by the ball in the cup.
The counter balance weight is an eccentric type so that turning it adjusts the azimuth in addition to the tracking force. Very elegant design.
You can see in this closeup the arm entirely supported by the ball in the cup.
Congrats, Caelin, that sure is a beautiful turntable!
Nice system too. What power cords are you using?
I use an ALPHA DIGITAL to kill noise from the turntable power supply.
Caelin, what is your phono amp? That table is amazing looking, what others did you consider in your quest for 'the final turntable' (as opposed to 'the latest turntable')?
I have an AMG v12. Do you suggest Alpha or Sigma digital for turntable power supplies? (Or depends on the ps itself?)
I have an AMG v12. Do you suggest Alpha or Sigma digital for turntable power supplies? (Or depends on the ps itself?)
The log room has several acoustic advantages. First is that there are no cavities in the wall - they are solid wood. This eliminates several acoustic resonances. The uneven curves and shapes of the wood logs acts as a natural whole room diffusor. The floor has a suspended wood floor and it had a trampoline effect so I put reinforcement blocks (with adjusters) under the floor at key locations to dampen the floor. The only room acoustic treatment are two Aperture's in each of the two windows.
It is a beautiful sounding room. It actually sounds better than the custom built reference room at the factory which is no slouch acoustically.
Love the Maggie's! I don't know of a speaker anywhere near its price that is comparable. But like all speakers, it has strengths and weaknesses. There are MANY great speakers today and none of them are perfect. I think we live a golden era of speaker design.
On a preamp or source component the SIGMA will distance the ALPHA by a fair amount. But I prefer the ALPHA DIGITAL for turntable power supplies because it is relatively flexible and is less than half the cost of the SIGMA.
Motor power supplies are pretty similar with rectifier noise and commutator noise. Although I hear from Louis that he has a new power supply design that uses super capacitors that work in a teeter totter fashion. Similar to having a battery power supply that never runs down. I will be getting the upgrade soon.
That arm is a very interesting design. Like you alluded to, in some ways it has a familiarity with the Well Tempered. Owning a WTA Black arm ( which I think is pretty good), I wonder IF this arm has the same deficiencies? Namely, set-up is not easy and worse- not easily repeatable, plus once the arm goes out of adjustment ( which is fairly often ) then the azimuth floats away and it is a bear to correct....accurately that is. The lubricant in the cup, what is it?...does the viscosity have a bearing on the performance?...as it does with the WTA.
That is a simple and elegant arm design. It looks like the opposite of something like the TriPlanar arm which is fully adjustable but very complicated. It looks as though the arm base is fixed on the plinth and the headshell has no slots, so how is overhang adjusted? And is there an anti skate mechanism or VTA adjustment?
Looks to move just like a unipivot. My concern is that it looks like dirt can get into the bearing pretty easily. Although it would be pretty easy to remove and clean. I assume there is some lubricant in the bearing cup? One advantage over the normal unipivot design is there is no sharp point to damage. I wonder how the friction compares to a unipivot with a sharp bearing?
I do not see an antiskate device in the picture, and can not tell if there is a VTA adjustment either. Does not look like it though. No VTA adjustment and no overhang adjustment is a deal breaker for me.
Had a chance to hear this arm and the Kronos TT at RMAF 2013. The sound was not bad, but not great either. This was show conditions and really does not mean much. Wish I could hear it in better circumstances.
There is VTA but no anti-skate. There is no headshell. The cartridge is bolted directly to the carbon fiber arm and it is slotted for adjustment.
Since the system is so simple and solid, I have not noticed any shift in alignment or need to readjust anything.
The fluid in the cup does make a difference according to Louis. I use what he recommended. However he has a new cup and fluid that are on their way. The new cup has golf ball style indents to reduce stiction and he has found a new lubricant that is synthetic with some kind of nano particles that also reduce friction. If you get the impression that he is obsessive about his design, you wouldn't be far off.
Self proclamations about sound quality are not usually very meaningful without personal knowledge of the person and their system. So I won't say other than I am very happy with the performance. Steve, Marty and Russ will be coming to the northwest for a visit. Let's see what they have to say about the performance. Or, since you are located in the Seattle area you could come on over and hear it for yourself.
Hi Caelin, glad to hear the arm has VTA, and overhang adjustment. Very important features.
I would love to come over and have a listen when you have the time.
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