Ron's Speaker, Turntable, Power and Room Treatment Upgrades

Eternal thanks to Jason Lord, owner of the huge and amazing The Source AV, in Torrance, CA, for keeping my Pendragons safe until the house is ready for them!


image.jpg
 
Exciting.....
 
We are hoping the house will be all repaired by March 31, 2018.
 
I am very excited to report that I have ordered from David Karmeli a larger and improved version of the American Sound AS-1000 turntable.

David will be offering for sale five copies of the AS–800, a smaller version of this improved AS-1000 turntable. Anyone interested in an AS-800 will be welcome to visit me to examine the turntable I will be receiving and to see the machining quality of the turntable.

I am excited that David is so excited about the utilization for the AS-1000 Version II of David's rare Papst motor and custom-designed German motor drive. Thank you, David!

Yes, friends, I could have made my life easier, and this turnable project simpler, by simply ordering a TechDAS Air Force One Premium. But being involved with David on this project was too exciting an opportunity to pass up.

I have enormous respect for David's genius and experience in evaluating turntables and turntable designs, and his professional background in tooling and machining. David is confident this project is going to result, to David's ears, in one of the best-sounding turntables ever made.

I have heard and I like the original AS-1000, and I am excited about the prospect of having an improved version of the original turntable, aided by a rare motor and an amazing motor drive. I like the American Sound design brief of simplicity, enormous mass of both base and platter, no servo motor control, air supported platter, all-steel construction and tonearm mounts which look like they could emerge unscathed from a grenade blast.
 
I am very excited to report that I have ordered from David Karmeli a larger and improved version of the American Sound AS-1000 turntable.

David will be offering for sale five copies of the AS–800, a smaller version of this improved AS-1000 turntable. Anyone interested in an AS-800 will be welcome to visit me to examine the turntable I will be receiving and to see the machining quality.

I am excited that David is so excited about the utilisation for the AS-1000 Version II of David's rare Papst motor and custom-designed German motor drive. Thank you, David!

Congratulations - when will you get it?
 
I am very excited to report that I have ordered from David Karmeli a larger and improved version of the American Sound AS-1000 turntable.

David will be offering for sale five copies of the AS–800, a smaller version of this improved AS-1000 turntable. Anyone interested in an AS-800 will be welcome to visit me to examine the turntable I will be receiving and to see the machining quality.

I am excited that David is so excited about the utilisation for the AS-1000 Version II of David's rare Papst motor and custom-designed German motor drive. Thank you, David!

Congratulations Ron. Photos please.
 
I am very excited to report that I have ordered from David Karmeli a larger and improved version of the American Sound AS-1000 turntable.

David will be offering for sale five copies of the AS–800, a smaller version of this improved AS-1000 turntable. Anyone interested in an AS-800 will be welcome to visit me to examine the turntable I will be receiving and to see the machining quality.

I am excited that David is so excited about the utilisation for the AS-1000 Version II of David's rare Papst motor and custom-designed German motor drive. Thank you, David!

Wow that's awesome, congrats. What are the 4 arms you are putting on it
 
microstrip -- the question is not when I will get it, the question is when I will be able to take delivery of it in a repaired house. The answer to the latter question is sometime next year.

Peter -- Thank you! Photos to follow, hopefully sometime in late 2018.

bonzo75 -- hahaha! Only the SME 3012R! There was a tiny chance I could have been tempted by the ZYX UNIverse Premium on the 3012R, and a Koetsu on a Fidelity Research FR-66S or on a Ikeda IT-407, but David says he prefers even the Koetsu on the 3012R, over the FR or the Ikeda.

So the 3012R is set, but the cartridge story is less clear. I still like the ZYX UNIverse Premium, but I remain concerned about over-taxing the Io, with the ZYX's very low output. I will ask Jim White for his latest thinking on this issue.

Other than the ZYX I remain interested in the Koetsu Blue Lace and Coralstone, and the Air Tight Opus or PC-1 Supreme (whichever of the Air Tight cartridges sounds a bit "warmer").
 
You can have one SME and one wooden arm like grandezza or Durand if you have the zyx. Have heard neither with the zyx but both have stellar reviews paired with it, and you have room. Third arm could be a heavy one like FR
 
microstrip -- the question is not when I will get it, the question is when I will be able to take delivery of it in a repaired house. The answer to the latter question is sometime next year.

Peter -- Thank you! Photos to follow, hopefully sometime in late 2018.

bonzo75 -- hahaha! Only the SME 3012R! There was a tiny chance I could have been tempted by the ZYX UNIverse Premium on the 3012R, and a Koetsu on a Fidelity Research FR-66S or on a Ikeda IT-407, but David says he prefers even the Koetsu on the 3012R, over the FR or the Ikeda.

So the 3012R is set, but the cartridge story is less clear. I still like the ZYX UNIverse Premium, but I remain concerned about over-taxing the Io, with the ZYX's very low output. I will ask Jim White for his latest thinking on this issue.

Other than the ZYX I remain interested in the Koetsu Blue Lace and Coralstone, and the Air Tight Opus or PC-1 Supreme (whichever of the Air Tight cartridges sounds a bit "warmer").

Sounds like we have a super system in the making. It is all very exciting, Ron.
 
Sounds like we have a super system in the making. It is all very exciting, Ron.

Or, as MikeL suggests correctly, in the "hatching."
 
So the 3012R is set, but the cartridge story is less clear. I still like the ZYX UNIverse Premium, but I remain concerned about over-taxing the Io, with the ZYX's very low output. I will ask Jim White for his latest thinking on this issue.

Other than the ZYX I remain interested in the Koetsu Blue Lace and Coralstone, and the Air Tight Opus or PC-1 Supreme (whichever of the Air Tight cartridges sounds a bit "warmer").

Ron - speaking of low output, I now am using a Bob's SUT for my 0.30mv McBee to the Octave (into MM input). It seems to prefer a transformer to a resistor.
 
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I wrote to Jim White to ask him if he has any concern about noise or tube "roar" if I use the .23 mv output ZYX UNIverse Premium with the Io.

I had no problem with the .35 mv output Benz Micro Ruby 2.
 
I wrote to Jim White to ask him if he has any concern about noise or tube "roar" if I use the .23 mv output ZYX UNIverse Premium with the Io.

Not sure how he is going to be able to answer that question without knowing a whole lot more about your system than just the cart and what your phono stage is. Many variables in play here.
Better, in my very humble opinion ( LOL), to get a cartridge that has plenty of output to start with ...and therefore one that is allowing the tube phono stage to coast along without pushing it.:cool:;)
 
Not sure how he is going to be able to answer that question without knowing a whole lot more about your system than just the cart and what your phono stage is. Many variables in play here.
Better, in my very humble opinion ( LOL), to get a cartridge that has plenty of output to start with ...and therefore one that is allowing the tube phono stage to coast along without pushing it.:cool:;)

There is no tube noise or roar in my system with my ZYX Premium
 
There is no tube noise or roar in my system with my ZYX Premium

Steve, I think your Lamm has a built-in step-up transformer. The Io is 100% tube amplification.
 

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