Has anybody received their PSU ?
alternative power supply for Garrard 301
I have just acquired a refurbished Garrard 301. Intend to pair it with a 8 layered marine ply or baltic plinth ,or preferably a double layered slate plinth ( if I can find 2 pieces of 50mm slate slab). Tonearm will probably be 12" Reed 2P on a separate platform and matched with Miyajima shilabe. The only issue I have now is separate power supply. Off course I can always buy a Loricraft PSU 301 AR for GBP2500. Beside Loricraft PSU, I read about Wave Mechanics by
Martin Bastins used with Nottingham turntable but its seems a higher powered unit can be use for Garrard. However cant seems to find a source for it. Any suggestion is greatly appreciated
Martin Bastins used with Nottingham turntable but its seems a higher powered unit can be use for Garrard. However cant seems to find a source for it. Any suggestion is greatly appreciated
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Kipdent, yes I could have listen to it without the psu. Currently I m using a Raven AC3 with 2 tonearms . As such I wanted to listen to my Garrard 301 at its best with 2 different plinth ie 6" birch ply & 4 " slate plinth with a motor controller . I believe it will sound better with a properly implemented psu |
I've been using my Walker Audio Precision Motor Controller to supply AC to my Lenco. It seems to provide a more stable speed, compared to direct connection to the wall socket. I already owned it prior to placing a deposit on Mark's putative new unit, which should be superior in most ways to the Walker for driving Lenco and Garrard motors, if it ever sees the light of day. |
Audioblazer wrote: "More than 2 years of waiting to listen to my refurbished garrard 301 with reed 2p (pernambuco arm wand) & ortofon A90, I m running out of patience" Why not just plug it in and play it now while you await an alternative? I'm enjoying mine that way, even though some day I may buy an alternative power supply. |
Have any try the sound-carrier from croatia as suggested by Gilles130. There is another 1 from space-tech-lab fr Canada which is frequency & voltage adjustable at not so cheap price of C1280. Martin bastin sinosaur for GBP600 and another 1 from Uk called pure cycle http://www.britishaudio.co.uk/benduncan.html for GBP399. More than 2 years of waiting to listen to my refurbished garrard 301 with reed 2p (pernambuco arm wand) & ortofon A90, I m running out of patience & will probably buy a local DIY unit or 1 of this unit or maybe loricraft 401psu while waiting for mark Kelly unit to be develop. Any input from anyone who has other alternative is welcome |
Wow! I misspoke. I totally forgot about this page (see URL) which does describe some specs and features for the Kelly Motor Controller: http://visforvoltage.org/blog/kelly-controls-llc/10890 As you can see, the date is June, 2011. I know that Mark is a perfectionist and makes changes as he sees fit, so this should be taken as a ballpark idea. |
One of my unanswered questions is whether Mark's controller will work well with the Lenco motor, since, as far as I can tell, the Lenco motor is single-phase, whereas the Garrard motor is two-phase (judging from the presence of a putative phase-splitting capacitor on the AC supply to the Garrard motor). Altho both are induction type motors. Anyone care to hazard a guess? It should be possible to switch out the phase-splitting section of Mark's controller, push comes to shove. (I assume Mark's unit will allow bypass of the capacitor built onto the Garrard chassis, because it will split phase electronically and more accurately within.) |
Hello, Mark is better. In fact, he has been recovering nicely and the project is ongoing. I hope you guys haven't given up because I am confident that a good controller will come of this for those of you who have been patient enough to wait. Sometimes, obstacles come up that are unforeseen, but this time they are not insurmountable. Thanks to those who have voiced concerns regarding Mark's health. It is really appreciated. Win |
I read my own earlier post above, and I don't know what I was thinking. My own experience with lenco motor (similar to garrad) and mark kelly's teaching both tell me that controllers designed for ac synchronous motor (walker, vpi Sds, notts wave) are not effective with lenco and garrard. I was on the list for mark's controller, too. So far as I know, there is still hope. Otherwise, it's Loricraft or.......? |
Looks like we have to look for alternative garrard psu now that Mark kelly psu seems to be halted with his current condition. Anyway will be trying an ac power condition which is used to replace clear audio psu. A friend of mine used it with his garrard 401 & he likes it better . It has a power on switched and a switch to control 33/45rpm speed |
Dear GaryB, As far as I know, the group buy for Mark's controller has not "fizzled out". At least I hope not, because I am on the list. Perhaps you mean that he may not be adding anyone to the existing list. I got an email from Mark about a month ago indicating that he has (finally) made substantial progress. |
I'd be interested to know if you ever got an upgraded supply for your 301. I know that this thread is a year old and that the group buy for Mark K's controller fizzled out. So did you explore any alternatives? I'm picking up a 301 soon and starting to think about possible enhancements. Any tips would be greatly appreciated. ---Gary |
When I said that the Loricraft units are expensive for what they do, I did not mean to imply that AC supplies are not extremely beneficial. In fact, I would not be without one. I think I will stop with that. Mark, as you know, I would be interested in one of your supplies if it were also suited to my Lenco, and especially if it were more universally adaptable to various motor types. Now you only need 9 more guys. |
i use the Loricraft PSU 301 AR on my Dobbins-Garrard 301. i have not heard it without the Loricraft so i cannot really say how much it is contributing to the overall performance. OTOH myself and every other visitor to the room is drawn to the Garrard with it's wonderful pace and swing. i know there are a few efforts being made to offer lower cost alternative Garrard power supplies. i might recommend contacting Steve Dobbins vetterone@msn.com for what alternatives he might know about. it's too bad that power supplies make so much difference; and that the best of them are often are very expensive. but many times power supplies make up a good portion of the value of a product. when it comes to speed of a tt, the sound will likely continue to improve as the power gets better and better. |
Re your statement about a higher powered unit, it is true that the Garrard motor consumes 18W, I think. You will need to be sure that any outboard power controller is capable of that much output. For example the Garrard motor might strain the Walker Audio Precision Motor Controller (my personal favorite), which I think is limited to 15W. (Ask Lloyd Walker to be sure.) The Loricraft units are unnecessarily expensive for what they do, IMO, perhaps owing to the current exchange rate between pound and dollar. |
You can use a PS Audio regenerator, the older P300,500,600. All have adjustable frequency and voltage. I just finished a 301 using butcher block maple and baltic birch, looks and sounds great. I put 2 arms on it, fidelity research 64s and a triplanar with a Myajima Shilabe and premium mono. Have fun. Mark |