Building high-end 'tables cheap at Home Despot II

Sorry for the typo: please read: "... new plinth for a Sony PS 2250 ..."

Thanks Lewm, as the French say, "d'accord," how right you are.

I have not even taken receipt of my 'new' used Sony PS 2250 and I have blue prints already finished?!

Thanks to all your feedback I shall think things through, which I admit I have not done yet, prior to kicking the chain saw to life. I tried to turn a Kenwood KD 600 into a Linn Sondeck, er, LP12 years ago and, objectively, now probably should and just will sit back and listen to the vintage piece and let it 'speak' to me. No reason to re-invent the wheel (thanks, e.g., to Jean Nantais and Albert Porter)...

Still, anyone who has interest in directing me towards achieving the maximum fidelity possible out of this imo gorgeous piece of equipment, I would certainly appreciate it. My slab of panzerholz is going under my SS amp... and my sand/lead shot filled box is going under my TT atop my Target wall mount (at least are my plans tonight :)

Panzerholz. http://www.delignit.de/canada/delignit/products/wood/delignitpanzerha.html (both thicknesses are imo 'audio-applicable')

My statements are absolute hyperbole. I do trust my ears but other than personal preference, I certainly have no scientific data to back up my statements and should have stated such.

I have not seen panzerholz used by itself as a plinth. Both Clearaudio and that Boomerang have it layered between aluminum. Actually googling just now I see that it was used e.g. by audiogoners for both SP10s & 301s http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?vaslt&1227334719&openflup&16&4 and likely before then. I should do more homework before hitting the typewriter keys... apology accepted?

My reference to Schley's usage goes back to his wife coming [10 miles] from Blomberg (where it was discovered and perfected) and they've been together 30 years (?), and he professionally into audio close to 40. Be that as it may...

Objectively, its density is amazing. It has so much resin / epoxy injected under extreme pressure and heat into the beech plywood that it "makes sense" to me to be an excellent material as in e.g.: non-ringing, relatively uniform in structure, and quite heavy.

Maybe there is an interested reader who wants to contact Blomberg and could explain why I find it such an excellent material for audio. Again, lengths exceeding 120cm have 'sounded' all of a sudden poorer than shorter - as were that the maximum tensile strength before neglecting its positive acoustical traits. I am a trial-and-error enthusiast. You may have noted that it is also used as pin planks for pianos.

John

As Dopogue indicated, I got a similar response from Johnnantais as well that panzerholz may be too dense per se for plinths. My friend Moritz says that Boomerang was one of the best TTs he's heard (and he's sold some Clearaudio panzerholz' as well). Both of these are sandwiched aluminum panzerholz models. I suspect that both were also 'tuned' with instruments, be the one with its curvature and 'parabolic' width whereas the Clearaudio looks like the panzerholz is milled. One needs sophisticated machines to mill this material. And the Boomerang was perfected in Berlin where the German equivalent of "UL" is and Moritz happens to know a hi-fi crazy who works there...

I saved the Albert Porter plinth website for future reference. I noticed that the panzerholz was cut into strips and re-glued. This changes the structural composition. I've used blocks of Panzerholz for cone bases (like ebony, carbon, etc.) and always turn them this way too.

Anyway, my project is to build a new plinth for a Sony PS 2500 and I am saving my panzerholz board as platform for my SS amp. I'll be following Albert Porter's guidelines and likely use sandwiched 2 x 48mm birch ply with 1 x 38mm solid 100mm laminated birch [kitchen counter top] board with 1 x aluminum and maybe another layer of this or who knows. I certainly will incorporate the bronze bearing mechanical 'ground' into steel. This is a far better solution than my attempt 25 years ago to ground a Kenwood KD600 (ball bearing coupled with a slab of Plexiglas).

Anybody know anybody who can give me some ideas or inputs? Should I document my work / DIY?

BTW, I do have a Clearaudio "Accurate"-like TT PS (the German CS PSN), as well as a 'vintage' TDK power filter that came, was rescued from a defunct refrigerated warehouse.

Delignit http://www.delignit-ag.de/index.php?id=22&L=1 is what the German's refer to as "Panzerholz."

I hope I make no fiends by not reading through all the postings regarding TT plinths. I am overwhelmed. Where do I start with my quiries about tonearm re-wiring?

Panzerholz looks like plywood but is specially made and originally designed for armored cars. You may have seen Suchy's Clearaudio TTs that use it in their plinths. Maybe I am off on this buy my friend Moritz Schley I believe to be the first to use this material in audio, meanwhile for several decades. BTW, it is also excellent as platform (if not exceeding 120cm length), shelf.

I just purchased a vintage Sony PS 2250 and googling around came across this thread. Although the original plinth is pristine, I am 'bound for sound' and want to upgrade. Aside from Clearaudio's TTs, the first (I know of) TT to use Panzerholz was called the Boomerang (I wonder why?).

My question, should I use just a simple sheet of Panzerholz (it is for all practical purposes unable to store energy, that is, dissipates energy almost in 'real time'), or should I use it layered with other materials, e.g., MDF, or what is best? The material is not low budget, it costs roughly 50 Euro-cents per square cm!

Does anyone want to comment on the Sony PS 2250's original tone arm PUA 114? My cartridge is a Zu Audio DL-103R grade 2.

Thanks for your helpful input and interest!

John