Hi Helen, congratulations on discovering the Glories of the Lenco/Rega, and of course of a great MM, by all accounts. The MM vs MC debate is not over yet :-)!! Good and cheaper substitutes for the Quads are speakers with various alternative tweeters, such as ribbons (of course), and the Heil Air Motion Tranformers, such as those in my ESS AMT4s. While I think it would be very hard to find ESS speakes in Europe, there are current speakers using these elements, including of course Heil speakers, and Elac (speaking of idlers!!). Infinity built and marketed several ribbon-tweeter speakers in Europe and there are other sources too. Of course, these are all hybrids (ribbon/AMT tweeters, cone bass drivers), but they do catch a large chunk of the planar magic (my ESS are still unsurpassed in the mid/highs, and I'm in fact looking forward to setting them up again).
As to the Lenco/Rega, after years of this thread and reported experiments and comparisons, it's not so much that the Lenco/Rega is in particular a synergy, but that indeed the better the tonearms mounted to the Lenco, the greater the results, period. This is, of course, mostly in terms of information-retrieval. The Decca is still perhaps the most PRaT-ful tonearm ever made, thought the RS Labs might give it a good run for its money. The Dynavector 507 MKII (very pricey), is also incredibly musical. The SME V/Denon DL-103 combo is EXPLOSIVE, and has supernatural PRaT, and incredible detail too. ALL tonearms so far tested have sounded incredible on the Lenco....provided, of course, the proper synergy is found. Some cartridges favour certain tonearms, and preamps and phono stages too. Even transformers and active head amps extract different things from different combos: a 'table/tonearm/cartridge combo which works in one set-up may not in the next (and vice-versa), as there are preamp and phono stage electrical issues to consider as well. And even then we're not out of the woods, as a change of speakers can change what one had previously concluded and thought settled. A great 'table/tonearm/cartridge/phono stage set-up, as I discovered when I tried the RS Labs/Denon via my FR transformer - which did not sound as good as my active step-up via every other speaker I had - sounded better with it via my Klipsch Heresies! Remember to make no ultimate judgments all, excepting of course, the Mighty Lenco and other idler wheels, which underpin all said set-ups, and reliably outperform, well, everything thrown at them so far, in every system!! I LOVE that reliability/dependability :-)!!
On the exciting news front, I just booked my ticket to Greece, and am working on a prototype of the Lenco/plinth I'll be sending to Cyprus, assuming I get that far. I'll take the steps, and hope for the best!! Of course, I'll be sending my usual Russian birch-ply/MDF recipe, continuing the Great Traditions of Accumulating Evidence and Putting my Money Where my Mouth Is. Let's put it on the line.
Let's consider what this recipe has accomplished, when applied to a Garrard 301/Dynavector 507 MKII/Denon DL-103 in a very high-end system, pitted against both a Platine Verdier/Koetsu Urushi and a Cain & Cain low-mass, two-tier plinth: "Well, got the stock i/c on the Dyna, and not all tweaked yet, and nothing sitting on stand, without isolation, and it betters the Verdier/Koetu Urishi on a special Isolation stand...I am candidly surprised. I did not expect this. I had the the Cain and Cain plinth and it did not sound good. This is way above. The 301 is incredible in your plinth. It has only the inexpensive Denon 103 R and that is not redone yet...and only a stock cable and it is better by a long ways than the Verdier on a special isolation table. Next I will try the Koetsu in the arm....and in my best phono stage and see. Damn...don’t let this get out, or it will ruin the high end." I'll post a photo under my system of the Garrard sitting next to the Platine. So there you see why I am so confident of this recipe, which has also, let us be reminded all, the fabulous EMTs, which make the rabid anti-Lenco Garrard-ers quake in their boots and drool. For reference, the Cain & Cain did not sound good in that system, compared to the Platine Verdier. This changed, however, when the Garrard had been properly restored, and built into a high-mass Russian birch-ply/MDF plinth, with no tricky separate tonearm pod. We'll know more once the Lenco sails to Cyprus (assuming it does, knock on wood).
Have fun with all your audio experiments all!
As to the Lenco/Rega, after years of this thread and reported experiments and comparisons, it's not so much that the Lenco/Rega is in particular a synergy, but that indeed the better the tonearms mounted to the Lenco, the greater the results, period. This is, of course, mostly in terms of information-retrieval. The Decca is still perhaps the most PRaT-ful tonearm ever made, thought the RS Labs might give it a good run for its money. The Dynavector 507 MKII (very pricey), is also incredibly musical. The SME V/Denon DL-103 combo is EXPLOSIVE, and has supernatural PRaT, and incredible detail too. ALL tonearms so far tested have sounded incredible on the Lenco....provided, of course, the proper synergy is found. Some cartridges favour certain tonearms, and preamps and phono stages too. Even transformers and active head amps extract different things from different combos: a 'table/tonearm/cartridge combo which works in one set-up may not in the next (and vice-versa), as there are preamp and phono stage electrical issues to consider as well. And even then we're not out of the woods, as a change of speakers can change what one had previously concluded and thought settled. A great 'table/tonearm/cartridge/phono stage set-up, as I discovered when I tried the RS Labs/Denon via my FR transformer - which did not sound as good as my active step-up via every other speaker I had - sounded better with it via my Klipsch Heresies! Remember to make no ultimate judgments all, excepting of course, the Mighty Lenco and other idler wheels, which underpin all said set-ups, and reliably outperform, well, everything thrown at them so far, in every system!! I LOVE that reliability/dependability :-)!!
On the exciting news front, I just booked my ticket to Greece, and am working on a prototype of the Lenco/plinth I'll be sending to Cyprus, assuming I get that far. I'll take the steps, and hope for the best!! Of course, I'll be sending my usual Russian birch-ply/MDF recipe, continuing the Great Traditions of Accumulating Evidence and Putting my Money Where my Mouth Is. Let's put it on the line.
Let's consider what this recipe has accomplished, when applied to a Garrard 301/Dynavector 507 MKII/Denon DL-103 in a very high-end system, pitted against both a Platine Verdier/Koetsu Urushi and a Cain & Cain low-mass, two-tier plinth: "Well, got the stock i/c on the Dyna, and not all tweaked yet, and nothing sitting on stand, without isolation, and it betters the Verdier/Koetu Urishi on a special Isolation stand...I am candidly surprised. I did not expect this. I had the the Cain and Cain plinth and it did not sound good. This is way above. The 301 is incredible in your plinth. It has only the inexpensive Denon 103 R and that is not redone yet...and only a stock cable and it is better by a long ways than the Verdier on a special isolation table. Next I will try the Koetsu in the arm....and in my best phono stage and see. Damn...don’t let this get out, or it will ruin the high end." I'll post a photo under my system of the Garrard sitting next to the Platine. So there you see why I am so confident of this recipe, which has also, let us be reminded all, the fabulous EMTs, which make the rabid anti-Lenco Garrard-ers quake in their boots and drool. For reference, the Cain & Cain did not sound good in that system, compared to the Platine Verdier. This changed, however, when the Garrard had been properly restored, and built into a high-mass Russian birch-ply/MDF plinth, with no tricky separate tonearm pod. We'll know more once the Lenco sails to Cyprus (assuming it does, knock on wood).
Have fun with all your audio experiments all!