Hey Mario, you might want to avoid sealing the plastic wheel with anything that has a lot of solvent in it. It probably wont melt the wheel but could possibly weaken/warp it.
Mike
Mike
Building high-end 'tables cheap at Home Despot II
“For those who want the moon but can't afford it or those who can afford it but like to have fun and work with their hands, I'm willing to give out a recipe for a true high-end 'table which is easy to do, and fun to make as sky's the limit on design/creativity! The cost of materials, including 'table, is roughly $200 (depending, more or less), and add to that a Rega tonearm. The results are astonishing. I'll even tell/show you how to make chipboard look like marble and fool and impress all your friends. If there's interest I'll get on with this project, if not, I'll just continue making them in my basement. The next one I make will have a Corian top and have a zebra stripe pattern! Fun! Any takers?”
The Lead in “Da Thread” as posted by Johnnantais - 2-01-04
Let the saga continue. Sail on, oh ships of Lenco!
The Lead in “Da Thread” as posted by Johnnantais - 2-01-04
Let the saga continue. Sail on, oh ships of Lenco!
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Does anyone have a diagram/picture of the wiring for a Lenco 88? I've just got myself one (the addiction is taking hold!), but the wiring is a complete mess, and I'm simply going in circles with the switch, capacitor, motor and lamp, trying to work out what should be in series or parallel with what. I'm sure it's extremely simple, but I'm going nuts, and I'd rather avoid shorting things if at all possible. The connector block on the motor has just three single points to screw wires in to, rather than the six pairs of connectors on the newer models (the voltage selection is done with a pin in the top of the motor, like the GL55 motor on Bornin's website). When I got it, the motor and lamp were permanently on, whether the switch was on or off. I thought the previous owner must have had to fiddle with the wiring because of a faulty switch, but the switch is fine - it makes and breaks two sets of contacts perfectly. |
Hi Mario, Thank you for the link. I think I've sorted out why the previous owner was having problems now - the capacitor has shorted out... I've got the lamp in parallel with the motor, and when I've got a new capacitor it'll go across the other switch - or have I got that wrong? What is the purpose of the capacitor across the switch? I thought capacitors let AC pass... |
Hi all: Up here I’ve been having adventures chasing the Kundalini Effect across a variety of components, thanks for the moment to the Lenco/SME V/Denon DL-103 matching. Now I realize the SME V is a pricey component, so for the foreseeable while, after I return the SME to its rightful owner, I will see if I can extract the same effect from my Rega tonearm (only re-wired, no other tweaks) with the Denon with the addition of after-market tweaks and Twl’s lateral weights, or from some other tonearm/cartridge combo (the Grados likely have the potential too, already come very close). I’ve been playing with the Glass Epoxy Mod too, and learned in the process just how much like a violin the Lenco is!!: tighten the bolts – either the woodscrews used for direct coupling or the bolts which insert in the threaded insets on the Lenco top-plate – and the sound hardens and bass and PraT go away, loosen so it’s snug and it re-appears. And I would say the Lenco threaded bolts are even more critical than the direct coupling screws, though it goes without saying that you must be very careful not to distort the top-plate by too much pressure on the woodscrews. Get it right and everything comes into focus, and the Glass Mod is the most natural-sounding iteration of the Lenco I’ve heard so far, preserving the Mighty dynamics and transient speed, but with an added Grado-like richness (NATURAL richness music actually has), and with a Grado-like sense of ebullient drive and rhythm and bass (any wonder I love the Grados?!?), and all the improvements in detail-retrieval and soundstage. Now, I had been using the Sony 3130F/AR combo to test for the Kundalini Effect, as these do it better than any speaker I’ve heard so far, except for the Athenas. Now the ARs were designed with tube amps in mind, and so don’t sound good (especially in the bass) with modern SS amps due to their elevated damping factor. Older SS amps had very low damping factor, and consequently extract much better/more exciting bass from the ARs. Henry Kloss, who worked on these speakers (as well as Vilchur and others) recommended wiring resistors in series with the speaker cables to emulate a tube amp, I’ll have to look this up for more details. Which brings me to the 100-watt solid-state Class AB amp I had written about way back, built by a follower of Da Thread from its beginning, which I had heard and likened to a 100-watt Class A SET in sound. Well, I finally went and picked it up and it is everything I had hoped it would be and more. Actually, when I hooked it up to my ARs, the Kundalini Effect went away, but in its stead I was left with a HUGE walk-through soundstage, incredible and filigree dainty detail, endless and perfect high frequencies which appear rolled-off but aren't, being due to the UTTER and TOTAL absence of any grain or distortions. Makes my little Sony amp sound quite barbaric in fact. But. The Kundalini Effect is gone, those fascinating wrecking-ball slamming percussion instruments are gone, that Super Energy is gone, because the 100-watt heavy monster (three times the size and weight of my little Sony amp), sounds just like a very loud 3-watt single-ended tube amp, all Supreme Refinement (how does he do it?!?), Ultra Detail with HUGE space between all the clearly audible instruments. WHAT transparency. Sitting there, it struck me that this amp needed my easy-to-drive perfect-midrange-to-high-frequency ESS speakers, so in they went. NOW we are talking PERFECTION. The detail is absolutely astounding (and this from my humble Denon DL-103"E", but the ESS are incredible in this sense...as well), the energy and speed is back, the bass fast and slamming, the image incredible and HUGE and yet at the same time specific, and all without any audible distortions at all, just like reviewspeak: it offers a clear window (and I mean CLEAR, nothing there; just the grooves, then the sound in the room with nothing in-between) onto the event. I have never heard anything like it. And the Kundalini Effect is back, but with an added very beguilingly beautiful sound from those fantastic delicate/dynamic Heil tweeter/midranges, it will be my Reference System to amaze and astound. Many of my older Lenco converts became converts when they heard my Lenco played through the ESS back in the old home days. They STILL talk about that experience. But they ain't heard nuthin' yet. Now this is important: I got the Kundalini Effect (in addition to the tingle/hair-raising effect one only too rarely gets in high-end audio, this is the experience of actual intense physical shivers, which I have seen with my own eyes affect others too) from both the Sony/AR combo and from the Pierre Amp/ESS combo, which means it is independently attributable specifically to the Lenco/SME V/Denon combo, and not some freak of synergy having to do solely with the totality of my system. Strike another blow for the Mighty Lenco, but also for the Denon DL-103 (and variants), which truly does have something unique to it and it alone (you don't see cult followings of the Denon DL-304, or DL-S1, do you?): a musical INTENSITY which no other moving-coil can match (unless it is a direct-scanning type, I may find out some day), even remotely. I hook up the superb Koetsu Rosewood, and though the sound improves in every audiophile sense (detail, speed, bass, highs, imaging), the Kundalini Effect goes away, like hitting the OFF switch (this doesn't mean the tingle factor/hair-raising experience is gone, it remains and is still musically-intense). Re-inserting the Denon brings back the effect immediately, like hitting the ON switch. The Denon has more PLUCK in its pluck (string-plucks LEAPING out with HEFT), and more SLAM in its slam, hitting like a heavyweight, with style, like Ali, vs every other MC's Sugar Ray Leonard impression. Now not everyone prefers the Denon to the Koetsu: some prefer the Koetsu's greater audiophile abilities. But, significantly, among those who prefer the Denon is a drummer. This highlights what is going on: those who are more sensitive to timing and rhythm prefer the Denon; those who are less sensitive to this prefer the Koetsu, which goes some ways to explaining the arguments over which equipment is better, simple sensitivity (or lack thereof) to various musical issues. I believe, anyway, that prolonged exposure to the Lencos and other large idler-wheel drives leads to greater and greater sensitivity to PRaT and gestalt/coherence. I have to say more about the image from Pierre's amp. I didn't know my records sounded anything like this!!!! I have a whole new record collection!!! Now this a "regular" class AB stereo amp, one transformer, two channels, solid state. But I have NEVER heard imaging like this, and I have owned a variety of tube monoblocks in my time, which excelled at imaging. Not only is the soundstage HUGE and walk-through-and-around, but this is also due to the fact that all the musicians and instruments are their actual size: here you have a human with a human-sized head, and WAY over there behind and to the right is a regular-sized guitar, and off to the left about twenty feet down some small percussion instrument doing its thing. This is tied to the enormous detail (and did I mention perfect and with no distortions whatsoever?...I mean, is this even possible?!?), which is so audible because of the incredible transparency (there's no amp there!!!). In fact, the sound is SO PERFECT, the detail presented with SUCH a total lack of strain (100-watt single-ended tube amp-like) that I think it's a coloration. Then again maybe not. I don't know what to think, but I know this: I have been taking out many of my albums to learn just exactly what's on them!!! Now this amp isn’t available commercially (but perhaps, if you ask nice, you might get Pierre to make you one, that’s his decision) but I write about it to highlight an aspect of this hobby of ours and commercially-available products. To wit, this just goes to show you amps too are like instruments: Pierre took a normal Class AB circuit, and tuned it by the judicious application of this resistor here and that capacitor there, even listening to different solders, and by designing the circuit boards for maximal musicality (issues of capacitance, inductance and noise in the design) and by using a frame (C-core I believe) transformer, which he says sounds much better than toroidals. I mean, who does this in commercially-avaliable products? They come up with a good circuit design with good components and good sound, and then wreck it by either downgrading the quality of the components to increase profit, or by inserting audiophile-darling caps and resistors without testing for their actual effect (i.e. a gain in detail at the expense of musicality/gestalt/magic). I've heard Pierre's other designs (true dual monos and some monoblocks), which were actually even more detailed with better imaging and firmer bass. But they didn't have this smooth silky vice-free/SET-like sound (sounding more typically solid-state) and sense of illimitable dynamics (clear skies above, no hardening or distortions) and gestalt this amp has. And Pierre was entirely aware of this, and already knew in advance from my writings that I would prefer the 100-watt SET-mimicker. I'll have to get more details from him, but the idea is, that what is considered a pretty low circuit on the Totem Pole (Class AB solid-state vs tubes and Class A) can be turned into a silk purse by doing it right. I’ll say more on this as I know more, but for the moment, my Giant Direct Coupled Glass-Reinforced Lenco (getting long ;-))/ARC SP-8/Pierre Amp/ESS AMT4 is producing ludicrously good sound up here (no one hears this unaffected, some even literally shake in their seats!), and I can’t wait to hear what my Grado sounds like on this rig!! Hi again Peter, it's good to know your new plate will incorporate speed changes, which makes it all the tastier!! For the moment, I'm off to try to extract the Kundalini Effect from other combos, starting with my beloved Grado Woody, and of course my Decca! Have fun all! |
Hi Peter, that is some brilliant planning and beautiful representations of your new Lenco plate!! I would caution that the most dangerous source of noise is the motor/idler/platter interface, particularly the motor/idler as source of noise, then picked up by the platter/tonearm/cartridge. So you don't want the motor island to be TOO decoupled, but indeed bolted securely to the heavy plinth like all the rest (the constant reduction in noise as the mass increases proves this is effective), but disconnected as you have designed it to cut off that avenue of transmission. Though of course orientation of the motor must be perfect. Speaking of high-mass, we now have some measurements/Empirical Evidence (using ears and a trick to make rumble more audible, that is) in the form of measurements taken as mass increases of noise and its suppression. Have a gander at this, lifted from the Hi Fi World website: "Just one final tip! In order to check how much “noise” is getting from the motor to the deck chassis/plinth (and subsequently to the stylus):- 1)Take a matchbox (ideally with a few matches in it) and place it on the chassis (NOT on the platter!) next to the platter and within “reach” of the cartridge. 2)Turn the volume control of the amp to minimum. Gently lower the stylus onto the matchbox. 3)Carefully switch the deck on. Slowly increase the volume control. The matchbox acts like a sounding board and amplifies any sound emanating from the deck. Obviously, this does not show up any deficiencies in the main bearing but it can be very revealing and is useful when fine tuning....Go away for a day and there's a stack of posts to read! Clive, I think clarifying what we are calling everything is a good idea, as my terminology (turntable chassis bolted to a plinth sat on a base) is a little different to yours (turntable chassis bolted to motorboard sat on plinth). Cobblers, I think I have misunderstood some of your comments as a result, apologies if this has caused confusion. Anyway, just been in search of some of the dreaded rumble using a matchbox (thanks John T). Rumble was not something I had concerned myself with in any of my experiments as I had not been noticing it and I had therefore rather forgotten about it. Cranked up the volume to a moderately loud level, sat the stylus on said matchbox and stuck my head against a speaker. Rumble rumble! Next thing I remember, my wife was leaning over, dabbing a cold flannel against my forehead, I must have been out for five minutes, it must have been the shock....But seriously though, I am hard pressed to hear it from my listening position when the room is totally silent and when there is music playing, no way. Out of interest I removed the spacers that separate my two part plinth and bolted all six layers of birch ply together into one lump and listened again. Rumble was quite considerably reduced (I am guessing) perhaps a third. No way I was going to hear this from my listening seat. It would have been interesting to have tried this when it was in its hollow 1970s box, bolted to a bit of warped 12mm chipboard, with no proper feet. Out of curiosity I thought it would be nice to see the rumble, so I hooked up my scope, and there it was, not a simple sine wave, but not far off, by the look of it a low base frequency with two or three harmonics thrown in and a bit of other spurious noise. This seems like quite a good way of "listening" to the mechanical noise of your deck? Incidentally it was also interesting walking across my room. My seemingly solid concrete floor and heavy equipment rack didn't seem quite so solid when I watched the scope go crazy with every step. Anyway, not quite sure where I am going with this, but clearly the accepted high mass approach is doing what we are told it will do. Assuming the mechanical noise my turntable is making is fairly typical, it seems likely then that those of us preferring lighter wooden plinths (motorboards) are tolerating a higher level of rumble, but not one that is likely to be a problem during use." Now, let's think about this for an instance: how much more effective would the experiment have been if the two stacks had not been bolted but instead glued together? And what effect on the sound is there as the mass increases and allows ever-finer levels of resolution to emerge from ever-reducing noise? My own experiments prove to my own satisfaction that there is absolutely no penalty in terms of PRaT, in fact the reverse, but with the caveat that as resolution increases, more and more care must be taken with set-up. And using those scientific instruments - my ears (and faith in them and empirical evidence) - again, I have for the first time tried walnut as an armboard material, and was amazed to hear an increase in PRaT and coherence/gestalt over maple!! The midrange seems airier and more natural, as does imaging, and highs seem more natural. Now, the walnut seems more natural-sounding overall, more a midrange material, while maple in comparison sounds more Hi-Fi, with higher highs and perhaps lower tighter bass (not sure yet). But with some tonearm/cartridge combos (like the Denons which can occasionally sound hard) walnut is a an excellent fix/balancer. On the other hand, too-gentle combos might profit from the maple. Me, for the increase in PRaT and coherence/gestalt, I think I very definitely prefer the walnut. Of course, this is only using the SME V/Denon combo so far. The walnut was such an improvement in PRaT/gestalt, that it raised my ESS/Pierre amp combo up to near the level of my Sony 3130F/AR2ax's in the Kundalini Effect (and don't underestimate either the old Sony amps or the ARs), tipping the ESS combo into producing the Kundalini Effect which it just shy of producing with the same frequency and intensity as the Sony/AR combo. In fact, I now need two sound-rooms, as I can't live without the glorious highs, midrange, clarity and perfection of the Pierre Amp/ESS (Heil Air-Motion transformers) combo, and can't live without the intense Boogie Factor/Kundalini Effect (which is caused by the tremendous coherence/music-cut-of-whole-cloth along with serious PRaT, SLAM and DRIVE, and a good dollop of midrange neutrality) and unbelievable bass of the Sony/AR combo!! And common to both systems is, of course, the Giant Glass-reinforced Direct-Coupled Lenco! I am starting now on my Giant Garrard project, and am already eyeing my Sony 2250 to see if I can't boost its performance, as I hear something special from this old DD workhorse, and am hoping to bring to light another Giant. Of course, there's the tremendous Rek-o-Kut eyeing me accusingly as well. Perhaps I'll take some time off to get all these projects off the ground, and eventually start a new thread, we'll see. In the meantime, I'm working behind the scenes to get the Lenco and other idlers more exposure out in the mainstream, where the Conquest (of The World by idlers) is continuing apace, even if it is less visible for now. Watch this, or a new, Space!! In the meantime, I hope you all are having as much fun as I am! Vive la Lenco, Vive la Idler-Wheel!! |
Hi Peter: the experiment was not mine, but reported by someone else on the Hi Fi World forum, and I am guessing the mass was nowhere near that of a Giant Lenco. This report is merely corroboration for what I have already heard: a LARGE improvement in every way with the extra added mass. A "small" (40-pound) Lenco was already unthinkably good, easily crushing a VPI TNT MKII for instance, and in musical terms pretty well everything else in the world (barring other large idler-wheel drives), and in terms of noise too. A Giant at 70 pounds is much better (beyond any known limits so far, but then, so was the 40-pounder ;-)), and I am working on a true Giant, at roughly 100 pounds, to enable me to mount three tonearms at a time: I got it bad!!! I have no idea what the extra 30 pounds or so will gain me sonically (diminishing returns?), I'm building it to accomodate my Maplenoll tonearm as well as two others. I have a G88 to work with for which I will cannibalize the parts from an L78 or L75 (newer motors are better, and metal idlerwheel and carrier arm). When this Beast is ready I will report on whether improvements are even audible!! This extra mass is only truly effective/audible when combined with Direct Coupling. |
Adding to the detective work on tracking down sources of rumble comes a poster over at Lenco Lovers who pierced my “stuck-on-stupid” consciousness like a lightning bolt – with the observation that rumbling cutters can be faithfully recorded in the grooves. Had I been hauling my mass plinthed Lenco back and forth to the workbench these past months because it was actually an over-retriever? To be sure, this area ushers in a host of new variables, many untrackable cold case files because nearly all of the witnesses are dead. What cutters? Scullys? At RCA? When did idler-driven lathes commence? End? Were some better plinthed or dampened? Does a phono cart’s VTA need to match the cutter’s to dig out recorded rumble? Certainly, the “real world” signal to noise ratio makes this a phenomenon more pronounced in classical recordings because of distant mic placements and soft dynamics. But that seems to be the case regardless of the source of unwanted transmission. This will be a difficult case crack. But over time and with continuing improvements to the Lenco, it is any area that greater light may be shed on. A. Conan Doyle’s empiricism may be apt: “When one rules out all the probable causes, whatever is left, however improbable, is correct.” |
Hyperbole?! WHAT hyperbole ;-)!?! Up here nuthin' going on but angels clustering in my living-room every night to get a taste of the Heaven they are away from on assignment for the moment. Hi Mario: I had warned against recorded rumble several times on Da Thread, that the Mighty Lenco (and other idler-wheel drives) has no lower limits and so retrieves recorded rumble, Deccas being especally bad in this respect. The danger being, of course, that the 'table is dismissed for having TOO MUCH bass resolution (and the greater the mass the better/worse it is). On several recordings, I can hear people walking by on other floors of the same building, and opening and closing doors...the shifting of air masses is being picked up!! Now THAT's low-frequency resolution. But one must be very careful not to throw the Mighty Baby out with the bathwater, and take care that the rumble one hears is in fact coming from the turntable and not from the recording. Along with that type of rumble/noise comes, mind-blowing bass, of course. |
Well, up here the SME V has sailed away, and it has taken the Kundalini Effect along with it, and left me destitute and desperate. So I searched for a combo which could fill the new Void in my audio life, as the simply re-wired Rega RB-300 wasn't doing it (and I haven't the various upgrading kits here to apply to try to squeeze it out), and though I could have squeezed more magic out the Lenco/Rega/Denon by switching out the Pierre Amp/ESS and switching in the Sony 3130F/AR2ax combo, I didn't want to give up the amazing Pierre Amp and its trick of sounding like a 100-watt SET, but with bass reach and high frequency extension. So I looked to the fabulously musical Grado as my saviour. Now the Grado's high frequencies - and the Pierre Amp/ESS combo demands perfect high frequencies, at the very least not grainy - on the Rega RB-300 are quite good, but it loses some of that drive, and rhythm, not to mention not tracking as well as with lower-mass tonearms. The MAS/Grado combo shows some grain in the new set-up (ARC SP-8, etc.) which wasn't audible before, and also didn't match the SME/Denon combo for the Kundalini Effect. Now I remembered that the Grado sang such sweet music on the Decca International, and I remembered I had won a Heavy Metal Decca International (I'll post photos at some point) in an auction here on Audiogon a while back, an all-metal more modern-looking version of the cheapie plastic Decca we all know and love. I didn't even know this version existed until Pierre pulled it out one day when I was visiting, himself unaware of the cheap plastic version!! LUST (Pierre wouldn't part with it)!!!! So when I saw it pop up unused here on Audiogon I kept my lip zippered and crossed my fingers that no one was aware of these two versions. Anyway, desperate and destitute and down-trodden and in despair, I pulled it out and decided to give it a go. The bearing pillar is much larger, longer, and made of heavy polished metal with a beautiful black/hematite finish. The mounting arrangement is much heavier too, being a threaded bolt of sorts with no set-screws, more hematite. The tonearm proper is all metal with no plastic except the insert for the cool-looking streamlined headshell. The tonearm cable is removable, with a very serious screw-on connector, but otherwise the same old crappy wire. The counterweight is different as well, also looking cooler than the original. But other than all that, it is the same as the plastic version with magnetic repulsion for a cushion, the same unipivot bearing, and the same anti-skate arrangement. Having nothing but hopes, I lowered the stylus into the groove and my jaw hit the floor. Easily the most detailed and delicate and imaging sound I have ever gotten out of my Grado. I said many times that the Grados being "undetailed" was balderdash due to people being used to, and attracted to, overemphasized high frequencies, and that Grados retrieved more midrange information, more resonances, and better imaging than any high-end MC, and it's now proven true in spades. I mean, the way the Grado clearly retrieves the tiniest details from the mix, with itsy-bitsy little percussion waaaaayyyyyy in the back of the soundstage, and yet STILL surrounded by air and echo (and I mean each individual sound, way way way back of the soundstage in the mix), is incredible. In addition to all of that, the high frequencies now perhaps match those of the Shibui/Fabled Shibata (through horse-trading I have acquired a Shibui Denon, mounted in a machined aluminum body, with a boron cantilever and Shibata stylus, stunningly beautiful high frequencies), being truly sparkly and delicate and filigree, with amazing deftness and extension, but with speed and SLAM. Never heard my Grado do THAT before. And the dynamics/explosiveness are totally out of this world (Grados always did have a slamming sound)!! Now recently I've heard a Giant Direct Coupled Lenco produce some absolutely amazing sound from a Dynavector 17D MKIII mounted to the parallel-tracking MG-1 air-bearing tonearm, in a very high-end system, comprising Aesthetix phono stage and preamp, Bryston 7BSST monoblocks and Harbeth Monitor 40s. Of course, the imaging was superb. I would say that the imaging I am hearing from the humble Decca/Grado combo is superior, thanks in part as well to Pierre’s amazing amp. But funny how we ping-pong back and forth blowing each other away up here with our various Lenco set-ups ;-)! First, this Lenco-er heard the SME V combo and was blown away. When he got here, he had been planning to sell a Koetsu Rosewood he owned. After hearing mounted on the SME V he was overwhelmed and decided not to sell the Koetsu, and has now sworn he will own a SME V. On my part, when he demonstrated his Lenco/MG-1/Dyna 17D MKIII combo to me (a truly stellar combo), I left swearing I would own an MG-1 (good thing it's cheaper too ;-)) and a Dyna 17D MKIII. Tonight he's coming over, as I told him, to hear what a Grado can REALLY do!! In fact, now that the Grado Promise is realized, I am wondering: where do I go from here? God I love the Grados. Perhaps, finally, a higher Grado. There are other unipivots as well which I'll be playing with (and the Grados very evidently - like the Deccas which it resembles in many particulars - loves unipivots). Now this Decca tonearm isn't modded and still has the original wiring. Is it really that much better than the plastic Decca, or is it because of the much larger plinth it is mounted to, the Direct Coupling, and the Glass Mod (all new since I last heard the Decca/Grado combo)? I don't know. But I have never heard a Grado produce such delicate and ultra-extended high frequencies before! Be fun if others who have Giant Direct Coupled Lencos could try their plastic Decca Internationals with Grado Woodies, if they have any hankerin' to, and report back. Anyway, I have many new toys to play with in the next while I'll report on, including and in addition to the Shibui, an RS Labs RS-A1 tonearm (which has unfortunately just gone up in price). Also begun building a Giant Plinth for my Garrard 301 grease-bearing, which I'll be testing out with a Dynavector tonearm (on loan), Audio Gods willing. Regardless of all this, I am now, with the discovery of the Decca/Grado combo, a Happy Camper again. Now these metal Deccas don’t show up too often on eBay, but don’t dismiss Decca tonearm sales without first checking out the photos!! Have fun all!! |
My 301 has grown, it now weighs about 50 lbs. That's junior size to many of you ;-). Went from 4 feet to 3. If nothing else, it's a lot easier to level with 3 than with 4. I added MDF on top to see how that would change things. I do seem to have the "black background" that is often talked about - not bad for a rumbly old idler drive ;-). I know I can smack the thing hard and it plays on undisturbed ( tried that just for fun ). It's very solid, no footstep effects either, which I had with my Thorens. I'm still having fun digging out records I haven't played for years and being amazed at how good many of them sound. Next, a second arm with mono cart, then a decent finish. This thing is as big as it's going to get now, until I get a concrete floor! Idler on, dudes... Dave |
Please advise! A Lenco rebuild is in my near future. I will likely use an RB1000 tonearm and I need ideas as to which cart would be best for the ultimate in PRAT Nirvana, Kundalini, Kunta Kinte and Woogie Boogie. I've been told that "the RB1000 has an effective mass of 10." Don't know if this is true, could be a belt-drive dirty dog conspirator. They lurk among us- beware. |
Eureka!!!! I found all my Maplenoll tonearm bits (stuffed in boxes all over the place) and will finally be building the Lenco-Noll I have been threatening to build Lo these many years. I have gone to all this trouble and planned this for so long because this is the only air-bearing, or linear tracker of any sort, which was ever made with a fluid damping trough at the front of the tonearm. In fact, I think it is one of only two front-loading troughs ever developed, period (the other being the Townshend trough). We all know fluid damping helps focus sound in most tonearms which have that provision, but damping is most effective at the headshell, where the spurious energies originate. I lived with a Maplenoll 'table for many years and can attest to its effectiveness. Anyway, I start cutting tomorrow, having already worked out the design, which will include a tonearm board for another tonearm...why waste all that space ;-)? This baby is reserved for my Decca Super Gold, which will likely be my Final Testament (but I have so many other audio goodies, including my Vestigal tonearm I am dying to try out ;-)!!). Hi Oregon, there are so many candidates for the Rega tonearms, which favour MCs, especially when mounted on a Lenco, as you and everyone else knows who tried the venerable Denons and other MCs on them!! My main source before starting Da Thread was a Lenco/Rega RB300/Kiseki Blue, an MC which is leagues ahead of an OC9 or a Denon in terms of detail, and which has musical energy akin (but likely not equal to) that of the Denons. The other night I was mighty impressed by the Dynavector 17D MKIII, which again has a musical energy and PRaT lacking in too many high-end MCs. But thinking outside the box for a moment, and following Mario's thought, why not do something interesting and unexpected, in the light of the fact that the Denon DL-103"E" is so much better than the regular 103 - without sacrificing its musicality/gestalt/PRaT: send your Denon to Sound Smith for their ultimate ruby cantilever/extreme stylus profile installation?? I now have a Shibui Denon with boron cantilever and Shibata tip, and I can say that it is very definitely a Denon, with all the slamming and energy that carries with it, but with extreme detail and beautiful extended high frequencies. Interesting that the Shibui uses the regular Denon as a platform rather than the 103"R", which may have been too much of a good thing when mated to an extreme cantilever/stylus. You'd be first on the block with this baby!! Hi David, I mourn your packed-away Lenco, may it see the light of day once again!! The Dynavector tonearm arrived safe and sound, thankfully, and speaking of the Transcriptors Vestigal tonearm, could two tonearms be any different? The Vestigal is a tiny delicate affair, with a headshell tied by a string to a counterweight at the back, with the tonearm tube being a beam which swings with no vertical pivotting. The Dynavector is a MASSIVE affair with its headshell linked by a tiny shaft directly to the counterweight, the lateral and horizontal bearings being split. But while being visually as opposed as the North Pole is from the South, like those two poles the two are essentially the same design: both separate the horizontal bearings from the vertical, both using the tonearm tube as a beam with no vertical play which swings out over the record from its horizontal bearings at the tonearm pillar, while the vertical pivot point is very close to the cartridge. I'll post photos soon with one next to the other for those who are interested. Evidently, the Dyna will favour low-compliance MCs and MMs (perhaps the Decca would work!) while the Vestigal favours high compliance MMs (and high compliance MCs). The Vestigal literature, btw, mentions that "the best cartridges are set to trace at 1/4 gram, at 70F" and that "your records will last 100 times longer when used with the Vestigal tonearm"!!!! And though the Dynavector is a Monster of mass compared with the Vestigal (don't drop it on your foot ;-)), it also has a very small vertical mass, which it achieves differently than the Vestigal. The Vestigal is a beautiful piece of work btw, more like a violin than an appliance, with six different adjustments (!!!), each needing to be adjusted to match the others as well, and with jewel bearings, which I bought after hearing how incredibly good the Transcriptors Skeleton was for a belt-drive, with amazing transparency I ascribed mainly to the tonearm (though the 'table is very very good). We'll soon find out. A heavenly match for Grados, and likely my Ortofon M15E Super. What can it do on a big idler?!? |
As more and more people send me their exotic tonearms for Idler-ization, and I get a few of my own, the more and more my already-enthusiasm for the Rega tonearms increases!! They also LOVE idler-wheel drives, where, like Hercules putting on his ring, they become Divine. It can stand its ground with the most exalted tonearms out there (seems too many are still listening strictly for detail) in terms of absolute and overall sound quality, and is easy to set-up and install, easy to mount cartridges, fun to play the effective-mass game with the spring downforce of the RB-300 to better match to a variety of cartridges, and it's NOT delicate and IS robust, a true and trustworthy work-horse!! And most important, very musical. Set up an MC on it, and only come back to fiddle with it when the stylus is dead, simply spending hours spinning discs. A true high-end tonearm which does all this, and is cheap too with innumerable upgrade possibilities!! I think I'll arrange to be buried with mine, it has migrated across very many 'tables over the years, and across many of my Lencos!! So, glad to hear you loving the beauty of your Lenco, Welcome Home, Fish ;-). Up here I've been experimenting as well with my new RS Labs tonearm (had a hard-on for this one for years now), which is quite simply stunning, though a Bitch to set up due to the threaded holes in the headshell (can't mount my beloved Grado Platinum, boo-hoo). May be the Best Tonearm on the Planet (I'm finally building myself a serious two-armed Lenco: I'll take the RS-A1 for a serious test spin and report back later), THE most transparent, and the pivotting headshell works: all tracing distortons nasties are gone gone gone!! Where are my old friends hardening and steeliness on certain passages?? Ronnie warns me not to look at it too hard as it will fall apart, and it certainly is no Rega in this respect, very fragile. But, apart from the headshell holes, not very difficult to set-up. Can't own one if you have children or pets though, or live in an earthquake area. Have fun all! |
Hi Peter, What a wonderful and ambitious project! This should slay all competition once its set up in your system – provided, of course that you have proper structural support (i.e. jacks) to brace up your house. Certainly looks heavy! Exactly what are these surge tanks? Somehow I have visions of supply and drain plumbing being hooked up to this thing in some kind of massive dampening hydraulic Lenco project. And speaking of dampening, you’ve done a very admirable job throughout – much better than my patchwork attempts. One thing I did notice was that you still have the original idler tension spring hooked up. Right from the get go, Jean fingered this spring as a potential route of resonant noise transmission and substituted an elastic infused fabric item (for sewing into waist hems) that can be found in most sewing supply sections/stores. Thanks for sharing your work with us, Peter, and keep us posted on updates. As for all my projects: (4) idler redesigns/plinth builds; hardwood lens horn design & fabrication; (4) Reel to Reel deck resurrections – I’ve decided to put them all on a short hiatus and address the dirty state of my growing LP collection. I’ve become tired of taking nice records that I’ve bought for .50 to 1.00 dollar down to my local audio store and paying $1.50 to get them cleaned on their VPI machine. So I’m building an ARC machine using the previously trailblazed standards for this DIY project: Ice Cream Maker motor; Guts of a Dust Devil 3 hp (peak) Vacuum; 1984 VW Windshield Washer Pump w/120VAC to 12VDC Transformer. I’m relying heavily on Jimmy Neutron’s design – but plan to deviate on the critical double wand record contact area. Whether playing or cleaning vinyl, it always seems to come down to adjustable VTA. |
Some posts ago I have spoken about a custom made lasercut topplate I am designing. It has now reached its final stage. You can read all about it here: http://www.lenco-lovers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=158&start=80&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight= I am now going to get a quote to see what the cost will be. I suspect that a major part of the price will be in programming the machine, so if we can spread the programming cost over as many plates as possible this just might be an affordable way to the Ultimate Lenco. I have posted a survey here: http://www.lenco-lovers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=231 to see how large the production run might be. Please add your name there if you are interested. Thanks, Peter |
Hi Peter W, your ambitious beastie is looking to be Gorgeous in that wonderful veneer!! I have to say, that having lived with a one-armed Lenco for so long, and now having just finished my own two-armed Lenco, it feels so good to be home again. A while back I was running two small Lencos, and now I have one Giant Lenco with two tonearms. Just doesn't feel right without at least two tonearms hooked up and ready to go at the flip of a switch! Ahhhh NOW I am content!! I have one MM, my Decca, connected directly to my ARC SP-8 preamp phono stage, and the RS Labs is sporting my Denon DL-103"E" which is hooked up to my Pioneer C-90, used as a phono stage only via the tape outs, and then back into the SP-8 1st auxiliary stage. FLIP its the Decca; FLIP it's the Denon :-)! I may replace the Decca with my long-missed Ortofon M15E Super, just to hear what it can do. The Decca sounding in many ways quite close to the Denon, I want more "distance"/difference between the two. Up here various Lencos continue to destroy the belt-drive opposition, I soon head south, Lenco on Wheels, to make the point effectively in a bigger city! As I've written before and will likely write again, and is NOT hyperbole: it is impossible to exaggerate the abilities of the Lenco, as it literally has not yet met even close to its match. Its upper limits lie way waaayyyy WAY up there, and I will continue to challenge all comers in actual demonstrations and showdowns, until I finally hit a wall: the record of actual empirical and reported comparisons will show, not certain noisome gadflies, what its true abilities - and by extension the idler-wheel principle it is an ambassador for - are. Keep your eyes peeled for news!! In fact, as I've written often, one reason I LOVE the Lenco so much is that it allows me to indulge in outrageous statements and streams of Purple Prose without actually exaggerating. It sounds like hyperbole, but how can one "hyperbolize" what has not yet met its match and so measured?!? Those who don't want to believe it - even after close on three years of non-stop reports and conversions (i.e. the hard and accumulating evidence) - are missing out on one of the few things which truly live up to the Hype (which is only hype if it isn't true, and since it's true, it isn't hype :-)!). This, of course, infuriates those noisome gadflies no end, gnashing their little mandibles, to my great entertainment. The Lenco Train and the Idler Train it is part of is still gaining steam, ain't life a Bitch ;-). Hey Mario, sounds like quite the project, I wish you would have told me you knew Jimmy Newtron before this, I want an introduction ;-). Excellent work ReindersPeter, I look forward to the Giant 3-armed version!! I saw the cost of shipping, send mine by bottle, make it a big one. In a strange series of synergies, my ARC SP-8 beat the crap out of my Pioneer in terms of excitement and PRaT before, then I introduced the RS Labs. In hooking it up to my system the increase in detail, imaging, transparency, in fact everything, was astounding, even over the SME V. But. There's alwats a "but". The PRaT was missing, even though the RS Labs was hooked up to the same head-amp-to-ARC phono stage the SME/Denon had been hooked up to before which raised up the Kundalini Effect. Then, in deciding to hook up both tonearms on my Lenco at once, I hooked up the RS/Denon to the Pioneer, and suddenly there was the PRaT again!! The no-PRaT-RS + the no-PRaT-Pioneer added up to excellent PRaT. Go figure. I guess two negatives make a positive. Beware the Synergy Factor. Back to the Cave!! |
Small world - I used to work at the same institution with Jimmy Neutron. I didnt know he used LP's. I have moved yet again - finally bought something - but lost my 21X21' dedicated stereo room in the deal. My new stereo room is "only" 14X20' w/ a 5X8' alcove for my electronics workbench - I know, cry for me Argentina :) Anyhouse, I have been Lenco-less for weeks now but I have a larger work shop and THIS TIME I will have 2 systems. I have planned a vintage system for the LR - a refurbed Fisher 400C in the original (refinished) stand alone cabinet, topped by a Lenco a la Francois (stripped to the bare metal and polished in a small plinth). May put my old Dynaco A25's in the corners or try some highend floorstanders I have standing by. My two armed monster based on a G99 should be ready about the same time. How about a 2 armed monster w/ two 12" tonearms? Watch this space!!! :) Mike |
Ooooo..., a Fisher 400C, NOW I'm jealous!! Gotta get me one of those, let a beautiful Fisher tubed tuner pass me by just a little while ago, and been kicking myself ever since :-(. The Ortofon M15E Super sounds soooo good, and the detail superb (on a slim unipivot), even set against the Decca Super Gold (which is superior to the Koetsu Rosewood in terms of information-retrieval, not to mention slam and bass) or Denon DL-103"E" set-up on the world-class, world-beating RS!! There's a lot of performance in some of those old vintage items, as Lenco-ers and Idler-ers know :-). I'm still stunned by the AR2ax's. |
Yessir, I made one last casual side trip to the thrift store before I left NY. A 400C and garrard changer in a small cabinet - in perfect condition - for all of $47. Looks like the owner burnt out the original power tubes and just pushed the whole rig into a corner and left it there for 20years. Now, ask me if I have been collecting 7591's for 15 years - Why of course, hasnt everyone? /;0) In more shocking news, I talked to the thrift store manager down here and he told me that any piece of electronic gear that they recieved that was not in perfect working condition went directly into the dumpster.. oooohhh the humanity!!! Mike |
THOUGHT it was a 500C, as soon as you mentioned 7591 tubes. The Fisher 400...no "C", never had one...used the even scarcer 7868. At least the 7591 is available in a current version from a Russian factory. A relative of mine bought his system in 1964 or so, brand new: Fisher 500C, Garrard 401, SME 3009/Pickering V15/AME-2, Wharfedale W70. He was smart enough to bolt the 401 to a solid, one-inch thick slab of hardwood, which was glued to another one-inch thick slab, underneath. He still has the whole setup, but with a modern cartridge. |
Holy Crap, Jimmy Neutron indeed!! I'll stick to something easy, like the Intergalactic Spaceship I'm building using a television screen as protection against meteorite strikes (NOT LCD, as those screens aren't unbreakable like the old-fashioned TV screens are) on the body of the spacecraft, a Volkswagon Beetle (air tight), a microwave oven and an air-ionizer, which I'll convert into an ion-thrust engine. The only problem is getting the thing into space, so I plan to sneak onto NASA's cape Canaveral and duct-tape my spacecraft to the exterior of the next launch unit during the night. My plan being, to accelerate to a large fraction of the speed of light once free of Earth's gravitational field, then return to Earth in the future to start a re-examination of the concept of Progress using vintage audio, assuming humanity is still able to speak at that future point, as writing is already on the way out (as I discovered when in written contact with the isurance section of Purolator, a shipping agency which had lost an item and refused fair compensation by sticking to the fine print: avoid avoid Wil Robinson!!!), and television ain't doing us any favours. But keep us posted as to your progress Mario, we'll watch in awe from afar!! Over here I am restoring a local fellow's Lenco L70 (my first one!!) with the Dreaded Plastic Wheel. The complaint being "It's noisy". Yes, noisy as Hell: I could hear it down the hall through the closed door of my bedroom as I left it to run overnight after cleaning and relubricating main bearing, motor, and idler-wheel bearing. The wheel was straight with no flat spots, it had simply hardened over the years. Nothing helped, not soaking in liquid detergent, not lacquer thinner, not Rubber Renew. But being such a noisy beast it provided me a chance to re-experiment; like tuning a motor by deliberately leaving it on a hard surface exaggerate/amplify the noise in order to bring it down to a minimum. I noticed that simply by placing my hand on the top-plate the noise reduced considerably in volume. Extrapolating from this we can see how effective damping materials applied to the top-plate are in reducing noise, and if so for a noisy Lenco, then so for an already-quiet Lenco, allowing fine details to be more easily heard. The Lenco was sitting loosely in my old Blue Bomber Direct Coupling plinth. I noticed that by pressing down so the bottom of the top-plate contacted the "shims"/cut-out/second Coupling layer, the noise reduced even further. I stood on the Lenco top-plate while it was playing (yes, I know, don't believe the deliberate and misleading exaggerations of the Lenco "weaknesses", it withstood my full weight without a problem), and the noise reduced even further, showing that direct coupling DOES reduce noise considerably, and if so much for a very loud noisy Lenco, then what is it doing for an already quiet Lenco? Extrapolating, we can understand that the difference is likely of the same magnitude, the already inaudible noise-floor dropping even further to allow yet more information to emerge from the grooves and a deep-black background (not digital-black with no - CHOKE! - air, but analogue black where the air of a venue becomes more and more audible). Finally, I threw a simple rubber mat on the platter and the noise was again audibly reduced, and so extrapolating once again, we can see how gluing a rubber mat to the platter will be even more effective. I had another plastic wheel left over from old days, and I tested it by feel, and it seemed to me that it was ever-so-slightly softer and more pliant than plastic wheel #1, so slightly in fact that it seemed it could be my imagination. Nevertheless, I removed wheel #1, and cleaned and re-lubed wheel #2 and dropped it in. The noise, with the accumulation of all these steps, was now completely gone, showing that after all plastic wheels can be made to be decent. It also shows that different plastic wheels had different formulations. Next step is to have the plastic wheels re-rubbered and ground in Missouri I believe it is, to see just how far I can take a plastic wheel. Lencos are getting scarce, and we can no longer afford to chuck aside the plastic wheels!! Anyway, I'm thankful for the chance to work on this problematic L70, which was like taking a crash course/re-cap of all we have been doing since the beginning!! Refreshing to get a noisy one and hear so clearly what each step brings!! The fellow will be astonished when he claps ears on his Lenco now! I'm also applying what came so clear to me with the L70 to the Garrard 301 I am rebuilding, a brainstorm hitting immediately afterwards leading to a re-design of the plinth and the mounting arrangement. Anyway, now it's back to my own Lenco, enjoy your idler-wheels all!! |
An easy way to attach armboards Two threaded neodymium magnets per board. It snaps like glue to the top plate. Quick 'n' dirty L75 on magnet pillars The 2-armed skeleton Lenco |
Boy, it's been dead around here :-). Just a quick note about the original Lenco arm, in case anyone is still using it instead of tossing it in the trash. In Stereophile Vol. 2, they published a reprint of an article from Hi Fi Sound (British) which tested 12 tonearms including the Lenco L-75, Ortofon RE-212, SME 3009-II and Sony PUA-237. The Lenco arm had an effective mass of 23 grams with a 14 gm headshell. By comparison, the effective masses of other arms: Ortofon - 17 gm using the light 1 gm mounting plate in an 8 gm headshell SME - 10 gm, 5.5 gm perforated headshell Sony - 28 gm, 10 gm headshell plus 8 gm weight to balance it for a 7 gm cartridge. |
Now THAT is skeletal Ronnie!! Reminds me of my first Lenco set-up, when I had no tools and no plans and the Lenco was sitting on stilts (that model, an L75, had usable metal stilts for some reason) with the Rega RB300. Even over a budget NAD 3020i/Boston A40 MKII system I heard details from my records I had never heard before, and with more musical intensity to boot. And this in comparison to both Maplenoll and Audiomeca turntables. Great info for the Lenco archives Jim, keep'em coming. Up here I'm still in the process of rebuilding my Garrard 301 grease-bearing, a big job!! But almost done, and hope to be hearing first notes very soon. Been playing with a variety of tonearms, have to say the Dynavector 507 MKII is perhaps the best I've heard (but the RS Labs may match it overall, but not for bass, have to listen some more), and it's not just audiophile niceties the Dyna excels in, it is also incredible at PRaT and gestalt, and an amazing match for the venerable Denon DL-103s. Too bad I can't afford one. Also playing with a Morch UP-4 unipivot, which is very light on its feet and ultra-detailed, reminds me very much of the Mayware, if better-behaved. And in spite of all these great tonearms, or perhaps because of it, my admiration for the Rega RB-300 just continues to grow as even in this august company (and including my experience with the SME V), the Rega holds its head up high. Likely due to its ultimate rigidity and simplicity (no rattly bits), even more rigid than the SME V (bolting arrangement simpler and stronger, no convenient doodads attached, etc.), the Rega has a PRESENCE, or palpability, none of the other tonearms so far have matched. In addition, in terms of detail, provided it has been re-wired, it is very close to the best, as it is in the bass and overall dynamics. The Dyna sets the standard here, but the Rega is not crushed. And, as if this weren't enough, the Rega is musical and easy to set-up!! I'll always have one anyway. Which brings me to a phrase I always hear about various components, which ties in in turn to the history of audio. The old phrase "Poor Man's..." Now, I always heard that the Denon DL-103 is a Poor Man's Koetsu: it is no such thing. The Denon is superior in drive, PRAT and gestalt to any Koetsu; the Koetsu is superior in the purely audiophile areas of detail, frequency extension and imaging. This goes possibly for every single MC ever made, though the Dynavector 17D MKIII might stand a chance and the Ortofon SPUs. Since making music is the Prime Directive for any audio component, this places the venerable Denon DL-103s at the top of the heap, which is why they're venerable, in spite of being constantly damned with faint praise (many know better). So how does it get the reputation of being a Poor Man's Koetsu? Because those who listen and write this choose to ignore the superior PRaT, drive and gestalt of the Denon and focus exclusively on detail and such-like (AND price), the great sickness /obsession of modern audio/audiophiles. Similarly, many years ago, when all were singing the praises of the superiority of the belt-drive over the idler-wheels they replaced, they chose to ignore the loss of dynamics and PRaT, of bass and excitement, and focused exclusively on other things, mainly a diminution of rumble (which it turns out was in many cases a myth and restricted to a few poorly set-up 'tables). Much more recently, the hyping of digital technologies also ignored the loss of musicality, and was leavened by a heady mix of misinformations, including the mythical increased dynamic range of digital media over analogue, which simple hearing (and various research papers which contradict the other research papers, which are based in unproven theories and the careful choosing of certain statistics and mathematics or other less "helpful" ones to achieve certain results on paper...Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics) proves is not so. Which is to say that many "improvements" are bought at a price, that the price is utterly ignored, the pretense (La-La Land) being there isn't one, and that thus Progress and improvement is in many cases a myth. When the Denon's superiority (and many other pieces) in certain areas is accepted by the high-end designers and matched by them as a base-ground, THEN we will have Progress, not by pretending these superiorities, and the cost of losing them, doesn't exist. Those who take the time to actually listen to a properly set-up idler-wheel drive, rather than stick to their hoary old (and new) theories, learn this lesson. Distilling all this, the Idler/Rega/Denon combo is THE greatest value in high-end audio today! Dependable and unfinicky too. Have fun all!! |
I 3rd it. Jean, have you tried twl's tweak to the rega yet? Back to internet radio. Plasterer knealt down onto a 2" screw and it went fully into his kneecap! He had to use a screwdriver to get it out before going to hospital. Next plasterer 2 weeks away. then i decorate, plug 10mm monster mains cables (one for each component) directly from a Memera mains consumer unit into my hi fi with dedicated copper pipe earthing, and if the whole thing doesnt go up in flames i'll have one serious lenco/rega/denon lead system to play the 20 lp's ive bought since I moved into my present building site lookalike house 4 months ago. Hee |
Hi David, Boy, the adventures just dont stop over there, do they? I haven't had my Rega up for a while now, I bought a new Rega RB-300 which I'll be re-wiring soon, and then I'll once again have a stab at Twl's tweak, as last time I couldn't find sufficiently heavy weights to implement it adequately. Now I am armed and ready!! Tom's invention should work as I know from experience, as increasing the mass for certain cartridges really does work to maximize them (i.e. the venerable Denons), and after my trials with the Dynavector 507 MKII I can see the lateral mass really does work: never heard the Denon DL-103"E" sound better, or nearly as good, except for the screaming-deal RS-A1 tonearm. Due to too much Rock 'n Roll, I have bought more neighbour-friendly monitors, the vintage KEF Reference 103.2s (just can't shake that vintage sickness ;-)). I was hot for some classic KEF-driver speakers (like the legendary LS3/5a's, or the Spendor BC1s, or the Linn Kans, etc.) and tripped over these at a good price and discovered there was practically a religion devoted to them! They take power like nothing else, and between the Lenco and the 100-watt Pierre amp the sound is nothing short of incredible. These things really rock!! Very detailed, very neutral, and very musical, they seem to have no upper limit to SPLs, which kind of mitigates the reason I bought them in the first place :-). Oh well, I guess volume and dynamics is my destiny, thank you Dr. Lenco!! At this end I've managed to get a very nice lacquered finish for my latest plinth, and I am working on making myself a Giant Lenco in high-gloss Nivea Cream Can blue (I do like colours!!). In the meantime, I've made myself a Giant Red Two-Armed Beast to tote around to play Crush the Belt-Drive, varnished for toughness, new pics under my "system". Oh Boy I'm having fun!! Next up, after the Garrard I'm currently working on, the Sony 2250 I've long threatened to try out, methinks another sleeper a la Lenco (though theoretically not as good being a DD, this one is especially musical - servo-control - we'll see/hear). Have fun with your own projects and enjoy that idler magic all!! |
Hi Mike, thanks for the compliment, I've been practicing and researching!! "Mr. Red," I like that. I've got all sorts of plans now for various veneers, coloured lacquers, and combinations for the future, this is loads of fun! Yes, that's a Moerch UP-4, which I'm trying out with the Decca Super Gold and various cartridges (sounds great with the Shibui too) for now. A beautiful piece of audio jewelry, and very fast and detailed, with deep, controlled and detailed bass. Again relatively-speaking (in the light of such stellar budget bargains as the Regas and various vintage tonearms), the UP-4 is a bargain, and is useful as tonearm-wands are easy to swap in and out, and come in masses to suit any cartridge made. Perfect critter for a guy like me, with his peculiar cartridge addiction ;-). The fellow who sold it to me assured me it was better than the DP-6 (he thought so anyway), though I have yet to do those comparisons myself. The RS-A1 is a contender for Best Tonearm in the World, but it isn't near so user-friendly or versatile. |
Hi Jean, Mr. Red indeed! Very nice job. We’re talking 7 or 8 stone here with this monster, aren’t we? Had no idea that Bogen continued its relationship with Lenco through the L-75 years. Took the opportunity while browsing through “your system” to take a closer look at your tangential air-bearing arm. Would you hazard a guess over the cause of its falling short as a full bass retriever? Something endemic in its tangential design or set-up? This arms mass? The reason I ask is that there’s a gentleman over at another audio site that I frequent who has caused quite a stir in posting results of his survey on stylus wear. He used a 200X Shure stylus microscope to examine every cartridge he has used or pulled from various equipment since 1962. His posted results: All used styli from pivoted arms show asymmetrical wear, while nearly all styli from tangential arms show symmetrical wear. He postulates that pivoted arms can never attain neutrality for long in the skate/anti-skate force battle because of groove modulation. Well, if this is true, the implication for record wear is implicit. However, if this boils down to giving up window thumping bass to extend record life, I’d probably elect to chomp the vinyl and go buy more. |
Hi Mario, thanks for the compliment! Actually that was early impressions I never went back to rectify: the MG-1 does indeed provide superb bass, perhaps even better than the Rega's when mounted on a Giant Direct-Coupled Lenco, and that's saying something. For an especially synergistic match, go for the Dynavector 17D MKIII. Indeed, in many cases air-bearing parallel-tracking tonearms have been criticized for woolly bass (but not all of them, like the Maplenoll). If there is any criticism of the Dynavector it is that it is over-damped in the bass (like the Audio technica OC9), which partly explains its legendary super-speedy reputation (the rest being due to good 'ol amazing engineering). But when mounted to the MG-1 on a Giant Lenco SNICK!! a perfect synergy results, with jaw-dropping tight deep and full bass, incredible dynamics, incredible detail, and awesome imaging. In fact, I was so impressed when I visited a friend with Giant Lenco/MG-1/Dyna 17D3 I decided then it was slated for my own future (factor in ease of use, and easy tonearm-wand swapping). Add in the fact the MG-1 has no "sticking" problems (common for air-bearings), has on-the-fly VTA, and fits the Lenco perfectly and to the millimetre as if they had come out of the same factory (just move the bolt-hole over roughly half-an-inch so the stylus clears the platter when at rest), and for many you have a no-brainer!! As to record wear, while I'm certain it occurs, most of my records will indeed survive my own journey into the Great Beyond ;-), as they have done already several decades many of them, in spite of pivotted tonearms. |
Hi Ronnie, Man, that is SOME Co-EEnK-ki-dink!! Hope you can repair your Moerch, what did you think of it while it was working?? I ordered one of Reinderspeter's new Lenco plates without tonearm to accommodate my Maplenoll, Whoo-eee I got it bad. I'll have to camp out in the yard while my turntables take up space in my home :-). You know, I'm getting used to the size of these Giant plinths, they even look kinda small to me now ;-). I had to make Mr. Red even bigger than usual to make up for the loss of mass of having two tonearm-holes. Now that you mention it, it does look funny!! The sound, however, is beyond unbelievable: are there no limits to the Lenco potential?!? |
The UP-4 worked about 10-15 years ago. I thought it was a wobbly and silly tonearm! :) Thorens TD321 + Moerch + Ortofon MC20 Super was my first serious TT. I preferred the Maplenoll Athena. I took the UP-4 apart. The Thorens is in pieces.. I actually tried to take the MC20 Super apart too, and broke it I think... I have half-broken Goldring 1022 stylus from that time too. The Athena is in pieces. Haha! I was very bad at putting things together after having had a look inside! Many terrible in-cee-dents :D |