Dover, I own the old QS preamp that has a built in MM phono stage, along with its linestage, not the newer models that I think are separates, a phono stage and a separate linestage. Since I have measured the voltages across the tubes, and thereby also calculated plate current and plate dissipation, I can assure you that the early 1990s era QS does not run the tubes "very hard". The plate dissipation is well within spec. Upgrading the capacitors in the RIAA filter and the output coupling capacitors does wonders for the sound.
|
Dover, Please lighten up. I was quoting Lalitk. That is why the words were in quotation marks. Evidently Lalitk experiences the TFK ECC83 as tonally rich. As we all know, one's impressions of the SQ of any single item in a system are dependent upon what else is in the system and what is in the caput of the listener. Although I have to say that I preferred the sound of TFK ECC83s against any other congener in my Quicksilver preamplifier, I also hold with noromance that you can adjust tonality elsewhere, such as by careful choice of output coupling capacitor, and etc. I used the TFKs in the Q because I have owned a quad of them since the 1970s, and I figured I ought to at least give them a try. The Quicksilver is a superb sounding unit, in my opinion, but these days it just sits on the shelf. Mullards were underwhelming in the Quicksilver, not even second choice. I am in general not a fan of tube rolling at all.
|
TFK ECC83s are so "legendary" for their "tonal richness" that the cost is high, and some duplicitous sellers are selling fakes. Caveat emptor.
|
Dover, who else besides Sovtek make “long plate spiral” 12AX7s and also market those tubes as LPS? But of course you can use any 12AX7/ECC83 in your phono stages.
|
12AX7LPS is not a variant of 12AX7; the LPS suffix is a Sovtek code for low noise. So it’s a Sovtek 12AX7 that was presumably tested and selected for low noise. It’s well regarded, at least for having low noise. A randomly chosen NOS 12AX7/ECC83 is unlikely to be as quiet.
|
Maybe if you would describe the nature of the noise that’s bothering you, others could more easily nail down the source. Tonearm and cartridge misalignment are sources of distortion for sure, but not the kind of distortion that falls into the category of “noise”. In a Garrard 301, you have to think of the motor and the drive system (idler wheel, platter bearing) first and foremost as sources of noise. When those are optimized, you’re left with the pluses and minuses of the design itself.
|
In retrospect, I think my advice was rash, as I have no experience with Garrard or with the plinth you did acquire. I can only claim intimate knowledge with Lenco GL75. ( And for the Lenco I made the ridiculous choice of slate for the plinth.) Several others who have contributed to this thread can offer better Garrard advice than I. One point that may be cogent: I believe you’re not using an outboard PS at present. Even if speed is constant under load, a good outboard PS can reduce noise by permitting the TT to maintain speed at lower voltage. Beyond that, the Phoenix Engineering gear offers a feedback mechanism that also helps, albeit the PE stuff may not be compatible with your induction type motor. It works superbly with the Lenco motor, I can attest.
|
Put plinth first on your list that includes platter, bearing, and idler wheel, and I think you’re on the right track.
|
Lalitk, That does look MUCH more stable. Good choice. 350 LPs is roughly 10% of my LP collection (though I estimate 3000 LPs, not 3500). I’ve got LPs stored in 3 locations on the first floor of our house in two antique cabinets and on some bookshelves in a corner of our library, with LPs displayed on edge, and the bulk are in the basement, in two big cabinets, one of which is the flip type and the other of which displays (about 900) LPs on edge. I found that once the flip type cabinet is nearly full, it is not so easy to "flip" LPs to find what I am looking for (jazz vocal LPs stored in alphabetical order according to artist, flip style). I have come to prefer storing on edge; I sometimes use a LED flashlight to find what I am looking for in the rather dim ambient light, but once you know you are in the right place in the alphabet, it is not so hard to find what you’re after. It took 40+ years and the death of my closest audiophile friend from whom I inherited about 800 LPs I selected from his collection of 6000, to get to ~3000.
|
That thing (Tallboy) holds 350 LPs? Can you optionally configure it so the center section holds additional LPs, instead of a TT plus electronics? I assume you will not mount your Garrard on it; I hope. It does not look sturdy enough for a TT or even possibly for 3 racks full of LPs, I apologize for saying.
|
Where is the completed Garrard TT going to go, in the context of the overall system photo? Also, I don't see amplifiers or speakers in your equipment list. Everything you own is pristine and a treat to the eye, including the room itself. You're obviously a man with taste.
|
Pindac, I thought you were never going to respond again to one of my posts? How dreary that you cannot resist. First, I never said slate was superior to Panzerholz. Second, neither OMA nor the British company to whom you refer was first to use slate to make a plinth. The idea goes back to the early 90s at least, but then again, you dislike slate so why bring it up? Also, I do recall the British slate plinths (can't recall who made them); they were insubstantial compared to the OMA products. Funnily enough, Jonathan Weiss said on his website, about 15-20 years ago, that he vehemently disliked me for commissioning my own PA slate plinths (he used more colorful language), using material from the same quarry he uses. That was purely by chance; I had no prior idea where he was getting his slate. Nevertheless, I was not and probably am not welcome in his emporia (Brooklyn or PA), which doesn't faze me a bit. And finally, as I understand it you use a Peter Reinders Lenco turntable, which I believe has a Corian plinth. Who do you think supplied me with the program to have my Lenco plinth cut from PA slate? Answer: Peter Reinders, an exceptionally nice guy who acted in spite of OMA's objection. I used a waterjet operation in York, PA, to cut the plinths (for Denon DP80, Technics SP10s MK2 and 3, and Lenco) from slabs purchased in PA. At the time all this was occurring, slate was very much in fashion, and more to the point, the cost was much much less than the cost of purchasing a Panzerholz plinth for the SP10 Mk2 or Mk3 from Albert, who is another very nice person. And I needed to save the money. At the present moment, I have no doubt that Panzerholz or the like might be superior to slate, but I also have no doubt that slate is very good for the purpose, based on listening.
|
Ok. From now on I will accept your pronouncements without question. But I won’t be able to reproduce your data for slate or any other material, because you refuse to explain your methodology. Also, in what way are you not a “layman” when it comes to materials science?
|
And your method for arriving at a numerical damping factor with plinth materials, Pindac?
We also have to ask where is all this spurious energy coming from? Also keep in mind that European slate is different from Pennsylvania slate, just as PA slate is different from Vermont slate, etc. ( I’ve had SP10 mk2 plinths made of both. PA slate was better.) OMA proudly use PA slate and also natural hard woods from PA in their speakers.
Slate is layered such that its energy dissipation in the plane parallel to the layers would be very different from its energy absorption perpendicular to that plane. There you would probably get more “bounce back “. But does it matter? What spurious energy is attacking the surface perpendicular to the plane of the layers? In the end also, slate provides lots of dead mass, which I think is beneficial. Finally it’s impossible to resolve the question by back and forth discussion. I built my plinths 10-15 years ago, I’m satisfied, and I’m not starting over with plinths.
Typing on my bespoke cell phone made of densified wood.
|
I use slate combined with cherrywood in two layers, for my Technics SP10 mk3. I listened to it befor and after adding the cherrywood base. It seemed a touch better after cherrywood was added.
Pindac, hoe did you assign a numerical value to damping factor for a plinth? And can you define “bounce back”? Thanks.
|
Fsonic, My own Lenco is mounted in a 50mm slab of PA slate. However, it also benefits from a PTP top plate, a hefty after market bearing, a platter that has been painted with vibration reducing black paint, speed that is regulated by the Phoenix Engineering gear, and two high end tonearms. So I am hardly in a position to say that the slate slab alone is responsible for its excellent performance. But it doesn't seem to hurt, either. I can say I replaced a John Nantais re-plinthed Lenco with the one I have now. the JN unit did not benefit from the PE power supply and Roadrunner, and the slate unit is better for whatever reason.
|
I have 3 TT s in PA slate and am very pleased with performance but I did not sample a wide variety of materials so would not claim slate is absolutely the best. So what do you prefer, fsonic?
|
