I had to fiddle with the VTA by loosening the allen set screw recessed at the rear of the tonearm base. The Sonata is a little tall so I had to raise the rear up slightly. Fortunately, the wood body can be used to square up the cartridge. I had to shim the cartridge to headshell to adjust the azimuth, again using the wood body as reference to perpendicular.
Have you noticed any difference using the lateral balance weight? I just bought a Jolida JD9 and it's been revealing my setup flaws. |
HiFigi-
One other thing occurred to me. How high off the plinth does your platter sit and is it level? The platter and tonearm move as one assembly and if they sit too high the counterweight will hit the dustcover when the needle is dropped, especially if the spindle is set high.
My platter height is close to the plinth and the spindle is barely raised to make the front of the cartridge perpendicular to a 180gm record.
As much as I enjoy the T65C, the tonearm lacks a precise way to adjust VTA and Azimuth, something I will look for in future tonearms. The Sonata has been very sensitive to mis-adjustment, more than I expected.
Rich |
Setting T65C VTA
I found a very easy way to adjust the HK T65C tonearm height/VTA using a deck of cards as shims. I could not believe the impact it had on the Grado Sonata1 cartridge. Night and Day.
I was able to find a spot just to the left of the tonearm to slip in some playing cards to support the tonearm assembly. After loosening the rear spindle height set screw, I could raise or lower the tonearm height by varying the number of cards (shims). In my case, 10 playing cards was ideal. Any more, the sound became sibilant, any less and the sound became muddy. By varying the number of cards, I was able to tune the VTA by ear.
My headshell was also slightly twisted counterclockwise upsetting the asimuth. As the T65C's tonearm lacks an easy way to adjust the azimuth, I used a thin paper shim between the right side of the cartridge body and headshell to align it properly.
I recently upgraded my phono stage and power amplifier and haven't been enjoying vinyl as much as I had hoped. I didn't realize how sensitive the Sonata was with regard to it's setup. |
I'm late to this thread but wanted to stick up for the fit and finish--and sound quality--of Jean Nantais's work, and to tip my hat to the sound of restored idlers. I see that Jeremy72 has been largely discredited as a shill for AF but I want to set the record straight on Jean's current offerings.
I have a Reference Lenco by Jean, his TOL restoration. The 105 lb plinth is sheathed in solid Santos mahogany, including the top and armboards. Everything about the woodwork is first class, from its tight joints and rounded edges to its hand-rubbed finish. Despite the size, I find it beautiful, as does my wife. The flame and grain in the mahogany has a subtle 3D effect and lovely reddish color, which deepens with age.
I am equally happy with the sound, which has terrific drive, rhythmic grip, coherence, and detail retrieval. A high-grade stethoscope to the armboards (it has two) reveals virtual silence, something I could not say of my Michell Orbe SE or Clearaudio Innovation Wood, both of which are very fine turntables. But I prefer the Lenco. The noise floor is extremely low and the speed, as measured with a KAB strobe, holds precisely when adjusted--easily as well as the Clearaudio, which boasts a highly-advanced, optical speed control circuit, and far better than the Orbe with a Pabst AC motor. I haven't heard any of the slate-plinth restorations, which might be better yet, but I haven't found my plinth to introduce noticeable coloration.
Next week I take delivery of a Brinkmann Oasis and I'm eager to hear how the Lenco stacks up against a quality contemporary direct drive 'table. So far, I'm finding the well-restored idlers to be hard to beat. |
It seems that Artisan Fidelity is being unduly promoted here. It has been said that the promoter is an employee. Could be. By the way, the owner of Artisan Fidelity has been banned from another site I frequent for self-promotion. Like here, those posts were blatant.
Of course, everyone who makes a product likes to see it in the forefront, and the temptation to promote it certainly exists. However, it is a different matter altogether when such promotion primarily consists of denigrating the work of others. That tells me that maybe the emperor has no clothes, or at least the product being promoted cannot stand on its own. A truly good product can talk about itself only, or even mention worthy competitors in a favorable light. |
Don't know who Jeremy is, but it's pretty obvious he is shilling for Artisan.
I often get emails when Artisan releases a new "product" to the effect that- "do you know this guy is ripping off your designs?" I consider imitation a sincere form of flattery, so I really don't care, but here are some things you should know:
Slate is not sterile or neutral, it is an ideal material for making a plinth. Take a look over at Lenco Heaven- half the DIY projects there are slate. Perhaps all the Lenco guys prefer "sterile" sound?
Two of the best tonearm makers in the world, Frank Schroeder and Thomas Schick both use 301's personally, and both use OMA slate plinths for their 301's.
Furthermore, neither Schroeder nor Schick, nor myself, use a "fully restored" 301. The idea that you have to do a frame off Pebble Beach level restoration to get the most out of a 301 is nonsense. Even Loricraft did not do that, when they were still selling refurbished decks. Many companies are doing it now because sourcing cosmetically acceptable 301's has become so difficult and expensive. So its easier to find beater decks and repaint them, and then you have to do a complete restoration.
Finally, why do you think all of the wooden plinths are so massive looking? They have to be that large to get the necessary mass to run an idler like the 301 quietly. Slate is far more massive, a heavier, better damped material than any wood product, but companies like Artisan cannot copy what OMA does, because they don't have a $300,000 five axis Flow Waterjet and they don't have the slate, nor the ability to put an appropriate finish on a stone plinth. Which is why their 301 systems may look like OMA's, but it ends there. Remember, an OMA slate plinth, double layer, weighs over 100 lbs.
Jonathan Weiss
OMA |
Wrong Jweiss, just don't care for the Slate sound, it's a personal preference. If I'm a shill, then so are about a hundred other posters here and on other forums who talk about products they like. Mosin, you obviously are just looking for an angle to put down others opinions. It's ok to like one thing but not another and to voice ones opinion is heresy? I mention all kinds of other tables I like in my posts (Feikert, TW, ect.) were you to actually do the reading.....give me a break people. Let the record state, since some apparently feel I only like one company - some favorite turntables are Dobbins the Beat, Artisan F 301, Porter sp10's, TW Raven, Feickert Woodpecker and RedPoint. Tonearms SME and Fidelity Research are two I think are tops also. Now, Mosin and Jweiss, if you want to call me a shill, then please get it right and call me a shill for all the above mentioned turntables this time. And why on earth either of you would care SO much about one members opinion is beyond me. J |
Mosin, don't forget to add Sonny1930 to your conspiracy list and any other hobbyists you wish to pick on. Don't forget about the Nantais fanboys and all others..... J |
I love reading Fairy tales. OMA, more, please. |
12-08-11: Jeremy72
"Steve Dobbins is probably the best person in the US to tweak it and refresh the linkage and idler. "
Not true. I'd try Chris at Artisan Fidelity, rumor has it they are currently working on a new 301 restoration which is going to be out of this world. Their plinths and restorations are top notch quality and they are said to be building the highest performing Lenco based idler drives available at this time. They're better built and certainly have much better fit and finish compared the the Canadian nantais modifier/builder. His work looks like it was built in someones shed by a high school woodshop student with a can of spray paint imo.
__________________________________________________________
And, then....
01-07-13: Jeremy72
"Mosin, don't forget to add Sonny1930 to your conspiracy list and any other hobbyists you wish to pick on. Don't forget about the Nantais fanboys and all others..... J"
__________________________________________________________
And I'm the one accused? Go figure. If nothing else, I do support the DIY community along with my friends in the cottage industry, and I know and consider Steve Dobbins to be in that extended family. He is one of the good guys. So is Nantais, although we have been at odds from time to time, but at least we did it in a direct exchange for all to see and judge for themselves. I hold no ill-will towards him, and I do take offense when I see his, or any, product being derided for the sole purpose of promoting another, but I said that in my earlier post.
Hopefully, we can get back on track to the original poster's purpose for the thread, and I apologize to the readers for keeping it off-track this long, but I felt a response was necessary. |
Hello Syntax,
Nice to hear from you. You'd like to hear more fairy tales from OMA? Great, here's one-
http://lifeandtimes.com/the-blueprint-oswaldsmill-audio
But it might give you nightmares. Ask your parents before watching it.
Good Night,
Jonathan |
Mosin, my deepest apologies, apparently no one aside from you is allowed to have or state their own opinion......
"I do support the DIY community along with my friends in the cottage industry, and I know and consider Steve Dobbins to be in that extended family. He is one of the good guys. So is Nantais, although we have been at odds from time to time"
Now we all know another shill lurking in the midst. Welcome to the club! J |
Completely neutral here with no axe to grind of any kind. I currently have an OMA Lenco, my own high mass wood plinth Lenco, a 301 by Dobbins, a 401 refurbed by Loricraft in an Artisan plinth, a Kenwood LO-7D, an SP_10 Mk2, a Victor TT 101 in a japanese very heavy lead plinth and recently sold my Micro Seiki SX-8000.
Despite the fact I would love my hand rubbed piano polished birds eye maple wood plinth to be superior, and noting my TT 101 is the most dynamic deck ever, the OMA Lenco is easily comparable and in some areas exceeds the other decks. Nothing comes out superior, because each has different qualities, but the OMA has no shortcomings, has the best emotion and easily could be my "desert island" deck. |
Jweiss/Radicalsteve
You guys crack me up.
"the best tweeter ever"
"the only speaker in the world made of solid wood"
"slate is perfect material for audio...doesn't ring"
"my TT101 is the most dynamic deck ever"
None of which can be substantiated.
|
Syntax asked for some more "fairy tales", so how could I refuse?
And I must apologize to you and this forum, for the lack of substantiation of my comments in that piece. I did indeed contact the National Bureau of Standards and the National Academy of Science for third party verification of my assertions, but they were too busy substantiating all of the other Audiogon poster's claims.
Glad it made you chuckle.
Jonathan Weiss
OMA |
Jonathan - apart from the hyperbole, I do like your gear, and the plinths look great.......cheers. |
"And I must apologize to you and this forum, for the lack of substantiation of my comments in that piece. I did indeed contact the National Bureau of Standards and the National Academy of Science for third party verification of my assertions, but they were too busy substantiating all of the other Audiogon poster's claims."
One of the top 10 posts in the history of Audiogon ;-) |
When a "Manufacturer" writes that Schroeder and Schick are among the best Tonearm Manufacturers in the world, then it is a slap in the face of every serious Designer who has some (University) knowledge about Design, Distortion, Material, Energy transfer and knowledge what-is-responsible-for -what. A knife and a piece of wood is hardly enough, even when Marketing and DIY Voodoo replace it all.
A "Manufacturer" who has no idea about anything and replaces that with blubbering phrases others tell or told him, may be a nice guy, but hardly someone who can be taken serious.
When a Plinth needs 100lbs to dampen the rattling main unit then it is wasted time to discuss any turntable design when such a rattling unit is hyped as a ultimate solution. Maybe you paid the Schroeder Arms with your Plinth, or whatever, I am not seriously interested in these kind of background, but you should try to understand what you do. I guess, you will never get it and don't take it personal, you are not alone. It is much easier to buy an old 300$ turntable (Garrard, Technics, Denon...) and to "refurbish" it with a multi-thousand Dollar Chassis and there are customers out there who also have no idea about what is a tonal right reproduction. Idler Drive is not among that. It never was. It is a result from an era where no other solutions were available. And solidity is not a part of good sound which more modern and better designed units can offer. Mainly it is Entertainment today. And the comments and named products show clearly, OMA is Entertainment. High End Audio actually used to have a goal: perfect reproduction of the sound of real music performed in a real space. That was found difficult to achieve, and it was abandoned when most music lovers, who almost never heard anything except amplified music anyway, forgot what "the real thing" had sounded like. Today, "good" sound is whatever one likes.
After all, the desperate Audiophile can - and will - still say "... but I like it."
That is normally the final comment for everything today.
So I asked my Mom to visit that video first. She did and said:"Boy, it's time to got to bed" |
Dover, you have to read between the lines sometimes and with tongue in the cheek - "ever" is actually factually and irrefutably true in my systems and in my personal experiences and cannot be denied in my universe - but there are parallel universes (according to Fringe that is) |
