Thanks everyone for the advice. I've been enjoying getting back to my analog system and rediscovering some of my records.
I find myself wondering how I lived with digital only these past 15 years. Probably because I don't really listen to digital stuff, it's just background.
Now I really can't wait to get my VPI/ET2.5 back up and running. |
I bought the Supex cartridge as NOS a few months before I stored the system, and looking at it under a microscope, it looks fine. The Grado does not have a user replaceable stylus assembly, but it too looks good.
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elliottbnewcombjr ,
I'm in the course of setting it up. The speed controller (vpi PLC) is dead, and I'm waiting to try and get schematics for it from VPI. In the mean time, I did cobble together a DIY speed controller but my audio signal generator isn't great, I'm waiting on a new one to come in. I can't bring myself to spend over a grand on an SDS or ADS and other syncronous motor speed controllers on the market won't provide enough current to drive the motor.
Right now the table is on a wall shelf. Floor is carpeting over concrete (ground level basement). I may build or buy a floor stand, but that's a question for later. Either way, I know the current TT is sufficiently isolated.
Thanks for the link, those may work if I have issues with the Denon for any reason. |
Thanks, solypsa.
I haven't really looked at direct drive tables, back in the day they were mostly lower end offerings.
The PS phono stage fed by the MC transformer with the PS preamp stage set to straightwire was quite good. I think the Bryston amp may be a sonic weak link, as it can sound a bit harder than I like.
But for now I want try and deal with the table first, if it even needs dealing with. |
Sorry I kind of left the thread hang, but I had to deal with Uncle Sam's yearly extortion payoff.
solypsa:
I'm not into vintage for the sake of vintage, most of my stuff was fairly current when I bought it (been doing this a long time). I wouldn't be looking to ditch the VPI for older DD or idler wheel tables.
chakster:
Thanks for the info.
richmos:
I love the duettas. Since I acquired them in the 80's, I listened to a lot of speakers, and nothing I heard at (almost) any price compared, to my tastes at least.
mcmvm:
Yeah, I think I'm leaning in that direction. The Bryston has served me well over the years including as a subwoofer amp for my home theater system, but with the Apogees, they sound a bit hard.
elliottbnewcombjr:
I have 4 arm tube assemblies for the ET2.5. Swapping arm tube assemblies is simple once the cartridge is initially set up, so I have no need for additional arms. I do have some mono records, including a bunch of 50's and 60's rock, jazz and some classical, and have thought about mono cartridges over the years. I even have a mono integrated tube amp still in storage that I was going to restore and use if I ever did get the mono cartridge. |
elliottbnewcombjr :
OK, so two channel mono (?) with a modern mono cartridge can be solved two ways: One is a Y adapter, and the other is just use one channel off the cartridge and load the other with the recommended impedance. The second method is probably preferable, as the differences between the two stereo parts of the chain could possibly introduce unwanted channel differences. The one channel then stays mono straight to a single speaker. |
xaak,
It's simple, really.
All you really need is a signal generator, and a way to amplify the signal to deliver 120 volts. Actually, between 60v and 130v is better because you can tune the voltage to provide adequate drive at the lowest motor vibration possible.
Keep in mind, this is for 120v synchronous motors only.
The signal generator is the easy part. You need to find one that provides adequate granularity so that small adjustments to the output frequency are possible, and it must output sine wave. I have an old Leader signal generator that works OK for now.
The trickier part is amplifying the output of the signal generator so that it can output up to 130v @ roughly 10w (vpi motor needs 7.5 I think). For this, I used a Kicker IX500.4 car stereo amp I had laying around and an old 15v laptop power supply (I never throw anything out :) ). This easily allowed ouput in the range of I was looking for, to output 12w, a safety margin over the 7.5 needed for the motor.
So now I had to turn 5 to 7 volts into 120v. Looking at my parts drawers, I found a 6V center tapped line transformer, which normally turns 120v into 6v. Reversing it and driving the secondary with 6v (not using the center tap), it turns 6v into around 120v. Then I hooked the primary to a standard wall receptacle, and plugged the motor into the wall
receptacle,
With the gain on the signal generator set to 0 and frequency set to 60hz, and the gain on the amp set to maybe 20%, I slowly increased the gain on the signal generator, while monitoring the voltage on a true RMS multi-meter until the platter started spinning. It took a minimum of 75 volts to start the platter, and once started, it would maintain speed at anything over 60v.
There you have it. |
chakster,
I'm listening to Eric Clapton Steppin' Out on Decca FFSS using my Denon DP-1250 with a Magnepan Unitrac 1 tonearm and a Grado Reference Platinum cartridge as I type this. I'm waiting on getting my spindle rewired from ET and some new belts for the VPI. It's a very satisfying combination, I'll grant you. The arm and table are certainly vintage though the cartridge is from the mid 90's.
On it's best day, with as perfect a setup I can muster, it never came close to what the VPI/ET2 could do with the same phono cartridge. IMHO and obviously your mileage does vary.
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mulveling, Thanks.
With the preamp, maybe, but using the Supex step-up transformer into the PS Audio, I never had reason to question it. Now, maybe, but replacing the Bryston, which is the original generation 3b from the early 80's, would still be first on the list as far as electronics go. There was much better available even 15 years ago when I had to put the system into storage, where trying new preamps back then really didn't give me a burning feeling I needed to upgrade. Maybe after I get other things sorted out.
I never really looked back once I got the TNT, but I thought maybe enough time had passed that there might be something out there worth looking at today.
Yes, the Supex cartridge is exceptional. When I bought it, I was running a Lyra Lydian. I did some listening back and forth between the two, and the Supex stayed on the table until I had to store it. I hope it still has the magic, I'll find out in a couple of weeks when I get my arm back from ET. |
From what I can tell, my bearing is in good shape, it's not the inverted type. The old stethoscope test reveals it's dead quiet. And yes, I've started to research the newer inverted bearing and I've seen good and bad about it.
I looked up VAS, and it turns out that they're practically around the corner (well, an hour or so drive) so maybe I'll see about paying a visit when things loosen up a bit.
Thanks for the advice! |
