Phantom Supreme to 4Point-14?

Glad you talked with Thom.  I was also thinking the 11" hybrid Kuzma he sells would sound amazing on a Technics setup.  Thom is also very good at getting tables drilled correctly for arm installation. 

Also very much agree with Mijostyn's points about the SmarTractor. Wally Skater and Wally Reference tools. I use them all the time. My USB scope is the typical Dino-Lite version.  With a good "stage" it gets the job do and I can reliably double check SRA. My Lyras, SoundSmiths, Ortofons and Koetsu have always been very close to 92 degrees when the Wally Reference sets the tonearm to parallel.

The Kuzma 4P9 VTA adjustment is very good but it is intended for set it and forget it.  Sounds like you are working through that!😎

Dear @wrm57 : Both EPA 100 are really good tonearms and in any case both needs an internal rewiring. Japan vintage analog items or Yahoo could be the best sites to look for either one.

Differences in between depends of the cartridge you mount and the system resolution but your A90 will perform lovely in either one, the MK2 is more hard to find out.

 

Now you could look too for the EPA 500 where exist with at least 2 arm pipes, one astraigth and the similar to the EPA 100 S shaped. Build material is similar to the EPA 100 but came with the truly best VTA on the fly tonearm ever made that's the same that comes in the 100MK2.

Differences with the 100 mainly are: bearing is not " ruby jewels " as both 100's but gimbal where the bearing friction stated lower than 7mg instead the 5mg. on the 100. I owned the 500 too and the S shaped pipe is the 250.

 

R.

@rauliruegas, I missed an EPA-100 Mk2 by an hour yesterday on HiFiDo! It was scarfed up almost immediately upon being listed, and at a good price. Dang!

Many thanks to all who contributed to this thread. I have a lot to think about as I plan my next move, be it to a new cartridge or tonearm--and perhaps into a whole new VTA paradigm. I much appreciate all the patience and wisdom shared.

 

EPA 100 (both versions) is not suitable for MC carts. BTW Ikeda-san deed

not trust ruby bearings. Reed kinds also use saphire bearings  which have

limited (counter) weight  possibilty. Vidmantas refused to provide me with

heavier kinds because if this ''saphire limitation''.

Addendum. I own Sumiko 800 with 6 couter-weights. Meant for carts

from 6g till 25g. The idea being to get each weight as near as possible

to the pivot. One can deduce ''some'' conclusions from this info

assuming the premise is ''correct''. 

It would be interesting to know if and why  Breuer refused to provide

his customers with additional counter weights?  Alabertporter was his

friend and also importer of Breuer arms in America. He should be 

able to explain the issue. There are ''rummours'' that his bearings

were not from steel.

Wrm, having visited a branch of Hifido during a recent visit to Tokyo, I’m wondering how they ever do business. Anything of real interest in that shop was marked as being under negotiation, therefore not for sale. How long can it take to “negotiate “? Same goes for their website.

Dear @nandric : What Ikeda-san " said " it does not matters about the Technics EPA 100 tonearms and it’s only his own ignorance about.

 

EPA 100 works really fine with any kind of cartridges including LOMC ones. I owned all Technics top vintage tonearms models where in all them Technics gaves as an additional choice a second heavier counterweigth. Even I still own one of its models.

So, Technics knew exactly how theirs designs " runs " and certainly not you or the Redd one or Ikeda can´’t go against Technics designs where everything was CALCULATED by its experts engineers.

 

Who are you against Technics? when its tonearms are just superb with any cartridge.

 

R.

Dear Raul, I owned both EPA 100 and speak from my own experience. They

are not suitable for MC carts. To put it otherwise ruby or sapphire bearings can't 

support the needed counter weights. In this context I mentioned Ikeda-san .

I hope Albertporter will explain Breur bearings. My guess is that the bearings he used explain why he refused to provide his customers with extre weights. Very Interesting to know that you are more knowledgaable  than Ikeda san. 

 

 

In that EPA 100 regards yes I'm. If you have trouble with the EPA 100 could be that your tonerarms been not in good operation condition due that are vintage ones.

 

Anyway, enjoy the MUSIC.

 

R.

@lewm , that would explain why the Mk2 I saw seemed like it was born to HiFiDo on hold. Last week I saw nice one on the Yahoo Japan auction site, complete in the box. Buyee, the bidding proxy for foreigners, would not allow me to bid more than 300,000 yen despite my advance request for a limit increase. It went for 340,000. Foiled again!

I have to retract my sentiments about Hifido, to a degree.  I once did successfully purchase a turntable from them, Pioneer Exclusive P3.  That purchase was carried out on my behalf by a guy who lived in Tokyo. Then he subsequently asked me if I minded if he kept the tt for himself, to which I agreed.  So I never did get to own a P3, but I've got enough TTs to keep me busy anyway.

Dear Raul, Your prejudice about a.o. tonearms ''prevent you'' to grasp

the question. The question is NOT which arm is better but WHY SOME

OF THEM  have limited counter weights. One of possible reasons than

are kinds of bearings. In this context I mentioned Ikeda's preference

for ''steel bearings''. I myself have experiece not only with both EPA!00

(the black one looks fantsticc) but also with 4 versions of Reed. My

latest 3P I needed to put together myslef. So I was able to SEE the bearings.

Those are cheap .artificial sapphire kind which anybody can check qua

prices. Those are ''hard to believe'' in connection with present tonearm

prices. BTW my preferenc is since 1984 FR-64 S. For good reasons

irrespective what Raul thinks. MM Raul is different ''animal'' than tonearms

and  other componnts  Raul..

Graham’s customer service is so so at best.  Kuzma’s customer service is first class. 

@nandric : You are wrong again and talk because you have " mouth ". I never posted if the EPA 100 is better but only about its overall design made not by a single person but for a company that in those times belongs to the japanese gigantic Matushita group where Panasonic belongs too.

You can be sure that no one has more resources, dedicated and experts engineers, quality level of design and excecution of designs that TECHNICS.

In those times Technics never did a single design mistake in all its analog audio items. Technics manufactured TT motors for companies as Micro Seiki and others, his SP-02 was designed expressily to use as a motor for the recording cutting machines and even the SP10 MK3 motors were used in those cutting machines. You have no idea what you are talking about. With all respect to Ikeda and Reed you named they are almost " nothing " against what was Technics in those times: a " brutal " corporation.

 

There is no single problem with heavier counterweigths in the EPA 100, Technics gaves it as an add-on for those customers that need it. The tonearm bearing desing is unique gimbal kind using 20 precision ruby balls ( Technics precission not other manufacturer level. ). Got it? period.

 

Technics EPA-100 on thevintageknob.org

 

 

R.

Dea Raul,

I have no intetion to contiue the disput with you about EPA 100. My feedback

by oweners mentioned those ruby bearings as  problematic because those

''give up'' as first. Like dampers by EMT cartridges. I am wondering that

nobody in this forum has something to say about this issue. I sold both

of my EPA 100 for the given reason of ''not suitable for MC cartridge''.

Try to balance with its counterweight an Ikeda FR-7 of any kind or

those ''big Ortofon's''.

Dear Lew,

I assume that everyone is familiar with your ''deviant love affairs'' in the

sense of prefering TT's about all other , say, components. Your tonearm

preferences are directly related to your TT's. I ever try to get your 

Kenwood without meantioning my reason. Ex post I can expalain.

I own this ''better Breuer'' with 6 ( aka six) counterweights which is

AS MADE for your Kenwood. For the second arm that is. I never

mentined this reason to you because of the fear that you would ask

ME to sell the ''precious'' to you. How could I refuse such appeal

from my English teacher ? The ''deviant'' preferece is easy to explain:

by your resolute  refusal to sell to me your Kenwood. 

When it comes to Vintage TT's and Imports from Japan for the present purchasing environment, Do Note:

As a result of my very recent experience of purchasing my beloved Vintage Japanese TT Models direct from Japan, of which one has a Stainless Steel Machined Platter and one has a Heavy Plinth (Added Weight).

The latter half of 2023 is presenting ludicrous shipping costs to the UK, I suspect these will be reflected in most long haul flights.

Combine these incurred shipping costs with the 'to be' added 25% Import Duties and it is not long before the cost of the Bargain find, will become appreciated in cost by close to 150%-%175 Uplift to the purchase cost.

Then there is the Gamble on the condition of said purchase, I expect an individual to have to add another £60-80, without any shipping costs for the Platter Spindle  Bearing Investigation/Service, this should be considered a mandatory work to be undertaken. Start adding exchange parts due to deterioration or misuse, and the cost can easily increase by £50ish. 

For the full Overhaul/Modernisation of the Platter Spindle Bearing, to the level of performance I see as being extremely attractive as an addition, especially using modern Materials, Extremely Tight Machining Tolerances and Lubricant selected to optimise the overall function of the parts, I expect to be paying out £150-£200 for this, if no complications are met, and this is without any shipping costs included.

I would not know how to predict what a complication might need in monies parted with to correct the issue discovered. I am aware that Fatigue Fractures in a Spindles Bearing Housing has been discovered as a really unwanted condition, and abraded Spindles as well as scoured interference fit Balls at a Spindle Base are commonly encountered.

The above are reasonably easy to deal with, but will be more costly, in either version for the correct skill set to carry out the tasks. Obviously the Cracks in a Bearing Housing present a completely different challenge.

The 'Fly in the Ointment' and most difficult to detect is the Electronics being with a fault, Investigation into this, where the working circuitry is optimised for the performance, is not for the novice EE, or even the EE that is adept in EE tasks.

If such an EE as above does want to try there luck, I'm not to stand in their way by being discouraging.  

For my own peace of mind, and for my owned models, the Electronics are best left to the time served EE, who has a history of being hands on and proven record of really knowing what is what.

It to me seems that if a Import TT of any Vintage, or a Vintage TT is purchased without a well known history, the idea of assuming it is fit for the purpose of being a ancillary in the Vinyl Replay Trilogy, that can have the other two supporting ancillaries come with a combined value of £3k - £10K, is a very high risk assumption. It is something I would certainly not be carrying out or encouraging.

All 'go to' TT's from a Vintage era, used by myself, are only put into regular service   after having being dealt with, either Mechanically or Mechanically/Electronically,  by a renowned specialist who's works come heavily recommended.

I would predict for a Vintage DD TT, a basic investigation and odd swap of component to be of a Cost of £180ish, a Model with many faults needing discovery and correction can easily sweep upwards towards £500, and again no shipping is added to these costs.

For the novice, trying to work out what they have bought into.

If the TT switches on and rotates, placing an ear to the chassis/Platter area will/will not produce a audible noise from the mechanical function of the TT.

 A Stethoscope placed on the Chassis/Plinth will be a very valuable device to pick up audible sound, but to the novice user, the sound produced might cause alarm to them, even if a only minor case.  

If Mechanical Sound is detected by the ear, the Chassis or Plinth can be gently touched to feel if vibration can be detected.

If a Speed Rotation is wanting to be checked, it is best not to rely on any inbuilt speed control devices. It is best to use a off board independently powered Strobe  device.

By using a Standalone Strobe device Speed Fluctuation will be seen with immediacy.

What will not be known with immediacy is whether the fluctuation, is resulting from the Electronics for the Mechanical Interface in the Spindle, i.e, a very worn Spindle Bushing can create a eccentric rotation, which will manifest on the Standalone Strobe as a fluctuation.

I am wed to Vintage TT's for nearly 30 Years, starting with Idler Drive and continuing with Idler Drives for quite a period of time, and in the past 10 Years moving over to Imported Vintage Model DD TT's from Japan.

I will not discourage anybody from the experiences that can be created, the more the merrier who shout from the Roof Tops their newly found satisfaction.

From my end, it is best for those that are new to the idea, are the ones receiving guidance to become individuals that have something to attach a Caveat Emptor approach to.

Knowledge is Power, or in case of Vintage TT's, it can be a case of keeping the hard earned in the Bank. .    

Dear pindac, If your warrning is directed at me in connection with Lew''s

Kenwood you are at  wrong address. I bought only one cart in Japan,

Ikeda's Rex because I was not able to find one ''in de West''. But my

eaxperience with Japanese intermediers ( plural) was the reason to

never do this again. But Lew is differen because one of his sons

live there. So he can search for ''real bargains''. I buy only from

persons whom I know.

But your warriing is important  for the novice in our forum.

BTW I never ''grasped'' Japanese ''export success'' . Some ''things''

are simply incomprehensible, Like, for example,, American collectables.

@nandric I stated " From my end, it is best for those that are new to the idea, are the ones receiving guidance to become individuals that have something to attach a Caveat Emptor approach to. "

I certainly don't believe you fall into that as a demographic.

The Country Japan, as did Germany, bounce back very quickly in relation to becoming production Power Houses, following the Second World War.

Their Mainstream Industries R&D Departments in all areas of High Yield Sales Items has been a phenomenal success in the advancement of Technologies being adopted in a particular era.

No other Industries from any Country were able to compete, with the qualities being associated with the end products.

Japanese Motorcycles trounced all over indigenous Manufactured Motorbikes, pretty much being the demise of many Brands, with numerous years of being specialists behind them.

This most likely occurred from Electric Toasters to Electric Sewing Machines.

Dept born from Greed hit the Countries Inflation, which got them down on their knees. One does not need to look to far beyond their Room Window, to see that little bit of 'History Repeating Itself'.

In the UK in Premises owning Millions of Pounds worth of Food Stock and annual Turnover of 100's of millions if not Billions, there are Food Banks for customers to donate food items to, set up by the Check Outs. Work that one out, I am totally Bamboozled by it. 

Nandric, I am feeling very old.  I will tell my wife to offer you the L07D upon my expiration. I am not sure what is the bone of contention regarding vintage and Japanese turntables, but for what it's worth, I bought all my vintage Japanese TTs here in the good old USA (not always good and certainly not old by Japanese or European standards).  The L07D came from a guy in Queens, a borough of NYC.  The NOS Technics SP10 Mk3 was sniffed out by a non-audiophile but collector friend of mine in Miami, FL.  The owner had owned it for many decades, sitting in its box in his closet.  It took quite a bit of haggling to get it from him at a reasonable price. I cannot even recall where I found the Victor TT101, but it took 2 years and the serendipitous discovery of JP Jones and his expertise to get it running properly.  Since then, it's been totally reliable. The Denon DP80 came from a fairly well known and well regarded dealer in CA, somewhere.  The DP80 needed a new chip, probably owing to the fact it is a 100V unit that was run at 120V in CA.  I found the "unobtainable" chip on Alibaba.

For what it's worth, my prodigal son in Tokyo could not care less about my hobbies or audio per se.  He is a complete ascetic. Generally, he prefers not to intervene to help me purchase items in Japan, but during our most recent visit, he caved in and spoke on my behalf, in Japanese, to a Yokohama-based company to facilitate a purchase.  (Viv Float tonearm.) Eleven years ago, he reluctantly helped me buy a Koetsu Urushi in Akihabara, the electronics mecca of Tokyo, but that's about it.  I love him dearly, regardless.

I would say Europe, especially Germany in the guise of "West Germany", recovered more rapidly from WW2 devastation than did Japan.  As late as the late 1950s or early 1960s, the slogan "Made in Japan" was a synonym for poor quality in the USA.  And there was no market here for Japanese cars until the late 60s. This, in my opinion, was due to a racist sentiment here, at that time.

I am an advocate of not encouraging any individual to take on something that is assessed through 'Rose Tinted Glasses'.

@lewm like your self, I am wed to Japanese Vintage TT's, I have these bought on one occasion from within the UK and all others from abroad.

Many SP10's once seen in the UK were ripped out from Radio Station Booths and sold on with the Consuls produced for the Studio with a Built in Power Supply.

I know many who got on the SP10 MkII Ladder this way, but I chose not to use this as the method. For the record SP10 MkII's were commonly seen in the era selling for £150-200. If you were willing to take a Job Lot, £90ish per unit is a accurate reflection of the asking prices.

In the UK today, a TT bought at this time and being one that has ended being put to use as a more conventional TT design, can easily acquire £1500 as a sale item.

What I do know is that many TT's from these vintages, especially ones removed from Radio Stations, have undergone some sought of patching up to have them appear seemingly conventional.

The 'under the hood aspect' is certainly an unknown, and to the individual not time served and not having a clear direction on what would be a good practice following a purchase, especially the individual being fantastical about the idea of buying into TT's that receive reports on the impact made, like those from myself.

The idea, that such good reports are a result of buying a TT only are very very wrong. In my case there is a support required from other parties, to get onto the Starting Grid and eventually Pull Away successfully from the Start Line.

It is this Beat that is sent out from my Drum.    

Dear Leww, Thanks for your politeness and kindness. However those

seem to apply only after your dead. I don't believe in God or other

not physical entities by in  your case I do beieve in angels. Your wife

is different  from  all others. She give up her by mother neture given

right to decide about furnishing but  you used your own right and

provided even your living room with those ''Spanish doors'' invented

for the shay  people by clothing but in you case called ''HUGE electrostate''

of which you own TWO . One in the celar were your wine is also situated. 

All my visitors and IN particuar ladies asked ''what are THOSE?  refering

to my speakers. The ''obvous qiestion'' was ''why areTHOSE so big?''

But they were never satisfy with my answer: ''you can't get bass from small kind!''

All the ladies  advised my wife to divorse your trully without knowing my

ONLY condition to my than girl friend: ''I want the right to choose my speakrs''

all other ''things'' related to furnishing will be your ''jurisdiction''. But geuss

what: her whole life she regreted this ''only one'' condition. You can than

understan in this context  why I want to see and chat  with your wife. Kenwood

included. I am sure that I will  get ''this one'' for free from her. because she

AT LAST will be liberated from your hobby.

 

Nah. She’s oblivious to the big speakers, maybe because we’ve been married 45 years and I’ve had speakers of similar size, if not even bigger and more ugly (two pairs of KLH 9s) since before we met. 

Dear Lew, I think that your (beloved) son explains the situation. His ascetic

charakter he obviously ''inherited'' from his mom and not from his dad.

My beloved son is the oposit but in the sens that he also does not

care about my hobby but well about his. More in particuar who should pay

for HIS hobby.

But now ''something totaly different''.. Nobody got the idea to check those

so called ''jewel bearings'' on internet.  Raul will not change his mind

but probably understand the problem of those RUBY bearings in his

beloved  EPA 100. Not to mention their BEST MM's with ''damper'' problem

called ''low riders'',