I just bought the pro-ject speed box 2 and running with my MMF 2.2 TT. I have a problem I am troubleshooting. I get a noticeable hum at 33-1/3 RPM that is not present at 45 RPM with 12" LPs. When I switch back to the MMF power supply there is no hum at either speed. The hum is only present when the TT is in motion at 33-1/3, and the stylus is in the groove. When I pick the tone arm up, the hum ceases. When I play a 45 RPM record, there is dead silence in silent passages - no hum.
I have a Shure V15VXMR cartridge on the turntable running through a Kenwood Eleven II solid state receiver. Polk LSI 15 speakers. Any ideas are appreciated. I really would like to make this speed box work to avoid changing belt around.
Thanks
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I have the speedbox 2 also and I notice a cleaner fuller sound but I think that comes from its ability to clean up the sine wave in the power so it has a good clean place to start. Since this thread is pretty old you have either decided to get one or you have decided against it. Bottom line, I love mine, seems like a lot of people like theirs. Question is, did you buy one and what do you think? |
Lenco motor requires around 15-18W, IIRC. You are correct. Not to mention that if the Speedbox is designed for an AC synchronous motor, the Lenco motor is not of that ilk. |
The Speedbox has a maximum output of around 3 watts I believe; the Lenco motor looks substantially larger than a typical 3 watt motor. |
I am using the MMF version of the Speedbox on my Oracle Delphi III and it is an improvement over the power supply that comes with the Oracle. It can be used on any table that uses a 12-16vac power supply. |
Is the speed box II a noticeable improvement over the speed box I? |
Will a Pro-ject Speed Box work on a Lenco L75 ac motor? |
Jrw40, thanks for the report and follow up to your own thread. I'm glad that the Speedbox is working well for you.
Dave |
well it took awhile, but i finally got my speed box 2 purchased and hooked up, and to answer my own question, YES its worth it, everything tightned up and became more focused. while not as much of an improvement as some have listed [ as stated i have pretty clean power at my home] it is clearly an audible improvement and well worth the small investment. |
I just got the smaller Pro-ject speed box. We tested it with a strobe and the difference was day and night. Not only was it up to speed, but it sounded way better, more coherent and warmer. Don't forget to clean the side of your table and wipe off the belt now and then. It helps a lot. |
I've just purchased second hand(£175) a speedbox SE 1 to go with my pro ject perspective 1. I've just been listening to it, then swaping back to no speed box, the more i listen to it the more i like the sound, smoother, more assured, seems to be less background noise, a more solid grounded, deeper sound, bit hard to describe really. Its not been a massive change, more subtle buts its deffinately been enough that if i were to take it back I would always be listening to my deck thinking I was missing something.... |
thanks for the excelent input, it does seem worth a try. ill post my results soon. |
07-02-08: Stevieboy said:
"... would an isolation transformer do as good? have one in the pipeline..."
If there is fluctuation there is likely also noise, so a transformer will yield an improvement; however, converting to DC (when done right) can remove a ton of noise AND stabilize the power. So, you'll be taking a step foward, but maybe not the last step.
Dave |
jrw40, hope you dont mind the slight detour on your thread! apologies for the slight hijack :)
regards |
hi dave,
thanks for the thought! would an isolation transformer do as good? have one in the pipeline...
regards |
Stevieboy probably experienced maximum improvement because his power is less stable than many of us. This is a classic YMMV situation, because the quality of our mains power can and does vary widely. I noted a small, worthwhile improvement while Stevieboy experienced a huge improvement.
Stevieboy's whole system might benefit greatly from a power regenerator, like PS Audio, give the instability of his local power. Just a thought...
Dave |
a little late perhaps to add to this but for those hedging on a speed box like i was here goes.
in my system of a project rpm 9 the speed box simply overhauled the sound. huge and i mean huge difference in every single aspect of the sound. without the speed box the sound was a little jagged. i thought something was missing cos i had heard my table with a blue point evo and now have the blue point no 2 which is one step lower. i also attributed the missing involment to poor set up (this is my first table) and the condition of the lps.
however when i plugged the speed box in, the speed speeded up a little quite visually noticeable. and the sound changed. became rock solid, more assured, the instruments became more proportioned, the music seemed to envelop me now, details were more resolved compared to a fuzzier indistinct sound earlier. the music seems to bounce along at the right tempo. its just an overall feeling that the music has become more alive, more right, more 'here' in the room with you. bass has more heft and weight so do all the instruments and even vocals. more anchored sound with incidental sounds flitting in and out of the soundscape, adding to the main musical event, all in the right proportion. echoes, reverb, decay of notes were all more noticeable and clear in the music.
if you've been wondering just what a speed box does, get it right away. the improvement to my ears beat changing from a temp entry level mm cart to the sumiko blue point no 2 mc cart. at the affordable costs, there are no downsides to this purchase for me, unlike other upgrades, or additions where there are always divided opinions. this one is a no brainer. probably the only no-brainer purchase in audiophile land i've found so far.
regards |
Actually, a Speed Box will have absolutely no impact on varying pitch due to record warp. That's not the reason to buy one.
Dave |
If you don't want the "wavy" sound from your albums especially the slightly warped ones that vary in pitch, get the speed box.. it works
and as stated above it does really well with quieter parts and piano that you will notice some wavy pitch changes at times, this had pretty much eliminated those physical speed issues.. |
I've got the Speed Box SE II in a system driving a Pro-ject RM10. In my system it clearly added bass impacted and steadied the tone of piano quite noticeably.
Dave |
Hi,
I use the Speedbox mkII with my Thorens TD166mkII very modified the first thing it does at 33 1/3rpm is run the motor with a 44.32Hz sine wave you put the belt on 45rpm pulley, making for less motor noise and my thorens runs about speed prefect with the speedbox you can go wrong only $120.00 go for it. |
I bought one for my MMF-7 and can recommend it. What it does is correct the sine wave of the AC, in turn allowing the motor to run at a more precise speed. The actual effect, that I noticed, is better PRaT. I now have some 45 RPM LPs and not having to move the belt is great. |
