Hi Raul,
At the same post on SNA, I have post another picture to show ** it's a 4000DIII ** on No.7 reply.
I think my 4000DIII have a after market stylus because it's a second hand, I got no choice. But I really fall in love with this Gold, another taste as the M20FL, both are very good MM.
Thank you very much for your information about the MM cartridge. I have save alot of money because the MM.
Best regards, Ray |
Hi Raul,
I have an Empire 2000E IV in my collection of MM cartridges which I think is a very good performer. Have you tried it and compared to the 4000D mk3? |
Dear Montepilot: I have Empire ad too and the original 4000DIII where appears in the way you say along that " curl " logo below the Empire name.
Now, the five stylus replacement on the 4000 and 1000 Empire cartridges I own, that are Original ones, all comes with the name EMPIRE in this way and not with what is the Empire " signature " of the brand. All this happen with these Empire " old " cartridge models/series because with its " latest " and other cartridge series the name is the Empire signature brand one. Btw, this one is Original:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Original-EMPIRE-S-D4000-III-QUADRA-tip-phono-stylus-NOS-/190413464974?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2c5586e58e#ht_721wt_1137
The Ortofon's M20 that I own comes with gold body color. If I remember in this thread we agree that the cartridge performance is the same in either cartridge body color.
Regards and enjoy the music, Raul. |
Dear Ozrayyau: I see that picture and now I know that that cartridges comes with the model name too. Thank you.
Regards and enjoy the music, Raul. |
Dear Kcc123: No, I don't own any 2000 series cartridge.
regards and enjoy the music, Raul. |
Now you guys are making me nervous. The supposed NOS Empire "X" stylus assembly that I bought for my NOS Empire 1000ZE cartridge, per the advice of a few on this forum, does not have any "EMPIRE" inscription. In fact the facing where the label would go is completely absent; there is an open space instead. Any thoughts appreciated.
I would also add that the Empire 4000DIII that I bought is a "Gold" type. The owner had 3 of them and was very reluctant to let even one of them go. He is a long time audiophile and is completely besotted by the 4000DIII Gold. So, even if it is different from the 4000DIII without the "Gold" appellation, it was held in very high esteem by the previous owner. We shall see. |
Raul and others,
I got my Empire 4000D/111 sometime around 1990 and it came in a turntable that I bought.
The stylus guard is attached to the cartridge body via a brass hinge assembly and there are there are dark spots on each side of the stylus assembly that appear to be round brass hinge pins. EMPIRE is in very small letters on the flat plastic piece of the stylus guard. The top of the lettering is white and there is a gold background so that EMPIRE is in a gold colored rectangle. Under EMPIRE there is the round logo seen on old original Empire stylus assemblies like that of my Empire 1000 stylus assembly.
Sometime prior to 1998 I tried the 4000 and I thought it had potential so I looked for a replacement stylus assembly before they were no longer available and I stumbled across Ed Saunders who said he had an original 4000D/111 stylus for something like $27 and I bought it.
This was before analog and LP's were catching on again so strongly so prices were still reasonable. When I asked Ed a few years later about another stylus it was $87 and I said forget it. But now that's a deal.
The stylus I received looks like the one that the Bluz Bros is selling. The "R" in EMPIRE is reversed and it runs into the E plus there is the verticsl line under EMPIRE.
As far as color goes I'd have to say that both are snow white. |
Hello All,
I've purchased several Empire cartridges that have the original stylus. After all the discussion about getting original stylus I've grown concerned about my plans of having mine re-tipped. I would think that this would be the logical solution to extending the life of my cartridges. Do you think this will affect the cartridges performance?
Sincerely, |
Dear Lewm: IMO your NOS stylus replacement for your Empire could not be a true NOS but an after market one.
I own several Empire cartridges and, one way or the other, in all the Empire name always appear.
About the 4000DIII Gold that you own I think in similar way: different from the 4000DIII and very good performer.
Regards and enjoy the music, Raul. |
Raul, if I may: Raul said: "Dear friends: As time goes passing the good MM/MI vintage cartridge opportunities goes ( faster that I wish. ) down/less and less, especially in NOS status/condition."
There is still an availability of genuine NOS Acutex stylii for the LPM 3XX-111 series, TurntableNeedles or 33audio.com. Both sites offer downloads of various Acutex catalogs for identification.
Mark at 33audio indicates his small supply is nearly exhausted and he presently has only several each of the LPM 312-111STR/315-111STR/320-111STR stylii. Those who may be interested should be aware the "M" and "LPM" designs are not the same. Stylii upgrades are possible within the separate series but not between them. The Acutex cartridge, usually as a LPM 310-111E(elliptical), was supplied on Pioneer, Akai, Hitachi, Fischer and other turntables in the 'seventies and is routinely offered on ebay, listings frequently use the turntable mfr's designation.
For those seeking Empire replacement stylii or wishing to conserve their originals, JICO offers most Empire models in elliptical, HE, Shibata and SAS configurations.
I hope this may be of assistance. |
Dear Raul, I bought from the vendor recommended by you and others here (in fact the URL for the source was posted here), and the stylus was not cheap, and the vendor himself swore the product was NOS. So if you are correct, he will be hearing from me, and he will eat the thing. (Was not BluzBroz.) |
Whoops! I take it all back. The name EMPIRE is indeed engraved on the facing. It is stylus 236ZDE from Garage-a-Records. I did not see it when I first received the product and thought it was ok not to see it, until this latest discussion. Please forgive the misunderstanding. It is late, and I am tired. |
Dear Lewm: Yes, now that you mentioned I can remember that yours was the last one the seller had at that time.
regards and enjoy the music, Raul. |
While I realize my question,"Do you think this will affect the cartridges performance?" wasn't stated well I would still appreciate comments clarifying what I might expect as far as differences from a Soundsmith re-tip as an example.
Sincerely, |
Dear Drewmbl: +++++ " plans of having mine re-tipped. I would think that this would be the logical solution to extending the life of my cartridges. Do you think this will affect the cartridges performance? " +++++
IMHO I don't think there is only one an absolute right answer about. Each one of us maybe have different experiences on the subject, so I will speak on mines:
first " thing " that I would like to take in count here is if the cartridge is one of my top performers or if the cartridge is a " so-so " one, in this case I go for the re-tip to any re-tipped source. But if the cartridge is the 4000DIII then I will try to find the original stylus replacement and if this can't happen then I send to VdH asking for the stylus re-tip only ( with out cantilever change ) if this is possible.
With top cartridge performers what I want is to preserve its " original " quality performance. I don't want to change it even if the retipped source people tell me that " with this ruby cantilever will be a huge improvement ": I don't want that " huge improvement ". I could try that " huge improvement " if I have two cartridge samples and I'm not sure about because many times that " improvement " it is not but only something different.
I have experiences about through SS and VdH and I have no single doubt: VdH is my choice.
Regards and enjoy the music, Raul. |
Dear Raul,
Thank you for the thoughtful and thorough answer.
Sincerely, |
Raul, Have you (or has anyone) tried the "Expert" stylus repair service in the UK? (The name consists of two words; the first word is "expert".) That business is said to be the supplier to SoundSmith for their ruby cantilevers, but they have a proprietary stylus that is said to be excellent. |
Dear Dgarretson: +++++ " cable with a straight shot from cartridge to phono stage. This eliminated seven solder and mechanical joints all down the line. The improvement is greater than all the differences between the various cartridges that I've tried. " +++++
agree with you, a huge improvement with seven " filters/veils " less where the highly sensitive/delicate cartridge signal must pass. We have to remember that the cartridge signal " travel " to the end phono stage with out amplification and this make it more easy to contaminate/degrade over that " trip ".
I always said that we have try to lower distortions ( any kind ) in the audio system chain to improve the system quality performance and that mod ( straight wire to phono stage ) permit to preserve the cartridge signal with lower distortions. I have no doubt about: worth to try it!
Regards and enjoy the music, Raul. |
Raul, regarding your point of agreement on eliminating the "seven filters/veils", I still sometimes wonder about detachable headshells and their additional connections. I know you favor them to allow "fine tuning" for mass and resonance in matching cartridges with given tonearms. But when you described your recommendation to eliminate the extra connections with a standard P-mount cartridge adaptor with direct connection to the cartridge pins and the benefits you heard in doing so I began thinking about the headshells again.
So I'm wondering about a possible solution when rewiring an arm. Carefully drilling a hole on the underside of the arm, just before the locking ring, could accommodate an extension of an additional length of the continuous wire. The wire could then pass underneath the headshell/tonearm joint to reach the cartridge pins. If done carefully this could preserve the advantages of a continuous wire (cartridge pins to tonearm wire RCA/XLR plug) while maintaining the advantages of the interchangeable headshell. |
The improvement with the straight-shot wiring spun my head around and leads me question how we perceive the differences between cartridges and tonearms. It's tempting to think about cartridges primarily as signal generators of varying mechanical ability. Similarly we tend to think of tonearms mostly in terms of geometry and mechanics and not as electrical devices. Tonearm wire is usually accepted a priori without much reflection. Tain't so. |
Tim, Raul has already done something like that, in a more brute force way. I also know of several folks who have drilled thru the tonearm/headshell connector so as to allow the wiring to go straight thru, thereby eliminating that junction. (Of course, in the process of doing that, you ought to re-wire the whole tonearm from cartridge to preamp.) I am going to try one or the other or both approaches.
In truth, though, with these high output cartridges and if one uses a very good quality contact enhancer after carefully cleaning the contacts to remove oxidation, it is my impression that very little is lost. (This is a position once held by Raul, if I recall correctly.) With MC cartridges, the bypass or elimination of all mechanical contacts is far more beneficial, IME. |
"It's tempting to think about cartridges primarily as signal generators of varying mechanical ability. Similarly we tend to think of tonearms mostly in terms of geometry and mechanics and not as electrical devices. Tonearm wire is usually accepted a priori without much reflection. Tain't so."-Dgarretson
Having rewired my ET2 three times over the years, I could not agree with Dgarretson's comment more. Since the first time I rewired the arm, I have used one continuous run of wire from cartridge clips to phono preamp; sometimes hardwired to the preamp's board. The first time I did this, the results were nothing short of revelatory. The elimination of several solder joints, or mechanical "bumps in the road" for the cartridges' signal path were fantastic; greater, in positive ways, than any cartridge change I had made up to that time. The improvements in clarity and refinement allowed the differences in the sound of various catridges to be much more obvious, and made the effects of the set-up of these cartridges much more obvious, and important.
The wire harness is always used externally, so no modification of the arm is required. I have done the same thing with my pivoting Syrinx PU3, which I use occasionally, using the same wire harness used with the ET2. The Syrinx's internal wiring remains intact (and not used), and the new wire harness is run along the outside of the arm's tube along the bottom of the tube, with a loop of wire (as with the ET2) over the arm's pillar. The wire is shielded from that point on, to the phono amp.
I have used Vandenhul, Cardas, Discovery, and currently, Audionote, which is IMO the best by far. But this is a different discussion. But I will say that I have always been surprised that considering the legths that many of us go to with tonearm/cartridge set-up, that this tweak is not tried more often. |
Frogman, Your wiring system is pretty much what I had in mind as the quick and dirty way to achieve "direct coupling". I believe that is what Raul is doing, too. Have you, or has anyone, tried the silver "Ikeda" wire that one can purchase from an eBay vendor (in quotes, because I am dubious regarding the provenance)? I am tempted, but the price is high. What is your source for "Audionote" wire?
My Triplanar is and always has been direct-coupled using Cardas 33ga wire. I stood and watched as Herb Papier (creator of the Triplanar) installed it for me in his basement. In his hands, this took about 5 minutes. In my hands, it would have taken an hour, AND I would have damaged the fragile wires in the process. IMO, this (direct coupling) is one reason why the Triplanar sounds so good compared to other tonearms that use one or more gizmos in the signal path. |
Lewm, I have not tried the "Ikeda" wire you refer to, and know nothing about it; sorry. My source for Audionote wire was Audio Federation in Boulder, CO. I always dealt with Neli, and she was a pleasure to deal with. The cost of 1.5 meters of wire, terminated with AN clips, and tinned at the preamp end was $290 delivered. Less expensive without termination. I cannot recommend this wire enough, it is fantastic. I will say, that it is extremely thin, but not particularly fragile. The pricing, as stated in the AN website, is a little confusing. Each run of wire consists of three individualy insulated, braided strands. What AN now provides, for the same cost, is the above mentioned X2. IOW, six strands per run. To give you an idea of how thin this wire is, the net result of the six strands is still considerably thinner than the Cardas. |
AN wire would be copper, I presume. Not that there is anything wrong with that. |
No, AN wire is pure silver. In my experience, the beauty of the AN wire is that it has the clarity, and openness that silver can have, with beautiful refinement, and total absence of glare. The silver VDH wire that was original in my ET2 was harsh sounding by comparison. The AN wire has been, along with the motor controller for my TT, the single most significant improvement I have made to my analog set-up. Of course, the respective improvements are of a different nature. I can't recommend it enough. |
Hi Lewm, Re "if one uses a very good quality contact enhancer after carefully cleaning the contacts to remove oxidation", are you able to discuss any products that have worked for you out of the plethora of products out there?
Would be helpful for those of us that can't or won't run one string of wire direct.
Many thanks from Alex L |
Alex, I did not do a survey, but for what it's worth, I use ProGold to clean contacts and Walker SST Extreme as an enhancer IF the contacts are not going to get hot, as in a phono system. For tube pins that do get hot, I also use ProGold enhancer. There is no doubt in my mind that the Walker stuff (and perhaps other products like it, because I have done no meta-comparisons) really works great. The difference is immediately audible. One display of its effectiveness is irrelevant to audio; we had a bad contact on a 15W bulb in our chandelier. The bulb was constantly going off due to being loosened by vibrations from footsteps. I put a dab of the Walker on the threads and on the contact point, and that bulb has never even winked since. |
Hi Guys,
When running an external wire on the tonearm, how do you handle the grounding wire? Do you just have the typical ground wire (the fifth wire) just attached to the tonearm body or shoudl we have a shield around the 4 cartrigde wiures running anlong the length of the armwand? I need a balanced XLR connection for my phono so grounding is important in my system. Any thoughts? Also has anyone found cartridge laeds that would fit the pin size of the P-Mount cartridges? |
When using MC's, I have never had any issues with grounding noise of any kind using the wire without any shielding. With MM's it gets trickier, and grounding noise can be a real problem. I solved it this way:
The positive and negative runs of wire for each channel are twisted together for their entire length. The twisted runs then run "naked" from cartridge clips to just beyond the point where the wires make a loop over the arm pillar. From that point onward, each twisted pair of wires (+-) runs through a length of teflon tubing for the remaining length of wire. The teflon tubing is covered in copper mesh for shielding. To the preamp end of the copper mesh is soldered a six inch length of copper wire, with a clip at it's end. The copper mesh is covered with polyester mesh to insulated it. The clips at the ends of the wire harness get attached to the preamp's grounding post. Every system has different grounding requirements, and experimentation is the key. In my system, the above arrangement works great. |
Ddriveman, In the case of the Trans-Fi harness, each teflon-clad 4N silver filament has a 30awg 4N silver mesh jacket. Single-ended requires two wires, with filament cores carrying positive phase for each channel and the jackets carrying negative phase tied to ground. XLR involves four four filaments and four discrete mesh jackets that float at the cartridge pins and are grounded at XLR. In addition, there is a fifth copper tonearm wire that runs from the cartridge bolt. Lots of tiny conductors that when properly dressed do not foul the arm! So far this approach has gotten rid of all hum. |
Ddriveman, Bulgin gold/copper socket SR3179/1 (Digikey pn 708-1095-ND) fits directly on the p-mount pin. The arse end of this socket solders to tonearm wire or serves as male into a std. cartridge clip. |
I have ordered a KAB Technics 1200 MKII table with the Technics arm and the tonearm fluid damper modification. I have an usued Azden YM-P50VL cartridge. I wanted to see if anyone had any thoughts on whether the Azden cartridge would be a good fit for the Technics arm and headshell,and if so, if I should replace the Technics headshell with a different headshell. Thanks |
Ddriveman, I suppose you get the point by now that the cartridge per se "floats" in almost all cases, meaning the cartridge is not grounded. That is why a cartridge is an inherently balanced device; there is signal at each end. (In a single-ended phono stage, one side of the cartridge is defined as "ground" by the labels on the cartridge body and the orientation of the RCA jack.) So, the only thing you have to be concerned about is grounding of the tonearm body and/or the turntable chassis to your preamp, if indeed that is necessary. (In some cases, it's not.) There are a few cartridges that do have internal grounding; one of the brands that is commonly of that type is Decca. If you don't use a Decca, then most likely no ground is needed. |
Lew, In my experience phono hum is typically picked up by exposed unshielded tonearm wires. Using screened tonearm wire and floating the screens at the cartridge end, deals with RF antennae effects associated with exposed wires. A separate physical ground to the cartridge body deals with ground hum issues unrelated to wiring. Some MM cartridges (Empire comes to mind) have a ground tab that connects the cartridge body to the negative pin of one channel. With a balanced phono stage I remove this tab and ground the cartridge body separately to XLR pin 1. I'm not sure whether this rerouting of physical ground of the cartridge body has made a difference, but it makes intuitive sense for XLR balanced operation.
A linear tonearm has more exposed wiring than a pivot arm, and thus may have inherently more problems with RF. Perhaps one reason why physical grounding of a pivot arm can be important is that the (metal) arm can thus acts as a shield that needs to be drained. But in rerouting a wire harness external to tonearm, a good RF shield around the wire is likely important. |
Regards, Raul. On 02-04-10 Dgob wrote:
"Timetel,
Have you ever tried your Black Widow with an ADC XLM Super Mk2 (or other) and, if so, what are/were your impressions? Only I have heard very positive things from friends whose hearing and love of music I deeply trust."
I've developed confidence in ADC magnesium headshells (for EPA-250 TA) and several I've purchaced have come with cartridges. One, an ADC QLM-30 I did not care for. Another, an ADC Q361. Today I cleaned and inspected the Q361's stylus and was pleased to find it a nude elliptical on a tapered cantilever, and in good condition. Sounded pretty good for an elliptical too. Tried, the two stylii were exchangable. Piqued, I searched the internet and find this cartridge body is common to many different models, including the XLM-2's/3's, upgrade avenues are`through the stylus.
TTN.com has NOS ZLM (shibata) stylii to upgrade the cartridge to XLM-111 updated version. Jico offers a SAS version. Several reliable ebay merchants offer "genuine" replacements. That the ADC original is thirty years out of production is a factor. Compounding my dilema is that there are several NIB XLM's currently available, prices are close for any option. One concern is the reputation for failing suspension early XLM's have and another is, of course, performance.
Thanks in advance for any thoughts you (or others) may have, especially in comparing the XLM to cartridges frequently discussed in this thread. |
Franklin, I own Empire 875 XLT (same as Azden P50VL). From what I remember it is a very good match for technics 1200mk2 tonearm. Technics tonearm in average works best with its original headshell. |
Dave, You wrote, "In my experience phono hum is typically picked up by exposed unshielded tonearm wires. Using screened tonearm wire and floating the screens at the cartridge end, deals with RF antennae effects associated with exposed wires. A separate physical ground to the cartridge body deals with ground hum issues unrelated to wiring. Some MM cartridges (Empire comes to mind) have a ground tab that connects the cartridge body to the negative pin of one channel. With a balanced phono stage I remove this tab and ground the cartridge body separately to XLR pin 1. I'm not sure whether this rerouting of physical ground of the cartridge body has made a difference, but it makes intuitive sense for XLR balanced operation."
To begin with, hum (meaning a 60Hz or 120Hz tone) and RF are two different phenomena. The former is usually due to lack of grounding or a ground loop. IOW, I don't think shielding or lack of same has anything to do with it, but I am ready to be corrected. Shielding protects against RF, which is mainly high frequency stuff. As to the Empire ground tab, which I have not yet encountered, if it is indeed connected to the pin on the cartridge output that is labeled "ground", then by connecting it to pin 1, you may be losing any advantage of a balanced phono stage. In other words, you convert the cartridge to single-ended output, even though you do have a balanced phono. (I don't know what or whether that tab is connected to.) If you removed the tab and grounded the cartridge in some other way, how did you do it? If you found a metal part of the cartridge body that is NOT part of the mechanism, then I guess you can ground the cartridge body without losing the balanced output. I wish Ralph would read this thread and comment. But perhaps I am re-stating what you meant to say in the first place. |
Lew, The ground tab on some Empire and Pickering/Stanton cartridges is a foil that drains the cartridge body to one of the four cartridge pins. Severing this tab does not effect the coil connections. I have only done this with cartridges with all metal bodies and mounting brackets, where it is possible to reroute physical ground through the cartridge bolt.
The hum was associated with room lights and proximity to AC wall wiring, and also sometimes touching or merely approaching the arm or arm wiring. The hum varied somewhat from cartridge to cartridge. The new shielded harness entirely eliminates these effects. The new harness is wired same as the old harness, except for the addition of a shield around each strand that is floated at the cartridge and grounded at XLR.
I could write a very long & dirty limerick about the bedevilment of hum in phono. Suffice to say that it sucks. |
Isn't the "hum" from room lights (usually fluorescents IME) at a somewhat higher frequency than that which is usually due purely to bad grounding? I guess it's a sort of EMI, first cousin to RF. Anyway, I take your point. I was just trying to help out Ddriveman. |
Franklin, Find out the effective mass of the SL1200 tonearm. For the Azden you ideally want a low effective mass (10-11g or less), which can also be achieved with a lightweight headshell, if the stock one is too heavy. Or ask KAB; they know their stuff. In fact, I need to do the same. |
Hi all,
I just acquired a NIB (!!!) Infinity Black Widow MKII tonearm, for use with my much-enjoyed Pickering XSV5000 cart.
Any other carts I should consider if curiosity gets the best of me?
My phono stage is a Bottlehead Eros, slightly higher gain than most MM stages, and MI/MM carts with 4mV or lower output have synergized best with this component.
Your recommendations are greatly appreciated! |
Franklin:
Agree with Lewm. The OEM headshell is rigid and resonance resistant, it has stood the test of time. You might however consider magnesium headshells as an alternative.
According to the VinylEngine library, eff. mass for the Mk-11 stock TA is 12gm., including 7.5gm OEM headshell. Cartridge wt. range with headshell is 13.5-17.5gm., you should be "good to go" with your Azden. |
Hello, Jb0194.
Sonus Blue, Shure M97xE/HE or any V15, and in quoting a respected other (ref. my post from 07-10-10), an ADC XLM.
In a 1975 issue of "The Speaker", Boston Audio Society members highly recommended both the Sonus and the XLM-1, the B. W. was the suggested tonearm for either. In an upstairs rig, my first model B. W. is on a Tech. SP-25, the current M97xE/JICO SAS stylus is a good match for it, as was a V15-111/SAS. |
Thank you, Timeltel.
I do have a V15 type III stored away. I'll look into the JICO, as the Shure stylus has had much use. |
Infinity Black Widow should be a great tonearm for these high compliance cartridges (very low effective mass, as far as I remember). Has anyone had actual experience with it? Raul? |
Lewm & Dgarretson,
Many thanks for your responses to my post on grounding and external tonearm wiring. I think I know how to proceed now. Also, I have similar experience as pointed out by Dgarretson with "hum" on my AudioCraft AC4000 tonearm. When I touch the arm or approach it closely with my hand, there is a hum (60-120Hz). Thanks to suggestions from Raul, I checked and found out that the ground pin on the DIN socket of the arm has poor/intermittent contact, hence the arm was not grounded. So, this confirms Dgarretson's findings. Getting the arm's wiring fixed now but would also like to see if I can try some external wiring. |
Dear friends: For you that are looking for a good Grace cartridge opportunity this one could help:
http://cgi.ebay.com/GRACE-F9-REPLACEMENT-STYLUS-VERY-RARE-/150466694240?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2308838c60#ht_500wt_1154
and for ones that are looking for a good AT cartridge this one is very good and in in NOS condition that's hard to get : http://cgi.ebay.com/Audio-Technica-AT15SS-/290453398234?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item43a05f22da#ht_500wt_1154
Regards and enjoy the music, Raul. |
Regards, Lewm: Eff. mass for the B. W. is 3gm, lateral friction 0.01, vert. friction 0.005gm, all measured at the stylus. Strong bass, nice sense of air. Midrange response was uncolored, the B. W. was considered superior to the SME in definition and with it's SME style sliding base was an easy transplant for pre-drilled units, thought of at the time an improvement over the ubiquitous Shure arm.
Largely immune to feedback from acoustic resonance, care with isolation needs to be taken as it can be microphonic to mechanical disturbance.
Knife edge bearings for vertical movement provide excellent tracking on warped discs, all B. W.'s I've seen have about 1 mm of vertical "slop" in the bearing seat. Ball bearings for the horizontal pivot are tight, the arm is easily adjustable for VTA. Capacitance for the supplied patch cord was 50 pF for 1.5 meter, the connection was a straight 5 pin DIN male plug.
First model was an aircraft quality alum. tube, sleeved at about 1/2 it's length to one of larger diameter. The intent was to disrupt the channeling of resonance at both ends, between the pivot and carbon headshell. Later version, "G" or "GF" had the industrys' first graphite fibre arm wand, sections of fishing rods were implemented by some for repair of damaged arms. The GF model also had a damping cup attached to the pivot housing, the paddle was clipped to the wand just ahead of the pivot and was adjustable for depth of immersion. With the right cartridge (certian Empire/Grace models) it can track accurately at 1/2gm VTF. Original wireing was silk wrapped copper of very fine gauge, as they were fragile it is unusual to find one that has not had the arm rewired.
The most popular application was on a Kenwood "500" series TT, the one with the resin/mineral composite plinth, this classic combination is still occasionaly seen.
Introduced at $200.00 and then rising to $400.00, production cost made it uncompetitive and it was discontinued sometime around 1984.
TAS issue #9 reports it was tested with Sonus, Supex, Micro Acoustics and the ADC XLM cartridges with improvement over other radial tracking arms in IGD and negative effects from warp/wow.
Now, about that ADC, no one here has any information to share? |
Timeltel,
I can only repear that I have it on the authority of very good friends that the ADC XLM Super Mk2 is an unbelievable marriage with the Black Widow. I've never heard it myself nor owned the BW. I am mindful of the issue of collapsing Super Mk2's though.
On the other hand, I happen to own the ADC XLM Mk2 Imporved and I believe this was designed to overcome the fragility concerns with the Super Mk2. I bought mine new and have only ever played it for around 5 hours. I'll be selling this along with a host of other mm's. If you would be interested in trying this out without making a commitment and before buying anything contact me offline. |