Building high-end 'tables cheap at Home Despot II

Mario, that RS-A1 thread on LL is a hoot. Eight pages already, good grief. They keep trying to make sense of the arm and some seem to think the pivoting head follows the grooves sorta like an offset-head arm. Nope. I think you just have to recognize that nothing about the arm makes sense and yet it sounds fantastic, and until you can ignore the disconnect, you're in trouble:-)

Dave

Yeah Dave, it sure can be a gas with those boys. Lot of smart cookies, though. I often think we sometimes seem to be floundering about over there, only because there's a big lack of inhibitions empirically as well as socially. Things just go flying - it's fun. Note that you got an honorable on page 5 or so.
All best,
Mario

Hi Harvey, the solution is inelegant but effective: increase the effective mass of your tonearm. The easiest way is with Blu-tak and quarters on the headshell, then move the counterweight back to compensate to achieve the correct tracking force. If this works, then the Twl tweak is the way to go, with weights attached to the sides of the main bearing to increase mass, more elegant too once the experiment is confirmed. There are weights out there which are meant to increase trhe mas of the cartridge, which increases the tonearm's effective mass. Elegant-looking solution too.

Hi Mario: I did in fact try my RS-A1 very briefly, and with the tapped headshell I simply didn't have an untapped cartridge in my arsenal to compare with the Concerto or the Benz LP, all simply outclassed. So it was down to the SME IV/Concerto (in my system superior) or JMW/Concerto (in Rick's system superior). I will be reaming out the threads, finally. I do LOVE the combo of RS-A1/Denon DL-103"E", which is not only neutral tonally and extremely detailed, but ROCKS like all get-out with incredible PRaT!!! Of course, the Grado's richness and midrange magic will always be the Grado's signature: the MAS/Grado Woody combo will be reserved for my Electro-Voice system.

Have fun all!!

Don't know about the 103 but I had the 103R and sold it after about 60 hours, too much grain in my opinion. Hate to say it but I prefered my beat up DL-110.

Phill

Hi Phill: the 103s need the right tonearms in order not to sound aggressive, and this means mass. There are also all sorts of preamp issues as well. Given a sympathetic set-up they can sound utterly unaggressive and yet still slammin'! I have heard the 110, and it shares in much of the 103's sound, a great bargain in its own right!

Over here I have RE-discovered the Spendor BC-1 speakers, which mesh SO perfectly with my custom-made Pierre Amp (100 watts of SET-like push-pull SS power) that they have become my reference in-house speaker! The Pierre amp struggles with the high-sensitivity Klipsch Cornwall speakers, and yet makes the BC-1s, normally considered difficult to drive, into hugely dynamic slammin' rock-n roll speakers!! AND with amazing delicacy, detail, imaging and so forth, with surprisingly deep bass. Now I see why Malcolm is so enamoured of these: the right amp is required (high voltage?), the other amps I had in the past not enough to make them jump. These are now amazing at PRaT and gestalt, and amazing also in all traditional audiophile areas.

AND, in the Klipsch Cornwalls my rebuilt 12-watt Leak Stereo 20 now sounds like a Krell! Seemingly limitless power, with excellent bass and incredible dynamics and detail! NOW my garage system is set (simply too powerful for in-house....with a Lenco backing them up anyway ;-)), the Leak being too bright with the fab Electro-Voice, I hope to do swappies Cornwalls for the E-Vs, which are just right (the E-Vs being just right in my buddy's system).

I also scored an Ortofon 2M Black, will report on this presently!

Hope you're all having as much fun as I am!