Building high-end 'tables cheap at Home Despot II

Hi Lew, yep, you'll have to dismantle the thing to get at the nether end of the idler wheel arm, but I am planning on going down to do a whole slew of Lenco updates later in the fall, you might wait.

Moving my Cornwalls in tonight, along with my furniture and proper stands! In the meantime, I have to say those Technics SB-4s are incredible, and if the bass from the Big Boys is too much for the neighbours, as seems eventually likely (the EVs with 12" bass drivers is already awesome, who knows what the Cornwalls with 15" woofers will do?!?), then the Technics it'll be, as they won the battle amongst the normal stand-mounters, though in many ways the Klipsch Heresy's edged them out (the Technics just having a transparency and PRaT and gestalt which is incredible). Back in the day Hi Fi Answers were utterly smitten by the special Technics flat-diaphragm honeycomb drivers, and thought they were the wave of the future, but I guess Technics just doesn't have audiophile cred.

Back later with more to report, can't wait to hear what the Cornwalls will do!!

Couple of questions for all of you.

1) How much is too much to pay for a used Lenco table?
2) Seems most of the ones I find are in the UK, 50Hz. Since the guy is no longer turning down the motor spindles, where can one find a 60Hz spindle? T&G don't have any.

TIA

Hi TIA: the answer to the first question is how much is it worth to you? Considering that just sitting on bricks with a Rega stuck in the hole the Lenco easily bested a fully-tricked-out Linn LP12, and with not much more than that a VPI TNT (as reported in early days on the first version of this thread which can be downloaded on Lenco Lovers), then I would say forget about what others are paying and just get it. As done all the way, the upper limits have not yet been found, up to $50K belt-drive set-ups. But, the higher end seems to be about $300 (ridiculous, ain't it?).

The answer to #2 is to stay away from European motors in NA, and vice versa, as the windings are different and you don't get full performance (i.e. torque) in NA anyway, and NA ones just won't work in Europe. Wait for a NA one, or get a European one, but buy a NA B55, which are cheaper and have the same motor and idler-wheel as the bigger Lencos. Good luck!

Jean,
Thanks for the information. Did not know the B55 used the same motor. Lot's to read.....

Oh, the name is Bill.

TIA = thanks in advance :)

D'Oh! Pleased to meet you Bill, gotta stay on top of Internet-ese.

On the speaker front the Klispch Cornwalls become my Reference Speaker, not because they're better than the big EVs, but because they simply interact with my room better (no horn colourations, which in the right room disappear with the EVs). It must be said mine have been modded with paper-in-oil capacitors, which are said to tame the Mighty Beast. But the detail is exquisite, the dynamics limitless, the bass awesome, and they are unfailingly musical and easy on the ear, as in pleasing to the ear (not the bogus "musical" which means "informative")....in fact, all the characteristics of the Mighty Lenco!!! Nevertheless, they are more "neutral" than the EVs; which are, in their turn, more exciting and spectacular. Good thing they're going to my buddy's place, where I can enjoy them periodically.

And as a warning not to judge given limited information: with the EVs the CJ PV-7 had superior bass and dynamics, but with the Cornwalls, the CJ PV-8 takes the lead. The Klipsches have a more "modern" sound (and are more modern, mine being the series II), while the EVs are older, Sixties era I believe, perhaps they respond to the more vintage circuit in the PV-7. Lots of wrong conclusions about older circuits (which perform better with older speakers, which are themselves unsurpassed since, like the EVs, you've GOT to hear some) out there!! Glad I have both!! In both cases, PV-7 and PV-8, I used the Leak Stereo 20 to drive the Cornwalls. Be interesting to hear the Cornies (?) with some of my SS amps, but some other night: those 15" woofers are producing some SERIOUS bass, time to upset the neighbours!! I made a trip to Home Despot to buy some cinderblocks to put under the Cornies, to tighten the bass and raise the tweeters. But still some VERY serious bass!

Have fun all, I'll post pics of my vintage system once I have daylight to shine on those Cornwalls, which are so big - with 15" woofers lost in a huge baffle - they are almost a caricature of a speaker!!