Albert Porters after market panzerholz plinths

Dear Mapman: +++++ " are you saying basically to trust your own ears? " +++++

not exactly and not so simple. I trust in my very long training process that was/is already tested under any " real " audio environment here at my place and in several ( dozens+ ) other audio systems, including the Albert one, testing any audio item or whole system you can imagine.

My ears are only part of that testing process and certainly a trusty tool. I'm trained on purpose not at random, the process follow a discipline at each process stage.

Till today that process show it his value, confidence and validity when repetition is need it. I can't remember any significant fail on the process in any test with any audio item in any audio system.
Yes, IMHO and due to my in deep training that process is " bullet proof ". Is it the best out there?, certainly not but is the one with almost 100% of success.

Some Agoner's are witness of its effectivity and could give a testimony about.

Have I golden ears? can I hear better that other people?, no it is only that I have a procedure a self training procedure/process where I know exactly what to look for and how find out or not, " simple " as that.

This testing/evaluation process permit me to have audio conclusion in hours when other people needs weeks or months to do it. Btw, in anyway IMHO if you are unaware in the first listening hours of the main virtues and " errors " of the audio item under evaluation then over the time you just can't do it in precise way.

I can't explain step by step all the evaluation/test procedure/process and there are " things " that even I can't explain how I can discern on it other that my day to day training.

Btw, my first step, out of my place, is to heard/hear the system by 15-20 minutes through digital source. One of the main/critical factors in the process is to have/choose the right music tracks on LP's/ CD's and the knowledge level on those recordings.

regards and enjoy the music,
Raul.

Jonathan, you posted this in another tread:

11-01-09: Weisselk
I make slate plinths, under the OMA name, so obviously I am not unbiased. And I HAVE listened to an SP10 with no plinth. Which is why it strikes me as rather absurd to go that route. Same with people who like a skeletal or box plinth with decks like the Garrards.

Weisselk (Answers | This Thread)

I realize this was in response to "nude" or no plinth but it got me looking at designs on the OMA website. I see Technics SP10 are left in their original casework and you obviously have had good results with that.

I also leave the Technics in it's case but support it with an aircraft aluminum sandwich within the interior. On the bottom an iron block is secured with stainless screws that join the Panzerholz and aluminum sandwich.

This iron block is drilled and tapped, a brass rod screw tensions up against the Technics bearing after the table is installed in the plinth to further reduce any possibility of chassis flex.

Mikelavigne answered your question about Steve's plinths and I have answered about mine. You're not being ignored.

Hi Albert,

Thanks for the response- I did read Mike's response, but I always prefer getting an answer from the maker of a product directly.

As for what OMA does, we have always made slate plinths for customers with Technics SP tables, and continue to do so. I even have a client who does mastering for vinyl reissues such as Mosaic who uses a SP15 in one of our plinths, as he needed it to run backwards to play back metal "fathers" of 78's (apparently you can't easily do that with an SP10).

But our Tourmaline deck does indeed remove the SP10 motor and platter unit from the chassis, and mounts it directly into a 200 pound slate plinth. Which is why I was curious if either you or Steve had taken that approach.

I look forward to hearing both your SP10 system and Steve's at some point. Will either of you have a deck at RMAF? We will be in Room 573 with the above mentioned setup.

Yours,

Jonathan Weiss
OMA

Jonathan, Steve should be at RMAF but I'm going to be taking photo's as usual.

I heard the OMA rim drive at CES and was mightily impressed, probably the best source at the show. If your SP10 plinth is indeed 200 pounds of slate it cannot help but sound wonderful. I'm all about the belief that mass is required to tame the powerful MK3 and Slate is another way to get there.

In some ways we're doing the same thing. Slate naturally has constrained layers, formed by nature. I'm getting mine by using layers formed under pressure (German Panzerholz).

Hi Albert,

I wish we could take credit for the rim drive you heard at CES, but we were not there, and have not made a rim drive deck to date. I wonder what you heard? All of our turntables and plinths are made of slate, but perhaps it was a Denham TTweights deck? I think he makes a rim drive?

You and I do concur that mass is everything in dealing with this type of deck. It's true I have not gone through the journey of self discovery that Raul has, training myself ruthlessly to hear in seconds what takes others years to discern, but the idea of a low mass plinth for the SP10 turntable has to be a colossal piece of silliness.

In any event, look forward to seeing you at RMAF again. And one of my favorite wooden Uwe bodies for the Denon 103 is the panzerholz. It's an interesting material.

Jonathan Weiss
OMA