lewm

Responses from lewm

Questions Regarding Installing a Wheaton Triplanar On A SOTA Cosmos
Lots of SP10 Mk3 users have removed the motor assembly from the base chassis and re-installed the motor only in a plinth that permits the coupling you describe.  I have nearly achieved the same thing without doing that in my home made plinth, but ... 
Technics SL-1200GAE or VPI HW-40 or …?
A familiar Audiogon motif: OP asks should I buy A or B. Responders say buy C instead. I would only say to disregard a reviewer who says there’s no difference between the Technics and the Stealth. Sorry I can’t help with your choice as I’ve not hea... 
Questions Regarding Installing a Wheaton Triplanar On A SOTA Cosmos
If I am remembering the spatial relationships correctly, you would need a spacer wide enough to bring the base of the TP up to the level of the top of the square escutcheon that surrounds the platter (on Technics SP10 mk2, mk3, and R).  The proble... 
Cartridge mounting woes
I did not originally understand that the headshell has captured nuts. Now that I know that, I’d agree with Dover.  I was once confronted with a similar dilemma.  
Cartridge mounting woes
"Grub screws", if that’s what you want to call them, might be made to work. I am thinking of threaded rods, essentially, with no head. You may be able to mate the cartridge to that headshell by using nuts from above, on the surface of the headshel... 
Questions Regarding Installing a Wheaton Triplanar On A SOTA Cosmos
Ralph, if memory serves my TP would not fit properly, which is to say so that the arm wand would not overhang the platter when at rest using a plinth where the Technics chassis sits above the plinth surface. If one has a plinth designed to sink th... 
Questions Regarding Installing a Wheaton Triplanar On A SOTA Cosmos
I once owned a Star Sapphire III and still own a Triplanar. I believe the topology of the Cosmos is identical to the SS. Your answer is no. It won’t work, because the VTA tower on the TP gets in the way. I’m sure Mijostyn will chime in. TP now off... 
Some cartridge recommendations
Backwash, There are many MI cartridges that will work well with 50db gain or even a bit less.  IMO, after many decades in this hobby and after many many cartridges have passed through my hands, you are much better off with an affordable MM or MI c... 
Some cartridge recommendations
Backwash, just to revisit the question of phono gain, you say your Modwright has MM and MC inputs. Then you go on to say gain is fixed at 50 db. That is not enough gain far an average LOMC cartridge, and it is way short of adequate for the MC10, w... 
A phono preamp with equalization selector
Here is the HK Festival monaural tube tuner from early 1950s.  My memory of its built in equalization curves was faulty; the photos show "Eur", "RIAA", and "LP", not Columbia or Decca.  I wonder what were the differences between Eur or LP vs RIAA.... 
A phono preamp with equalization selector
Look up the Harmon Kardon Festival monaural receiver. That’s what my parents had as of the early 50s, even predates the unit shown above. As I mentioned, it provided a choice of EQ curves including RIAA, Columbia, Decca, and maybe one other. I’m g... 
Some cartridge recommendations
If the SP10 was purchased new by your grandfather and if it’s never been serviced and/or was in storage for many years, you might want to consider having it evaluated for speed constancy and etc. Check speed with any inexpensive strobe device. If ... 
A phono preamp with equalization selector
GHD, You say "used in the 40s and 50s".  For most of the 1940s, the 33 rpm LP as we know it today did not yet exist.  I think the very first such records were produced in 1948-49.  It was the introduction of this then new technology that necessita... 
Some cartridge recommendations
To unleash the expected flood of bewildering recommendations, what is your budget?  Also, try to find out what is the effective mass of your tonearm plus headshell.  (If you're using the OEM SME headshell, then usually the mass of the headshell is... 
Humminguru record cleaner
Still using VPI, if that’s important.  Until someone proves to my satisfaction that repeated ultrasonic cleaning does not damage the high frequencies encoded on an LP, I will stick with a conventional RCM, like the VPI.