Post your turntable setup...can't get enough of those spinners!

Discussion in 'Vinyl Nutjob World: Turntable and Related Gear' started by shaizada, Sep 28, 2015.

  1. shaizada

    shaizada Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2015
    Likes Received:
    1,796
    Trophy Points:
    93
    That's actually not a good azimuth adjustment solution. The screws going into the bearing housing would never be a nice tight, smooth moving part. The azimuth ring really was a much higher quality solution, but it is what it is.

    If the sonic result is something you like, then U did well!
     
  2. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

    Staff Member Pyrate BWC
    Joined:
    Sep 24, 2015
    Likes Received:
    89,623
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Padre Island CC TX
    Well I've had some additional time to go back and forth between the arms - spending the usual 30 minutes each time getting the azimuth and VTF right. (It's gets easier after a while). My opinion of the 3D arm seems to be getting worse, especially after my latest phonostage tweaks (opamp replacement) which have improved overall resolution. I like the warmth of the 3D arm with the 2M Black in terms of synergy, it's just not good in every other way. More in a bit. I'll start a separate thread tomorrow.
     
  3. Chris F

    Chris F Boyz 4 Now Fanatic - Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2015
    Likes Received:
    805
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    Ottawa, Canada
    OK I hit the Montreal Audio show yesterday with my girlfriend and had a great time.

    @purrin I asked Mat Weisfeld about the difference between the 3D and 3D reference. He said they initially did a carbon fibre wrap as a visual thing to dress up the arm but it ended up sounding better so they kept it and called it the reference. The big news with VPI is that they will release their own speed controller. Unfortunately, I didn't get details as the full announcement is pending but you will be hearing about it soon. The VPI guys (Mat and Marc) were very cool and let me spin my own vinyl on the (non mag drive) Avenger. People were digging it. :) (I brought some audiophile worthy cuts)

    Anyhow, the real news is that I will probably end up buying a Kronos Sparta. I talked to Louis Dejardins for over an hour on Friday and was in the Kronos room for 2-3 hours shooting the shit with him and Jeff Joseph (super cool guy) of Joseph audio. The Kronos/Audio Note UK/Joseph Room was BY FAR the best sounding at the show. I also got Louis to spin the same record on the Kronos system which was super cool. I guess people don't usually bring their own records to demo?

    I also ended up being filmed by Jeff Joseph for a "first audio show impressions thing" so maybe that will show up on line soon. I'm sure you guys will get a good laugh as I basically say (in much nicer words) that all the digital front ends I heard were shit (they were!) and were often holding back what could have been good or even great systems.

    Other stuff I learned:
    - 20 something year old women at audio shows are apparently like unicorn sightings; she was really enjoying the Kronos room! I send her the rips I make of cool/smooth jazz like Miles and Oscar and she uses them for study/relax music all the time. Louis Dejardins in no uncertain terms suggested I marry her asap and Mat Weisfeld said roughly the same thing.
    - I really really don't like Focal speakers. I think I heard the whole line up from Utopias to the monitoring line and they all sounded just nasty to my ears. Maybe it's the BE tweeters?

    Last but not least here, is a short video of my slab of vinyl rockin' on 150K+ worth of killer sounding gear. Louis got his friend/audio engineer Rene Laflamme from 2xHD to help with the setup. Admittedly I don't have experience with $$$$$$$$$ setups but the imaging/staging in that room was better then I have ever heard anywhere despite it being almost untreated. Serious audio sorcery. Filming is well off axis with an iPhone camera mic and people talking but I think you can still get a rough idea of how good this thing sounded:

    https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/39392/IMG_1619.MOV
    (Jeff Joseph gave me a big thumbs up while this was playing, not your usual audio show fare hah :))
     
  4. digitaldave

    digitaldave Acquaintance

    Contributor
    Joined:
    Mar 19, 2016
    Likes Received:
    27
    Trophy Points:
    18
    Location:
    St Evenage, Englandshire
    Hi all. There's some great looking setups in this thread!

    I've recently resurrected my turntable - it's a Pro-Ject 1 Expression running in to a Pro-Ject Phono Box. It's simple, but I like it :).
     
  5. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

    Staff Member Pyrate BWC
    Joined:
    Sep 24, 2015
    Likes Received:
    89,623
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Padre Island CC TX
    This is going to @BioniclePhile:

    Excuse the dust on it. The center weight is not included, but I highly recommend that you get one, especially since this table has the acrylic platter. Refer to the last photo to see how the anti-skating is set up. I prefer to use anti-skating with this table. The carbon fiber arm is actually pretty good (underrated and better than some of the Rega arms - I owned a Rega Planar 3 twice). I like some of the brighter sounding phono cartridges with the table. I used a Sumiko Blue Point at one time. The Audio Techincas might be a better deal with better performance.

    Make sure to clean out the bearing (papers towels) and add a drop of heavy weight oil.

    DSC_2222 (Medium).JPG
    DSC_2218 (Medium).JPG
    DSC_2221 (Medium).JPG
    DSC_2219.JPG
     
    Last edited: Mar 27, 2016
  6. BioniclePhile

    BioniclePhile The Terminal Man - Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Oct 25, 2015
    Likes Received:
    386
    Trophy Points:
    63
    Location:
    Admudnson-Scott Antarctic Facility (Seattle WA)
    Home Page:
    Still have no idea what anti-skating does, and I'm not sure that table is black enough, but I'll be listening too much to care about colours. :p I'll see if there are any cheap center weights at the record store.
     
  7. shaizada

    shaizada Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2015
    Likes Received:
    1,796
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Basically, when the record is spinning with a needle in the groove, the arm has a force acting upon it that pushes the stylus towards the spindle. The anti skating helps to negate this force by pushing the stylus outwards.

    Next, center weights are not all the same. THEY ALL change the sound and you can roll center weights to "tune" the sound further. I have about 6 or 7 different weights, clamps etc. and I know which one to grab based on what I WANT to hear from the recording :)
     
  8. BioniclePhile

    BioniclePhile The Terminal Man - Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Oct 25, 2015
    Likes Received:
    386
    Trophy Points:
    63
    Location:
    Admudnson-Scott Antarctic Facility (Seattle WA)
    Home Page:
    Good FECKING lord I need a small loan of a million dollars because of this hobby :p
     
  9. digitaldave

    digitaldave Acquaintance

    Contributor
    Joined:
    Mar 19, 2016
    Likes Received:
    27
    Trophy Points:
    18
    Location:
    St Evenage, Englandshire
    purrin,

    What's the benefit, if any, of the acrylic platter?

    Thanks,

    Dave.
     
  10. shaizada

    shaizada Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2015
    Likes Received:
    1,796
    Trophy Points:
    93
    An acrylic platter, when implemented correctly with sufficient mass, is believed to have a good material impedance match with the vinyl plastic material. This is a physical material impedance match as opposed to electrical :)

    So now, the cartridge / stylus interface with the record see's a much larger "block" of vinyl as opposed to just the vinyl material itself. Some of this philosophy can be heard on a much smaller scale with those thing dynaflex records compared to the current 180g / 200g vinyl pressings.

    Material interactions, resonances, mechanical bits and pieces have a very large impact on what you hear through a vinyl rig. A good turntable designer is able to play with all these variables, to present to you, the user, their philosophy of good sound. That is why, when you buy a turntable, you are ALSO buying into a given turntable designers idea of good sound. It is all a delicate dance of materials and perspectives to create these different sound reproductions.

    It is all part of a complete design mentality of the turntable designer. That is why you see all these different combinations of materials, suspension designs, platter designs, cork, metals, acrylic, elastomers, rim drives, idler drives, belt drives, air suspension, magnetics, spring suspensions etc. It is a vast SEA of material choices and design philosophies from which a designer presents his idea of great sound.
     
    Last edited: Mar 28, 2016
  11. digitaldave

    digitaldave Acquaintance

    Contributor
    Joined:
    Mar 19, 2016
    Likes Received:
    27
    Trophy Points:
    18
    Location:
    St Evenage, Englandshire
    Thanks for the explanation.
     
  12. gaspasser

    gaspasser Flatulence Maestro

    Pyrate Contributor
    Joined:
    Jan 16, 2016
    Likes Received:
    6,085
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Suburban DC
    Here is my beginners/budget system...

    I have a Pro-Ject Debut Carbon Ortofon 2M Red with Acryl-It platter, Speedbox S, Turntable Lab weight feeding a PS Audio Sprout. The whole thing is on a Line Audio Turntable Station.

    For pictures, click below please

    https://imgur.com/a/hclyQ

    I listen via HE-400S and Elac B6's atop old Paradigm metal speaker stands. Wire is cheap Audioquest.
    Please let me know your thoughts and logical upgrade paths...
    Thanks
     
    Last edited: Apr 4, 2016
  13. shaizada

    shaizada Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2015
    Likes Received:
    1,796
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Just saw this on another forum...somebody did a one off VPI Classic 3!!!! OMFG!

    [​IMG]
     
  14. drfindley

    drfindley Secretly lives in the Analog Room - Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 25, 2015
    Likes Received:
    1,533
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    Austin
    That looks incredible! I want that tonearm.
     
  15. bobmysterious

    bobmysterious Facebook Friend

    Joined:
    Feb 14, 2016
    Likes Received:
    66
    Trophy Points:
    43
    Location:
    Boca Raton, FL
    WANT!!!!
     
  16. shaizada

    shaizada Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2015
    Likes Received:
    1,796
    Trophy Points:
    93
    WANT x30! :)

    @drfindley , that is the JMW tonearm, just wrapped with the same leather that is used on the plinth. Looks so classy, all that leather and rosewood! Why can't VPI do this at factory?

    Maybe you can look into a nice grey leather with off white stitching to go with the the gloss black VPI Classic 3 of yours. It would look smashing I bet :)
     
  17. Varma

    Varma New

    Contributor
    Joined:
    Oct 5, 2015
    Likes Received:
    11
    Trophy Points:
    3
    I have traded my Clearaudio Concept for VPI Classic Signature with SDS and Soundsmith Zeyphr MKII cartridge. I am still setting up the table.

    In the new classic signature table there are only one set of threads on the pulley and doesn't have the threads for 45 RPM. Does this mean to play 45 RPM, I need to use SDS?

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Apr 9, 2016
  18. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

    Staff Member Pyrate BWC
    Joined:
    Sep 24, 2015
    Likes Received:
    89,623
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Padre Island CC TX
    You have the HRX pulley so you will need to use an SDS for 45s. The Phoenix Engineering Eagle should be just as good as the SDS (measurably better on a 'scope). Be sure to get the Eagle as the Falcon won't have enough juice for the 300RPM motor you have. It's not necessarily a curse. You can run two belts for better speed stability like this:

    20160407_204428.jpg

    I can tell the difference on sine waves at least. This tweak will probably have more of an effective as the belts age. Different parts of the belt will stretch differently than others. Having more belts will average out the differences. I think you can see this in some of the platter speed measurements on some on the other VPI tables (there is a thread here on that).

    Gratz on the table. Looks like a lot of folks moving up!
     
  19. Varma

    Varma New

    Contributor
    Joined:
    Oct 5, 2015
    Likes Received:
    11
    Trophy Points:
    3
    Thanks. I didn't realize they have changed the pulley. The arm does wobbles a lot, I am not yet able to hold it in one place yet, even though I release it, it keeps sliding.

    I have been listening to vinyl for the past weeks and was quite impressed with the sound, and have decided to try the VPI. I like the overall smoother presentation. Vocals and instruments sound more natural and the bass and the dynamics are excellent.
     
  20. drfindley

    drfindley Secretly lives in the Analog Room - Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 25, 2015
    Likes Received:
    1,533
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    Austin
    Did you replace the motor at all?
     

Share This Page