nefertem Posted February 1, 2006 Report Share Posted February 1, 2006 David Hi I live in weymouth ma i have a ar es1 with a sumiko arm and grado cartradge i would love to have your nines but i guess i will have to stick to my 93s thanks tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest David in MA Posted February 1, 2006 Report Share Posted February 1, 2006 >Hey, not to hijack the thread, but what are you guys using>for phono cartridges these days? The last high-end model I had>was a Grace, but they don't seem to be in business any more.I have a Thorens TD 280 (budget end Thorens). It originally came with Ortofon x1-mc. When I realized that it would cost me around $150 to replace it, I settled for Stanton 500E MKII for $35. It sounds good but not great. I wasn't going to spend too much on this turntable.However, I just won a bid on ebay for TD160, which is considered a very good turntable (150 is its parent). It is not in the caliber of TD 124 or 125 but, nonetheless, I heard many great things about it. Anyways, I haven't decided which cartridge to use for this new toy. The seller told me that it had Grado cartridge but wasn't sure which model. I'm gonna first check it out before I upgrade it.Another thing, my buddy is a great carpenter. I'm gonna ask him to build me a custom plinth to make it look much nicer. I hope to share this photo once it is done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest David in MA Posted February 1, 2006 Report Share Posted February 1, 2006 >David Hi I live in weymouth ma i have a ar es1 with a sumiko>arm and grado cartradge Very nice. I'm just venturing back into records and turntables...I do like the sound it produces...I can't say it reproduces better than CDs but, for many recordings, I prefer the record sound. I finally understand what they mean by "fuller sound". I tried this with Kate Bush CD and record. I thought the record sounded better...>i would love to have your nines but i>guess i will have to stick to my 93s thanks timWell, I really got lucky with the 9's. My friend's wife wanted it out of their home! I spent about $80 in parts and few days to refoam the surround and it sounds great. I hope to get to the capacitors sometime this year but I want to enjoy a bit before I undertake such project. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roundhome Posted February 1, 2006 Report Share Posted February 1, 2006 hello My turntable is a AR ES1 with a grado gold and a onkyo A-10 amp driving my AR9LS. one has all new caps and silver wire bracing and spikes sounds great. as soon as I get the other speaker finished I will bi amp with two A-10s. The only problem I have is the grado picks up the motor I need to fined a shield for it. anybody know of one out there?JImps I'm looking for an old Sansui turntable a RS 929? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nefertem Posted February 2, 2006 Report Share Posted February 2, 2006 roundhome what are you using for a arm i used to have a stock arm from ar then that broke and i was lucky to find a sumiko Ft3 premereWoW what a differance it makes with the table if you can find one i would pick one up thanks tim from weymouth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest OldRelayer Posted February 2, 2006 Report Share Posted February 2, 2006 I know so little about this, but I just saw a post that was talking about how Grado didn't recommend their carts for AR turntables because the wires are not shielded. Fortunately I lost the bid on a Gold Grado that I thought I wanted. One would think that a metal arm would offer enough shielding, but apparently it doesn't.I just bought an XA(just as in last night so don't have it yet) and it has a M91ED installed, which I know nothing about. I am not sure but I think it is the predecessor to the M97xE that people like so well for XA's. I guess I will just wait and see how it sounds, I am not expecting much. But if I don't like it does that mean I will probably not like the M97xE? I do like the way people talk about the Grado with a warm rich sound, kinda what vinyl is all about but the whole reason I got rid of my XA was the wiring so not getting involved in that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nefertem Posted February 3, 2006 Report Share Posted February 3, 2006 oldrelayer i think the problem was with the older arms on the earlier tables the es 1 is a lot differant then the xa model i also used a sumiko oyster cartradge and i am using a grado now and i have no problem with hum the old dyanco gear i had with the old ar table made a lot of noise too tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wally Posted February 4, 2006 Report Share Posted February 4, 2006 Hi David,Congratulations on getting a TD160. I know you will find it to be an excellent performer. Send us your impressions when you have it up and running.regards, Wally Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest David in MA Posted February 6, 2006 Report Share Posted February 6, 2006 >Hi David,>>Congratulations on getting a TD160. I know you will find it to>be an excellent performer. Send us your impressions when you>have it up and running.>I will definitely do that. I'm gonna play as is for a while before I do some modifications. First thing I'm going to do is chassis damping as described here:http://www.theanalogdept.com/chassis_damping.htmI figure it's easy job...just time consuming. I've heard doing so makes a big difference in both end of frequency response...I'll try to keep photos and upload whenever possible.Also, I've been looking at linn sundak LP12 - any thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wally Posted February 7, 2006 Report Share Posted February 7, 2006 Hi David,The LP12 is a very nice table but it needs a lot of care to operate at its best..... like a Jaguar..... nice but expensive to maintain.I had an LP12 about 12 years ago and sold it. It was nice but did not sound any better than my old Thorens TD125.Some of these toys are over hyped by the folks who pay big bucks for them. If your TD160 is operating properly, with a decent cartridge, proper setup and a bit of minor tweaking, it will give you 95% of the sound of the Linn. One tweak you must do immediately is get rid of the thin veneer bottom. If you want, replace it with .75" mdf or even no bottom. This will improve the sound immediately. Later work on a heavier plinth or add mass to the original and provide some decent feet.I have several common tables that sound just great but they don't have any snob appeal. BTW... there are lots of great Direct Drive tables out there that can be had cheap because table snobs won't consider anything but a belt drive. Gee even puck drives have come back in a big way, eg Garrard 301 and Lenco,.... they would have been sneered at a few year ago. You'll find more and more audiophiles who are into sound and not snob appeal are finding excellent direct drive tables. Like with speakers, I don't believe any technology is inherently superior but the implementation of that technology determines the quality and fitness for its application.Even the mass market Duals can sound very good with the right cartridge and some inexpensive tweaking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest David in MA Posted February 10, 2006 Report Share Posted February 10, 2006 Wally,>One tweak you must>do immediately is get rid of the thin veneer bottom. If you>want, replace it with .75" mdf or even no bottom. This>will improve the sound immediately. I replaced the bottom with 1.5" mdf board (my friend gut two 0.75" MDF and glued it together). The sound difference? IT IS INCREDIBLE!!! Most notable is the boost in base response, which really added to the "fullness" of the sound.Again, WOW!!! Such a simple modification but HUGE difference is sound...wow... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wally Posted February 11, 2006 Report Share Posted February 11, 2006 Great, 1.5" is great for a bottom... adds mass to the plinth.Lots of other tweaks available on the web... you can go crazy but I believe this is one of the simplest yet gets the most dramatic results.... no magic.....There is a web site dedicated to Thorens. If you don't have it , I'll find it for you and post here.Enjoy,I find nothing beats the feeling of hearing great sound out of 'ancient' equipment..... more exhillarating than new high end.... especially if you got it for a song.My Hi End dealer friend says that the old Thorens are equivalent to todays $2000 tables...... I believe him.... tried a Rega.... what a disappointment... Thorens walked all over it.... and that was my 160... my 125 was in the process of being upgraded. I'll post some pics later this weekend.I know Thorens is not US made but it was the table to buy with the vintage AR's ,when new, we all so love. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest David in MA Posted February 11, 2006 Report Share Posted February 11, 2006 >Lots of other tweaks available on the web... you can go crazy>but I believe this is one of the simplest yet gets the most>dramatic results.... no magic.....That's what I've read. Simple modification, great unexpected result. Amazing...>There is a web site dedicated to Thorens. If you don't have it>, I'll find it for you and post here.I believe it's theanalogdept.com - great site.>My Hi End dealer friend says that the old Thorens are>equivalent to todays $2000 tables...... I believe him....>tried a Rega.... what a disappointment... Thorens walked all>over it.... and that was my 160... my 125 was in the process>of being upgraded. I'll post some pics later this weekend.Please do that...I'd love to hear 125 sometime in the future but for now, I'm really enjoying my 160. Here is a picture of it with 1.5" mdf board bottom. My friend was nice enough to add a layer of black vineer so that it looks nicer. Enjoy.http://www.classicspeakerpages.net/dc/user_files/1002.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest OldRelayer Posted February 11, 2006 Report Share Posted February 11, 2006 I haven't had a table in a while, my AR-XA should be here Monday.I bought an AR basically because it is all I have ever known. I am thinking of two tables one for serious listening and one for making cds for the car or whatever. I know nothing about Thorens and wouldn't know where to start. I suspect they would have better adjustments than an XA (which wouldn't take much). Without getting ridiculous what would be a good table and how much would you expect to pay for it. ThanksBarry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest David in MA Posted February 11, 2006 Report Share Posted February 11, 2006 >I know nothing about Thorens and wouldn't know where to start.> I suspect they would have better adjustments than an XA>(which wouldn't take much). Without getting ridiculous what>would be a good table and how much would you expect to pay for>it. Check outhttp://www.theanalogdept.com/Here's what I learned - Thorens TD 124 is a vintage and is one of the most sought after turntable. It fetches big bucks on ebay. During this time, TD 150's were also available. It was a more affordable line of Thorens. 125 series were produced as heir to 124 line and 160's replaced 150's. 125's are also very sought agter. Depending on condition and tone arm, 125's are still fetching $400-$1000 on ebay. 150's and 160's more affordable - around $200-$500, again depending on condition. My 160 was in almost mint condition and the grado carthridge was still in very good condition. I ended up bidding to $330.00. It worked right out of the box so I think I got lucky. It really sounds terrific.You might also check out http://www.vinylnirvana.com/ - there are some thorens available there as well.Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wally Posted February 13, 2006 Report Share Posted February 13, 2006 Hi David, you bought a very nice table. Beautiful condition.My 160's are not in quite as good shape.Her is my 125 and a couple of American Metal...... LOLhttp://www.classicspeakerpages.net/dc/user_files/1003.jpghttp://www.classicspeakerpages.net/dc/user_files/1004.jpghttp://www.classicspeakerpages.net/dc/user_files/1005.jpghttp://www.classicspeakerpages.net/dc/user_files/1006.jpghttp://www.classicspeakerpages.net/dc/user_files/1007.jpghttp://www.classicspeakerpages.net/dc/user_files/1008.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest OldRelayer Posted February 13, 2006 Report Share Posted February 13, 2006 I love your turntable stand, that probably is what a Sony table is good for.A couple of questions for someone who is obviously an expert on these Thorens tables, which I clearly am not. As it turns out, I have owned an AR turntable for 35 years and haven't even been putting the cartridge in correctly, although I still don't know the right way. When I asked over at Vinyl Nirvana, they refereed me to 4 lengthily documents and pretty much said come up with your ways of doing it. One of the documents clearly states that it will be a long and frustrating process that will involve much swearing. I can't even figure out where to make the adjustment never mind how. I suspect when my new Cartridge comes I will do what I have always done, put it in and go on fat and happy thinking I did good. My records are still in excellent playing condition and still sound great, so my ignorance at least hasn't hurt the defenseless records. I only live 3 hours from Dave at Vinyl Nirvana, thinking of asking him to do it and just drive down, because I think if I used the same 6 hours to do it myself, I would be no closer than I am now.So my question is. No matter what I buy it will need a new cartridge. I am not going to buy anything unless I have a clear understanding on how to maintain it. The 160 is more in my price range, so that is what I have been looking at. The Thorens seems to have more things to adjust at the other end of the tonearm, which is a good thing, I guess. So far I know there are mirrors and protractors involved but I don't really know what you do with them. I may decide that digitizing a few albums is just not worth all the extra effort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest David in MA Posted February 13, 2006 Report Share Posted February 13, 2006 >Hi David, you bought a very nice table. Beautiful condition.>>My 160's are not in quite as good shape.>>Her is my 125 and a couple of American Metal...... LOL>http://www.classicspeakerpages.net/dc/user_files/1003.jpgI'm jealous...it looks really nice, especially the plinth...maybe someday when I have enough, I'll consider buying a 125.BTW, I've added another 100 or so LP's to my collection. I spent no more than $50 on them. I see alot of classicals LPs but very few Jazz LPs. I can't wait til this spring when I will be checking out some yard sales. lol... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest David in MA Posted February 13, 2006 Report Share Posted February 13, 2006 > I can't even figure out>where to make the adjustment never mind how. I've looked at it too. I didn't adjust the tonearm length because I wasn't sure. Nor did I do the protractor thing. I'm waiting for the needle force measurement thing from Shure to get the weight correctly. Besides that, I'm just assuming the original setting is correct. At some point, I'll get into all other stuff. With all the little tweaks you can do, the most important thing is the sound. Hey, if it sounds great, then it must be ok... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest OldRelayer Posted February 13, 2006 Report Share Posted February 13, 2006 David, I live in Maine not far from MA. Where did you get 100 LPs for $.50 a piece.I have selectively been buying off of Ebay. The shipping kills you, not the price of the album. So I only buy things I don't have on other media and things that I really want. A pristine Chet Atkins/Les Paul for $7 with shipping, that seems like a bargain, now we will have to see if it is pristine. I am working my way through my existing albums, and I don't know what people are talking about, when they say they hated albums all the pops and nicks, they must have played Frisbee with them. Most of my albums are 30 plus years old and still sound terrific. I guess those people deserve no better than CD's. A lot has to do with what you play it on I think, I always used a nice Stanton cartridge on an AR turntable, that was very kind. Even though the turntable is totally manual I never had a problem controlling it. The new table has the damping disabled, which I like a whole lot, it was always such a pain.I am still banging the second turntable around, I probably should get this one working the way I want it with the new cartridge before adding something to the mix. However there is one 160 I have my eye on, if it stays low, I may bid on it. I bought leveling feet that I have a plan to install, if I pull it off, I may write a how to for Vinyl Nirvana. The problem is that after hours of looking I can't only find 1/4 inch threads which will take precision to install, but I think it is doable, especially with a Drill Press.ThanksBarry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest David in MA Posted February 13, 2006 Report Share Posted February 13, 2006 >David, I live in Maine not far from MA. Where did you get>100 LPs for $.50 a piece.I routinely go by thrift shops and salvation army. They always have records although not all are what you might want. I'm also going to be checking out yard sales this spring. You might also check out craiglist.org - sometimes you'll see people selling their albums for $0.50 to $1...>I have selectively been buying off of Ebay. The shipping>kills you, not the price of the album. Ditto. I've yet to buy any records from ebay.> So I only buy things I>don't have on other media and things that I really want. A>pristine Chet Atkins/Les Paul for $7 with shipping, that seems>like a bargain, now we will have to see if it is pristine. I>am working my way through my existing albums, and I don't know>what people are talking about, when they say they hated albums>all the pops and nicks, they must have played Frisbee with>them. Most of my albums are 30 plus years old and still sound>terrific. You know, I used to hear the pops and nicks before but not as much. I guess quality of the turntables does matter. I never had any decent turntables before now. On the other hand, CDs also very nice for some recording. But there are so many LPs that sound so much fuller...>I am still banging the second turntable around, I probably>should get this one working the way I want it with the new>cartridge before adding something to the mix. However there>is one 160 I have my eye on, if it stays low, I may bid on it.Wait until there's about 20 seconds left in the auction. Then, bid what you'd be willing to pay. Remember, your maximum bid is not what you end up paying. Good luck.>I bought leveling feet that I have a plan to install, Where did you buy them? I'm looking for a set... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wally Posted February 14, 2006 Report Share Posted February 14, 2006 Hi OR,Setting up your cartridge is not that difficult if you do it step by step.Here's the URL for an excellent Thorens web site and there is a section on setting up your arm & cartridge among other things. You can also download the protractor , print it and use it on your table.BTW, guys, don't buy the Shure stylus pressure guage or any other little beam type. For 20 bucks you can buy one of those little electronic scales that are sold all over the place (for drugs you say...) for $20 or so. Just be sure it measures in tenths of a gram. Easier and more accurate than the Shure... which I have used for years. The guy at Radio Shack wher I got 2 of these eletronic scales, I don't think he believed me that it was for setting up my turntable.... LOL Works great.http://www.theanalogdept.com/index.htmlgo here for all the Thorens info you could ever want and some great pics of peoples 'tables.BTW, the Thorens was only on the Sony for the pic. Not the best base for playing vinyl. Actually this particular Sony is an excellent table. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wally Posted February 14, 2006 Report Share Posted February 14, 2006 Thanks David. I'm pretty happy with it. I bought it new in the 70's and have had several tonearms on it. Now it has an SME3009 same as when I got it.A friend of mine who runs a woodshop and acrylic business built the plinth and cover for me. Another friend made the record clamp/weight.It's good to have friends..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wally Posted February 14, 2006 Report Share Posted February 14, 2006 OOPS,#47 was in reply to #42. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest OldRelayer Posted February 14, 2006 Report Share Posted February 14, 2006 I actually still have my original AR Stylus gauge. But somehow over time I now only have 1g and 2g weights when it did have a 1/2g and 1/4g as well. Makes it a bit hard. I do have a setup that I think weighs about 1.3 but looking for better accuracy so your post was very enlightening.I never knew such things existed. So of course I went to Ebay(my favorite store) and found this one http://cgi.ebay.com/250-Gram-SILVER-Digita...1QQcmdZViewItem250gs in .1g increments, sounds like a winner. They sell a calibration weight for more than the scale. I have to get the scale to see how this is done. Can I just use one of my 1g or 2g weights for calibration and call it good?ThanksBarry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.