Anyone who has had this Turntable side by side with the Sl1200, how do they compare out of curiosity? I heard that the wow and flutter was terrible compared to the technics. But I've heard that others reported that isn't the case? What gives? Thanks all
Side to side? No experience, sorry. I can tell you that I hear no speed issues and my strobe stays rock steady. It drifted very slightly when I first got it, but that stopped. Even when it drifted slightly, it was inaudible. The published wow and flutter spec is terrible in relation to the Technics. Hell, it's terrible in general. Real world? I'd bet dollars to donuts that any difference that may exist is scientifically and mathematically insignificant. It could be that they publish the spec high on purpose so some internet wanker doesn't measure it and discover that it didn't quite make spec and post that everywhere.
215 mm for both. I thought I read somewhere that there was .5 mm difference between the two, but I was mistaken.
Thanks! Now, I can use my arc template generator to make a nice Baerwald for this table when I eventually get it.
Actually the description seems to indicate it is a Baerwald alignment: Length 52mm. Headshell with a 2M cartridge pre-mounted provides correct Baerwald alignment with Ortofon TA-110/210, likewise with the major part of tonearms with universal mount R E
Alright, I bit. Went down to Guitar Center, the North Portland Store, and was greeted in the most surprisingly positively way by all those encountered! I've never felt so welcome anywhere before, kudos! Big shout out to Edgar, who helped me out the most, but everyone there was so cordial that I kept pinching myself thinking that I had crossed over to the other side. Really fun day! Got the PLX 1000 home and started to set it up. Mine had the dreaded loose bearings that I feared and freaked out about in post # 757. Thanks to the posts here, and Herb Reichert's follow up in Stereotphile 38/7, I was able to tighten up the arm's bearings & check that I had not over tightened them. I've only had a short time with this table, after tightening up the arms bearings my only complaint at this point is the feel of the cueing lever. I'm sure that I can adjust to this, but everything else feels really good! Guitar Center sent me home with a Shure M44g. I installed that with the supplied head shell, because - hey, it's free! I was able to use the stock head shell & M44G and get Baerwald, so that was a happy surprise. I'm going to order some other head shells, so that I can try some of my other "more interesting" cartridges. I think that my Grace F9 is going to end up on this table, but that's the beauty of these arms with the removable head shells, I can swap these out anytime I want! Would I have tried the M44G on my Michell Gyrodec SE/RB600 with the Technoweight? Most likely not, that's too much trouble to swap cartridges on that set up. Try it with a cheap head shell on the PLX 1000? Why not?! I've no intention of getting rid of my Gyrodec, but something tells me me that this new PLX 1000 is going to be a very welcome/fun addition.
There is probably quite a range of adjustment with the bearings that neither "rattles" or "grabs" as you move the arm. What logic did you apply? I think the only sensible logic is to tighten until any rattling stops as you wiggle the arm. Anything beyond that shouldn't make any difference whatsoever other than possibly the "feeling" you get as you move the arm.
I am a bit confused about this, because above someone indicates the Technics and Pioneers both have the same distance from pivot to spindle. Yet Pioneer suggests a 54mm overhang, and Technics a 52mm one. So they are not both aiming for the same thing or there is some other difference at play here.
I was thinking the same thing- maybe that's where I got the idea that the spindle to pivot distance differed between the Pioneer and the Technics- which they don't. It became a non issue for me as I went with Baerwald alignment. @33na3rd, you really will be shocked when you get a better headshell and cartridge on yours. Congrats!
Thanks, HiFi! I put my ancient "Patter Matter" matt on the PLX, until I decide on a new replacement. My new head shells will be here Tuesday, then the fun will kick up a notch!
I used to have one of those! According to Fremer, it's the worst thing you can do, as sorbothane makes the vinyl act like a spring. Makes sense, but I would have tried it if I still had it. The mass and material have to be awesome for isolation. Really thick if I remember correctly, so you'll have to crank the arm base higher a good bit, I would think.
Onto another point, have any owners experimented with using different interconnects/power cords over the stock item(s) on the PLX-1000?
I've used Grant Fidelity PC-1 power cables on all of my components for years, and have had one on the PLX-1000 since its arrival. Sadly discontinued. I used the stock interconnect, but changed to Belkin Pure AV Silver series (also discontinued) as I wanted to lower the capacitance and my thought process was that separate cables should have lower capacitance than the stock cables that have both channels sharing the same jacket. The difference was very slight. Upgrading the headshell and getting correct azumuth made the biggest improvement.
Well I've already upgraded my headshell to a Jelco HS-25 and mounted my Nagaoka MP-110 on it (great headshell, the azimuth adjustment is very welcome). I've also upgraded the mat to the GEO Dandy, plus I bought an Ortofon Nightclub Mark II to play some dance 12" singles (this is the cart that I'm currently using). Today I've ordered 2 sets of Mark Grant G1000HD interconnects to replace the old Chord Chrysalis pair (renowned for being a bit lean sounding) that hooks up the tt to my Rega Fono Mini/Supernait amp. http://www.adventuresinhifiaudio.co...re-these-cables-as-good-as-some-say-they-are/ I might then start looking at a better quality mains lead...We'll see!
Today, my Ortofon 2M Red arrived, and yesterday I picked up a PLX-1000 from Bill's Music in Catonsville, MD (they had four in stock). I set it up this afternoon, and it was extremely painless (it took longer to find the right screwdriver for the ground screw on my receiver than it did to fix the cartridge to the headship and set everything up). Very glad I went for this option, as a TT virgin. Also glad, since 3 of the 12 records I own are 45's, that I didn't go for a manual belt drive like the Debut Carbon. And it's solid– weighs the same as my dog! How does it sound? Great. Like I said earlier, my kit is not the best, but everything sounds really good to me. No motor noise, nice and analytical sound which goes well thru the Onkyo into the FS52's. I tried the MFSL of In A Silent Way and it sounds, to me, as good as any of the CD remasters. That might not seem like a compliment, but it is: I was expecting the detail, range or separation to be lesser due to the inherent technical limitations of vinyl, but it matches both my Complete IASW box version and the Complete Columbia Albums box version. It's great. Now, for a newbie question: if I'm hearing the occasional pop/crackle, did I do something wrong with the cartridge? Or do I just need to give the records a good clean? I hear none on the MFSL, but on a brand-new copy of the Phase IV OST from Waxwork Records, there's a few here and there. Ironically, a 1st edition of Quincy Jones' Walking In Space from 1969 has none, nor does my old 12" of the Master=Dik EP by Sonic Youth, yet an unplayed red vinyl copy of Marco's La Sangre Illuminada OST has some very obvious pops and crackles. The Ortofon overhang is right, and I'm using the provided slip mat, with the arm weight set to 1.5 and the anti-skip at 1. Any owners have an idea?
I am not sure where you got your VTF and anti-skate values from, but having a too low VTF can actually damage records as the stylus bounces around the grooves. The recommended weight for a Red is 1.8 (minimum 1.6)...the anti-skate should be set to the same as the weight, so 1.8, 1.8! I have "never" found any records that have zero pops or crackles....ever! It's like the holy grail of records but it has never happened for me. Perhaps for your Quincy Jones or Sonic Youth it is simply your system isn't revealing enough to show them. It can be dirt/debris even on new vinyl so a clean is always recommended. Nevertheless there are almost always some imperfections in the pressing process that result in the odd pop or crackle here and there.
Most of my records are free of any pops and ticks. It does, however, take about 15 mins to clean one disc. I'm seriously thinking of getting the new Pro-Ject record cleaning machine (reportedly $399) when it comes out to clean my albums before each play.
1.8? I'll try that. I couldn't actually find any guidance in the materials that came with the Red. Maybe I didn;t look close enough.
Those were great, inexpensive cables. Designed by Orbital Development, drawn from Belden's American cable stock, and assembled in Belden's Chinese factory. Very well made, sound good.
"Most"? Wow. Of course the stylus shape has something to do with this as it will change which part of the groove the sound is being transferred from. I have a shibata stylus (2M Black) and I do find that while it tracks really well and pulls out heaps of detail from the record, it does seem to also pick up imperfections in the records more too. Of course the type of music affects things...if you have a piano concerto, you will hear the slightest click. If it's rock then even if there are quite or mid level clicks, you simply won't hear them.
