This Lenco (still in the making) is a hybrid of the traditional Jean Nantais inspired mass constrained plinth and Peter Reinder s custom cut top plate from the Netherlands.
It includes my custom arm pod rail system that can accommodate tonearms from 16 inches down to an effective length of 195mm. A-pods are custom routered on a simple jig and can be knocked off to completion in a couple of hours.
The system was designed around a bearing sleeve capture by the second plinth layer. The plinth building was keyed to this capture (all drill work, scribing and cutting both above and below this point) so that side stress to the bearing was avoided.
Hi Mario b. I just wondered if you still build Lenco/Nantais/Classic plinths, and at what cost. A friend of mine has a Lenco, and is in search of a plinth
I certainly pine for some of the components in your system - like your Ear phono stage and that wonderful Sansui Receiver. They must make beautiful music together. - Mario
Mario, thank you, what a memory you have! My son is home for the summer working between semesters. It's great having him here again.
I offered my Lenco to him but he was afraid to take it to the dorm where he shared space with three other guys. I eventually sold it to another Audiogon member.
It's a great table, Jean has done a tremendous service to all analog lovers, I hope your tables and his thread lives long and prospers :^).
Keep us up to date on your Metzner, I would love to know how it compares to the Lenco. The performance of my Lenco's is still clear in my mind but the Metzner is only fond memories.
Well thank you! I certainly admired your clean Lenco plinth that you put together ... what was it, 18 months ago? If I'm not mistaken, you sent it off with your son to college. Did it ever return? Did he ever return?
The tonearm that came with my Metzner was a Shure M16 -the studio version of the M-12. It has four ruby bearings showcased along the sides of the arm. One set is for the cartridge head which lowers to the record via a pushbutton.
Of course, the stylus for the M-1 cartridge had been trashed long ago, and replacements for this mono version and the M-21 stereo upgrade are virtually unobtainable these days. At some point, I may dig out all the "pick-up" material, weigh it and install a Shure M-3 or M-6 with some ballast for mass matching.
Pretty workmanship on the Lenco table, congratulations on your hard work. I must say too, you live in a beautiful neighborhood, I love the big trees!
Seeing the old Metzner again after all these years brings back good memories. We took one in trade at the high end audio shop I ran many years ago, I think it had an Empire arm. I played it in our big room until someone came in and bought it.
Hi Jean, Thank you for the compliment and for being the first poster to "My System". Alas, the learning curve on managing "My System" is a little steep for me. How can 4yanx upload multiple pictures while I find myself in the six picture shuffle?
Anyway, today I've got a Micro-Accoustic 100e mounted on the Ortofon after pulling a Grado Red for its muddy if humless performance.
The Rega still has that plain vanilla $50 AT aboard and I'm absolutely enthralled at how well it's doing - so much so that I continue to put off that conversion to a "real" cartridge (DL-103 + head amp).
