Albert, thanks for hosting us again last night for a great evening of music. The new Allnic M5000 amps are fantastic, as is the Air Tight Opus I. After years of setting up phono cartridges, I did not believe that we would hear a miniscule change in tracking force, but we could all easily hear a change of 2/100ths of a gram tracking force with the Air Tight! Amazing, and this speaks to the overall resolution of your system.

kmccarty August 24, 2016 14:56

Wow, Albert! What fun to visit Saturday night with Richard Krebs and the other guys. This was the first time I could hear the new ARC REF 250’s in your system. They are a spectacular upgrade, taking your already fine system to an altogether new level. I can only imagine what further break-in of the amps will do.

And the Krebs upgrade…We listened to a master tape on your Studer reel to reel, with natural pace and dynamics and then played vinyl on the Technics SP-10 MK3 with the Krebs update. I heard the same ease, dynamics, rhythm and pace on the MK 3. Once again, the excellent speed stability of the MK 3 displayed itself to great effect.

Yesterday, after Richard updated my MK 3, we listened well past midnight. Albert, sorry you had to leave when you did. After the power grid recovered from a hot day in North Texas, the sound was magical. Both Richard and I commented that there were real human beings behind the music, the ebb and flow of music sounded so natural. The recording venues on some records came across as “humid” (whereas the air in my stereo room was anything but). Fun stuff.

kmccarty July 28, 2014 21:48

Albert, the speakers look awesome in your room. Best wishes for many, many years of sonic nirvana!

kmccarty May 15, 2013 19:39

My Technics SP10 MK2A has recently received the Krebs modifications and Bill Thalmann (Music Technology, Springfield, VA) overhaul of the electronics. I am using the MK2A in the stock Technics obsidian plinth, stock arm board, Graham Phantom Supreme 10” arm, Benz LPS cartridge, and Graham IC 70 phono cable connected to the Boulder 2008 phono stage. Please see my comments about the Technics SP10 MK3 posted earlier on Albert Porter’s system forum, the MK3 also having the Krebs modifications and Thalmann electronics overhaul.

In short, this MK2A is an outstanding turntable. Speed stability is excellent, measuring on par with the MK3 using the Feickert iPhone application and the Analogue Productions test record, and passes the Sutherland Timeline test. Unlike the MK3, the MK2A doesn’t demand that you notice and praise its speed stability. Nonetheless, I never hear speed anomalies at all, and certainly not the “hunting” that direct drive critics levy against this breed.

But let me be clear, in spite of the measured similarities between the MK2A and the MK3, subjectively the MK3 reigns supreme in speed stability over all other turntables I have used. One can hear this in extreme resolution, purity of musical lines, and low level detail. Visually, the Feickert iPhone application shows occasional periods of a straight horizontal line with a 1000HZ test tone with the MK3, but not with the MK2A. I suppose the summarized results in this application somehow average the results, because the single figures for both tables are very similar. In summary, speed stability on the MK2A is superb, but the MK3 is more superb.

Sonically, the MK2A is excellent. As compared to the MK3, the MK2A presents musical images more forward in the soundstage with less defined outlines. Dynamics seem more spectacular than the MK3, although as noted in my comments on the Krebs modified MK3, dynamics with the MK3 are awesome and grow to staggering climaxes and subside with greater ease - more like the natural decay in live music. I have generally found these sonic attributes – forward soundstage and spectacular dynamics - fairly typical with turntables having all-aluminum platters like the MK2A. I hear these same differences with the Thorens TD 124 using its aluminum platter as compared to any of these alternatives – the Schopper platter (made with secret ingredients), the original cast iron platter, and the Mirko Djordjevic stainless steel platter. Otherwise, the MK2A is sonically opulent, rich and satisfying. Bass is powerful, mids are neutral and pellucid, and highs are excellent without sounding unnaturally extended. To my ears, the MK3 sounds more natural and true to the music in all of these areas, but this may be just a matter of taste. And could it be that the aftermarket copper, gunmetal mats and the like placed atop the MK2A platter diminish this difference? I don’t know, but some recordings sound more appealing on one table than the other. That’s why I love them both and won’t part with either one of them.

My goal in experimenting with these vintage direct drives is to see just how good they can sound. Direct drive technology intrigues me for achieving extreme speed stability, a particular obsession of mine. My extremely expensive belt drive turntable is truly wonderful sonically in all areas except speed stability. I will continue to experiment with various aspects of these direct drives. As all analog aficionados know, *everything* in analog matters: platter/mat/plinth/ armboard materials, footers, arms, cartridges, loading, cables, what the cables touch, VTA, azimuth, overhang, absolutely level surfaces, static electricity, quality of electricity, platform isolation, RFI, ad infinitum and ad nauseum…and even looking at your turntable cross-eyed can make it sound bad on any given day. If analog didn’t sound so good, who would put up with it? Next steps are to improve upon the plinths, using Albert Porter’s superb design. I am also working with a Denon DP 80 (although the vintage Denon DP 100 should be a killer turntable, but it is alas unobtainable) and someday would like to play around with the reputably awesome Kenwood L07D.

Here are some thoughts about value. The MK2A is by no means a shameful comparison to the MK3 – quite the contrary. The MK3 is so rare and expensive nowadays, why not try out the plentiful MK2 with the Krebs modifications and Thalmann restoration? The result is a superb value in high end audio, since new turntables achieving this level of sonic excellence are far, far more expensive. By way of disclaimer, I have no financial ties to Bill Thalmann, Richard Krebs and Albert Porter. I am really grateful to these gentlemen for enabling me to hear what these engineering marvels can do.

kmccarty March 17, 2013 23:57

Albert, please post one of your stunning photographs with the Graham Phantom mounted on that beautiful plinth. I will be curious if your findings are similar to mine, albeit my comparison was an SME V to the Graham Phantom Supreme (both a nine inch and ten inch version). Both the SME and Graham are superb arms and I choose to enjoy both of them interchangeably.

kmccarty December 10, 2012 03:24

I received my Technics SP 10 MK3 back from Bill Thalmann last week, after having the Richard Krebs modifications performed. Bill Thalmann had already done his complete electronic overhaul of the turntable and power supply last year, before I bought this turntable from Albert Porter. I really wasn’t expecting too much from the modifications, since the turntable was already excellent. I made several recordings before I sent the Technics away for the modifications, both in analog and digital (reel to reel at 30ips and digital at 24/96) because I thought the differences would be difficult, if not impossible to hear. I really worried that the resolution of either medium (tape or digital) wasn’t good enough to reveal the differences.

My Technics is set up with the original obsidian base and feet, Graham Phantom Supreme arm (10”), Benz LPS cartridge, Graham IC-70 balanced cable, and Boulder 2008 phono stage. I play around with mats, but currently using Herbie’s Way Excellent Turntable Mat.

In sum, the Technics after modifications is a game changer. I didn’t need to hear my pre-modification recordings because the improvements are so dramatic. To begin with, the noise floor is lower and now matches my vacuum hold-down belt drive. And while I thought the noise floor was already low enough, the modifications allow me to hear details deeply, most notably the mechanical action of keys on piano recordings and long, long decays. Musical lines are easy to hear and follow, even in complex classical works. I believe a low noise floor enhances three-dimensionality and sound stage because you can hear ambient cues so much better – and there are ambient cues in abundance. One of the most dramatic changes is the rich detail in very quiet passages contrasted with thunderous loud passages. This turntable plays music quietly and loudly at a new level of realism for me.

My desire for absolute speed stability, a pet peeve of mine, drove me to check out the direct drive turntables in the first place. My reference belt drive always gave me a vague uneasiness about speed stability – not necessarily wow and flutter – but longer term slowdowns during complex, highly modulated grooves. Maybe a little “rubber band” effect of the belt, that is a continual contracting and expanding of the belt. The Sutherland TimeLine indeed confirmed that my belt drive turntable was challenged in the area of speed stability.

The Technics’ speed stability was already amazing and easily trounced my reference belt drive in this respect – both sonically and visually with the Sutherland TimeLine. After modification, speed stability is even better - much, much better and has to be heard to be believed. I hear this on every single record I’ve played. It’s hard to describe this with words. It sounds more like master tapes. The music sounds relaxed when it should and pounds you when it should. I believe the hallmark of great audio equipment is to let music sound relaxed when it should be relaxed – with a natural ebb and flow of notes that you easily hear with live unamplified music and not so often on reproduced music. Maybe I am wrong, but I think speed stability contributes to this “relaxed” sound. A harpsichord recording that used to sound a bit “hashey” now sounds natural, rich and pristine. In fact, this very record made me question the speed stability of direct drive before modification, giving some credence to direct drive critics who claim that the bane of direct drive is the constant “hunting” for the correct speed. I absolutely no longer have this concern about the Technics. In fact, Richard Krebs says his modifications make the job of the servo control much easier, and much less necessary. Maybe this is what I am hearing. Anyway, every record I’ve played since modification advertises speed stability in the extreme.

There are improvements throughout the frequency range. Bass is thunderous, relentless and with excellent pitch definition. Midrange remains excellent and is maybe the least improved, but still benefits from the lower noise floor and speed stability. Highs are much improved – musical lines presented by instruments in the higher frequencies are easier to follow and more “there”.

Thanks to Albert Porter for selling me this turntable in the first place and hosting his Tuesday evening music group where I met Richard Krebs, and thanks to Bill Thalmann for his excellent work. By way of disclaimer, I have no financial ties to any of these men.

kmccarty September 08, 2012 20:20