3 Motor unsuspended German table. Nice table with great flexibility of arm mounting.
- Continuum Audio Labs Copperhead
Dual Pivot CAD designed plastic-resin super arm. Good with LOMC cartridges but is simply superb with high compliance MM cartridges. A truly universal modern arm. Finicky to change cartridges and make adjustments. certainly not user-friendly but once set, you can forget.
- Davinci Audi Labs Grandezza 12
Cocobolo wood arm in sapphire twin gimbel bearing. Nice and relaxed sound.
- Graham Engineering Graham Phantom II
Unipivot with Titanium armwand and Micro-poise. Good (but not spectacular) with low compliance LOMC cartridges. A poor match for all the high compliance MM cartridges I have tried.
Removed one motor from the AC-3 which now gives more accurate and consistent speed as gauged by the Sutherland Timeline. It also eliminates the eccentric loading on the platter given by the third Raven motor and gives 50% more contact area of belt to platter. Sold the Phantom II and replaced it with the legendary 30+ year old FR-66S 12" tonearm
A serious tonearm.
The Raven with 2 FR-66S tonearms and the Continuum Copperhead. The Copperhead is now the only tonearm I possess...with a 'fixed' headshell.
'Nude' 30 year old DD turntable with 3 specially cast solid bronze arm-pods. Puts to shame most belt-drive turntables but separate massive arm-pods ensure superlative performance.
Nakedly nude in its stainless steel cradle. Virtually the equal of the TT-101 in its sound quality....but far less complex and costly...and more reliable.
Top of the line professional Laboratory Series DD turntable.
The Laboratory Series DD top-of-the-line turntable from Japan's mighty production industry. Impossible to replicate today at a realistic price?
The 'innards'. Heaven help me if something goes wrong with this?!
This features a coreless DC sevo motor with quartz locked positive AND negative servo control
With S/N of 75dB and speed deviation of 0.002% and drift of 0.0004% one needs to hear what perfect speed control does for a turntable.
- Custom made Victor turntable stand
Made from 316 solid stainless steel bar and rod.
- Custom made Victor turntable stand
Fabricated ex. 4mm thick 316 stainless sheet and 25mm diam. solid rod all welded, ground and polished.
30 year old oil-damped unipivot. A cheap but honest performer with high compliance MM cartridges.
- Graham Engineering Phantom II
A modern unipivot with much praise in the audio press. I tried it with three LOMC cartridges as well as many MMs and was unimpressed. On high-compliance MM cartridges.....this arm was simply inadequate. I sold it after a year.
- Fidelity Reasearch FR-64s
The "Prince" of tonearms surpassed only by its 12" big brother the FR-66s. Despite its Japanese design by the great Ikeda San, this arm displays a 'Teutonic' sparseness in 'Form following Function'. Great bearings and a rigid heavy stainless steel arm-tube make this a vintage 'Classic'. Surprisingly good with high-compliance MM cartridges as well as low compliance LOMCs. A serious arm.
30 year old superb arm with VTA,VTF and Anti-Skate all 'On-the-Fly'. A Japanese arm with the detail and feel of the famous pre-war Leica rangefinder cameras. Adjustments 'on-the-fly' make 'tuning' any cartridge, a breeze.
The 'King' of Tonearms, this 30 year old 12" arm will show you things from your cartridges that you have never heard before. Modern arms cannot compete with the authority of this monster? A serious arm.
The top of the line from this once mighty manufacturer, the WE-8000 is a 12" effective length (15" overall) featuring their famous double-knife-edge bearings. Extremely rare and originally only sold in Japan....I feel privileged to own this beauty. A serious tonearm.
Super detailing and design as is typical of all their arms.
Rugged yet finessed.
An off-set ceramic headshell which is NEVER available without the arm?! I can however, twist the cartridge in some of my standard headshells to obtain the correct alignment.
The off-set ceramic headshell for this rare tonearm is beautifully conceived and executed, extremely expensive and almost impossible to find as a 'stand-alone' item without the arm. The only problem with it however...is that with most cartridges it can sound sharp, flat and slightly brittle because of the glasslike thin ceramic base material. I much preferred the wood headshells from Yamamoto or Ortofon for metal bodied cartridges and metal headshells for plastic-bodied cartridges.
Double knife edge Japanese jewel. Sounds as fine as it looks.
Jewel-like detailing. Simply beautiful.
SAEC produced a range of beautiful tonearms, all featuring double-knife-edge bearings. The WE-407 is a model up from the WE-308 but shares its beauty and superb sonic abilities.
Jewel-like design an construction.
A trio of 30 year old vintage tonearms
Bi-Axis Inertia Controlled, Dynamic Balance tonearm
A monster of an arm. Extremely heavy and best suited to mounting on separate heavy armpod. When properly employed, demonstrates how much colouration (distortion) other arms impart. A true revelation.....
Solid bronze cast arm-pods finished in automotive lacquer. Weighing 25lbs per pod, the solid foundation for any tone-arm find its rewards in the sounds produced.
Low output .24 Copper with silver base. One of the best LOMC cartridges I have heard and one of the only ones with which I can live.
Nuff said!
Low output moving coil. Not as 'clean' as the Universe but its colourisations are closer to 'live music' and thus easy to live with.
- Dynavector XV-1s(modified)
When my original XV-1s 'exploded' due to my stupidity....Axel Schurholtz rebuilt the entire cartridge still keeping a boron cantilever and Shibata stylus...but reducing the coils so that the output has been reduced from 0.24mV to 0.15mV.
A tweaked version of the A&R P77 by the Garrott Bros in Australia produced a wonderful rich-sounding MM cartridge in the early '80s.
MM cartridge first one on the right in the Fidelity research K5 cartridge holder case. A solid if not spectacular performer.
MM cartridge still available NOS second on the left in the FR-K5 cartrdige holder case.
A 30-40 year old MM cartridge made in USA. This is a glorious full-bodied 'romantic' cartridge which should help balance any 'lean' sounding system.
Superb MM cartridge continuing the 'Empire-sound' tradition of the 1000ZE/X but with more refinement and slightly more neutral balance. Still wonderfully full-bodied which approaches the Zitgeist of 'live' music.
Famous 35 year old MM cartridge from Technics with its integral headshell. The following model (EPC-100Mk4) came without headshell. This is very pure and neutral with hardly any defining characteristics of itself which makes you believe it is perhaps a 'reference' cartridge? However I find its 'detachment' a little too clinical for constant long-term listening.
- Audio-Technica USA AT-155LC
A wonderful MM cartridge with an line-contact stylus which sets a standard in sound IMHO, that is the basis of the great Signet cartridges to follow. Neutral enough but with a heart and soul able to 'move' you.
- Audio-Technica USA AT-20SS Limited Edition
A vintage MM cartridge considered by some to be the pinnacle of Audio Technica's range. In my system, this cartridge had a lean sound balance with a rising top end and several deficiencies in the mid to low bass range. A faulty specimen?.........or a 'false God'?
Signets were the 'cost-no-object' MM cartridges developed by Audio Technica mainly for the US market. This is lower range TK-3Ea with an AT-155LC line-contact stylus assembly replacing the standard stylus. A gutsy and commanding performer which brings out the best in all your records.
Middle of the Signet MM range, this cartridge is just a little more refined than the TK-3Ea but still packs all the emotion and depth symptomatic of these cartridges.
The standard TK-5Ea with the AT-155LC stylus assembly installed. A slight improvement in refinement over the standard 5Ea seen 2nd from bottom right in a rare K10 cartridge holder case made by the OEM who made the K5 cases for Fidelity Research.
The best of the class in this series IMHO, the TK-7 series could be has with the 7e, 7SU or 7LCa stylus assembly. Each one a standard setting MM cartridge which combines richness and full body across the frequency spectrum with a neutrality and effortless which startles on first listen until one realises that this emotion was caused by a distinct projection of the 'real thing'......live music itself.
The No.3 Shibata stylus assembly replacing the No.2 of the standard 7e MM cartriidge. This is for me, in my system, the current 'King' which comes the closest to cartridge 'perfection' that I have ever heard.
The 'top-of-the-line' for this range of Signets, this cartridge does not, IMO, share the sonic signature of the TK-3,5 or 7. Instead of a full and satisfying presentation of the sound spectrum, this cartridge seems to be attempting to emulate the sound of MCs with their upper frequency emphasis intended to persuade us of their 'detail' extraction. Thin and lack-lustre in the bass, perhaps it requires more run-in time? Life is too short.
First available in 1978, the FR-7 series of LOMC cartridges designed by Ikeda San, were perhaps sold only in the Japanese and European markets. How else to explain the fact that the Supex cartridge was the 'rave' in the British and US audiophile press whilst we never heard of the Fidelity Research? Unlike the Supex, this 30 year old version of the LOMC can compete today with the very best $10,000+ overpriced examples.
- Fidelity Research FR-7f/Lc
The original FR-7f had a conical stylus but one day....mine sheared in half. Sent to Axel Schurholtz who replaced the stylus with a nude Line Contact which elevated the FR-7f to UNIverse standard.
Sold only in the Japanese market in the late 1970s, this MM cartridge with elliptical stylus has a surprisingly low compliance (10x10-6cm/Dyne) for a MM and is thus designed to be suitable for the FR-64/66 range of high-mass arms produced by Fidelity Research.
This cartridge is a colourful performer. No 'shrinking violet', it projects the fullest of sounds from the meaty bass to the lyrical sweet highs. Not as subtle or refined as the Signet TK-7SU, it nonetheless manages to convey a great deal of the essence of the 'real thing'. Perfect for transistor amps which may display top-end brittleness and/or recessed midrange performance.
A low compliance MM cartridge sold only in the Japanese market and a lower range model to its FR-6SE cousin. When I first heard this model, I thought.....whoa....this is just too much of a good thing? All the colour and charm of the FR-6SE was amplified. The bass was fuller and less detailed, the midrange plumier with less depth whilst the highs were slightly dull. I had bought this cartridge after J.Carr (designer of the Lyra range of MC cartridges) recommended the FR-5E as being more refined than the FR-6SE but I could only find an FR-5 at the time.
I finally found a NOS 5E stylus assembly and realised that this would convert my FR-5 into an FR-5E but when I came to insert the new stylus, I found that the metal cartridge body was moving about in its plastic coupling piece whereby it was screwed to the headshell. This suddenly explained the bloated and plummy sound when listening the to FR-5. After some SuperGlue rectification and the insertion of the new 5E stylus assembly I mounted the cartridge in the Yamamoto HS-1AS headshell and listened with the FR-66s 12" arm. A beautiful rich sound....not what you would call 'neutral'...but containing most of the vividness of 'real' music.
The MR ('Maximum Resolution') Line Contact Series. Has a lot of the Signet 'House' sound with a refined gentleness.
The black wood version. Modern available MM cartridge which displays many of the qualities of the best vintage models. Doesn't quite reach the stellar heights.
My ebony wood Virtuoso was sent to Axel who replaced the original stylus with a nude shank Line Contact pressure-fitted into an aluminium cantilever. This raised the performance nicely but it was not until I thought to match the wood-bodied Virtuoso with the ceramic headshell of the WE-8000/ST that the performance hit the stratosphere. This combination is a revelation and may vie for the title of 'numero uno' in my collection?
Vintage MM cartridge which is warm and friendly. Doesn't hit the heights of the very best ones.
A surprise package. Wonderful sounding vintage MM from the great house of Shure. Competes with the 'big boys'.
The 'Holy Grail'. An original NOS unused TK-7LCa with original Signet line contact stylus. This one is just too hard to beat...
- Audio-Technica USA AT150ANV
A modern attempt by AT to match some of their classic vintage cartridges....particularly the legendary TK-7LCa. Does it succeed?.....not quite. It misses the emotional content.
The legendary Garrott P77 with the Jico SAS new stylus implant. With this stylus....the P77 enters the realm of the top cartridges I've heard.
- Audio-Technica USA AT-13Ea/155Lc
This is a 'Franken-Cartridge' cobbled together by the Professor(Timeltel) who 'grafted' an AT-155Lc stylus onto the very modest 13Ea. This cartridge competes at the very highest level.
A gift from the Professor(Timeltel)...this AM-10 has the AM-20 stylus and sounds wonderful. Substitute the 155Lc stylus assembly...and it competes with all the big boys.
A past classic that was ubiquitous. And for a good reason...this cartridge produces the 'essence' of 'emotion' and midrange clarity. Add the Jico Sass stylus and it competes at the highest levels.
Better than the 31L, 71L or G5 IMHO...this Glanz 'moving flux' is interesting and involving. Does it reach the ultimate heights? Perhaps not.....?
Ubiquitous LOMC cartridge which originated 50 years ago and is still in production. This one is hand selected for identical channel outputs...and is a bargain at the price.
A LOMC which is seldom heard of....the MIT-1 sounds more like the top vintage MM cartridges in my collection. It competes at the very top level.
NOS vintage MM cartridge. Better than the 300 series...but struggles to compete with the 'Big Boys'
Medium compliance LOMC cartridge which can track at 1.5-2.5 Gm. Unique coreless armature coil wound like a figure-8 with beryllium, carbon-fibre and aluminium cantilever. The presentation and clarity of this cartridge is startling.
Step-up Transformer (SUT) for LOMC cartridges
Japanese hand wound SUT
SUT
Japanese SUT. Better than the active LOMC stage of the Halcro DM10. Worth a try.
DM10 solid state with inbuilt MM & MC phono stage
Solid state Monoblocks
- Custom made 3 way moving coil sealed box.
12" woofers run full-range. No inductors, coils or resistors in signal path.
- Drivers & Capacitors Scanspeak & Duelund
Golden Section Notice the size of the Duelund VSF capacitors compared the Scanspeak 51/4" MidWoofer driver. The 44uF Duelund for the mid/woofer is as large and as heavy as the driver it feeds. The thinner Duelund is the 5.6uF for the tweeter.
3x8" woofers powered by internal 300w amp with 'feed-forward' error correction and adjustable Q settings. A stereo pair positioned directly behind each main speaker.
- Vandersteen M5 High-Pass filter
Active high-pass for 2Wq subs
Planar magnetic headphones
Valve head amp
Black
Black
Fully Balanced XLR connection from Halcro DM10 to fully differentially balanced Halcro DM58 Monoblocks
Very pure speaker cables
- PS Audio P3 AC Regenerator
The PerfectWave Power Plant 3 is a state-of-the-art AC regenerator that regulates and regenerates the AC line voltage, producing clean, low distortion AC power.
Transformer-based Power Conditioner. Connected to both turntables and Preamp. Does it work?......perhaps....
Supplied by TW-Acustic, this top-of-the-line RCM from Hannl does a good job in quick time with minimum noise. I use it with my trusty Steamatey steam cleaner using distilled water and finish with a distilled water rinse...thus avoiding any chemical use on the records.
Low output .24 Copper with silver base. One of the best LOMC cartridges I have heard and one of the only ones with which I can live.
Nuff said!
Sold only in the Japanese market in the late 1970s, this MM cartridge with elliptical stylus has a surprisingly low compliance (10x10-6cm/Dyne) for a MM and is thus designed to be suitable for the FR-64/66 range of high-mass arms produced by Fidelity Research.
This cartridge is a colourful performer. No 'shrinking violet', it projects the fullest of sounds from the meaty bass to the lyrical sweet highs. Not as subtle or refined as the Signet TK-7SU, it nonetheless manages to convey a great deal of the essence of the 'real thing'. Perfect for transistor amps which may display top-end brittleness and/or recessed midrange performance.
DD turntable
