What a nightmare. If I ever think of veneering anything again I'll kick myself. The family has forgotten what I look like and the dog barks at me but the thing is finally together. Of course that doesn't mean its finished or properly set up. That may take another six months. At least the MG-1 was really simple to install and all the components seem to be doing what they're supposed to. There's still work to sort the air supply to the arm and suspension tweaking to do but that's relatively simple - i hope. It hasn't been running for long enough to get a good idea of the sound but it does seem to be very clean and natural, which is promising. Small changes are making significant differences to the sound. So far it's getting clearer & more coherent. There's definitely a problem with low level rumble with the stereo subs I'm running but I hope that's to do with something I haven't done right. Should only take another year to figure it all out. At least it'll keep me off the streets. Was it worth it? I'd love to give an unequivocal but I can't. Right now I'm not sure. If I weren't such a cheapskate I'm almost inclined to think some high end prices are looking more reasonable given the amount of time and effort involved. A Gyro SE is looking mighty attractive. Then again I reckon I could build one for a third the retail. Oops, here we go again. If anyone's interested I'll post a bunch of other in progress shots I took - I had plenty of time after all. For all you masochists out there I have cad drawings so you too can not have a life for a good while and build your own version. God forbid.
Arm 2. Bought a Connoisseur BD2 on Ebay just to get this arm and got a rather nice turntable for free. Beautifully enineered arm with precise feel.Not sure the Denons are entirley suited but I've a lot of tweaking to do.
AirTech MG-1
Air Bearing ToneArm. What a great arm. A doddle to set up with plenty of precise adjustment. Even I could do it. The air pump and surge tanks are taking a bit more experimentation but that's to be expected I suppose. Early impressions are of a very clean, quite unforced presentation.
Sand is cheap, it might work. # 9 lead shot is great at $1. a pound from your local sports store, but you need an oil or elastomer to transfer the energy from the tubes to the lead shot.
As you mentioned,the best solution is to remove the table from the listening area. A craftsman would rather hear beeps, boops and booms, and see his creation, where an audiophile only cares about the sound. We all fall somewhere in between.
As Raul says,"Enjoy the music.". I think he needs to coppyright the phrase.
Thanks Ken You're right, the legs need filling but I'm trying to find a gel type material rather than sand as it's a pain. Maybe a damped foam might work. Happily I have a separate room for my stuff so it can go wherever I bleedin choose. hope the wife doesn't read this!
Your project is nicely executed. I can tell you have an afinity for things that are well put together, such as a Porsche, congrats on both.
The stand is beautiful. I trust your wife will let you put it anywhere you choose. Using steel legs, you probably planned on filling them with a damping medium, as it would help with the low level rumble you mentioned. You can empty the kids sandbox first and go from there.
