Artisan Fidelity Garrard 401 Updated

[Andrew Stenhouse]

Now that ^^ is a lovely system; well thought out and I am sure very resolving and involving. The Berning is an almost mythical creature these days; congratulations on managing to have one, no doubt made all the better by the modifications.

I know the Herron phono well and have a high regard for it. I don't think Keith Herron knows how to make a bad sounding piece of equipment.

What a monster of a deck. Truly stunning workmanship.

I have owned all the Harbeth models except the 40.1's. I settled on the 30.1's for our apartment. I love what the 5's can do, and congratulate you on your very good taste

 

[patrickd]

Man, I've got the same table (with a 12" OL arm) coming in from Artisan...but the nearly 5 month wait is killing me.....I could almost forget until I see these photos.

 

[daytona600]

very , very nice garrard you should try one of these eagle psu + roadrunner tacho from phoenix engineering
fitted one to my garrard & very nice upgrade to speed stabilty & timing 21st digital tech applied to a 20th Icon

http://www.phoenix-engr.com/#!/page_Falcon

http://positive-feedback.com/review...nix-engineering-llc-roadrunner-and-eagle-psu/

 

[Christopher T]

Man, I've got the same table (with a 12" OL arm) coming in from Artisan...but the nearly 5 month wait is killing me.....I could almost forget until I see these photos.

patrickd, Indeed, patience is a virtue... :b Rest assured, as soon you will be rewarded in spades. For readers whom may not be aware, this lucky WBF member's particular Garrard 401 Statement model will represent the latest interpretation of its kind. A lifetime of musical enjoyment provided by an analog playback instrument of this caliber requires skill, time, extraordinary attention to detail and patience to accomplish.

We are likely as anxious (well...almost perhaps... ) for you to receive your new masterpiece as you are to start enjoying your cherished records being played back through it.

 

[Christopher T]

very , very nice garrard you should try one of these eagle psu + roadrunner tacho from phoenix engineering
fitted one to my garrard & very nice upgrade to speed stabilty & timing 21st digital tech applied to a 20th Icon

Agree and concur with daytona600, a dedicated external ac power supply, if properly implemented comes highly recommended as a viable enhancement for the Garrard 301/401's single phase, ac shaded pole induction type motor and preferred over running directly into the incoming wall ac. However, with that being said, the aforementioned power supply respectively needs to be able to output a minimum of 16W (20W ideally) to provide adequate power headroom for the Garrard motor's current and voltage demands under stylus drag, while at play. The manufacturers (Phoenix) stated technical specifications for this particular power supply indicate a maximum 15W and designed for Synchronous ac motors whereas the Garrard 301/401 factory ac motors are Induction or Asynchronous types which differ slightly by intrinsic design. In my personal experience, for optimal playback, Garrard asynchronous motors require running at their native, consistent, fixed rpm ( ~1700 est.) and chosen dual voltage range (100v - 130v & 200v - 250v / 50Hz & 60Hz, preferably 220v-230v 50Hz) throughout the speed range and thus, it is not usually recommended to control the speed range 33/45/78 using only the external power supply to ramp voltage and frequency up and down, as in doing so this directly affects and inevitably compromises the running motor's output torque and operating rpm at any lower speeds respectively.

 

[daytona600]

Agree christopher maximum 15W probably nearer 19w on my garrard

phoenix do a higher powered version not on the website rated @ 25w & this designed for higher powered idlers 301/401 TD124 Empire Lenco & commonwealth

DDS very advanced PSU & tacho unit


Direct Digital Synthesis (DDS)


Direct Digital Synthesis is a digital frequency generator that uses a crystal controlled master clock to increase the count in an accumulator register by a fixed amount on each clock transistion. The register "accumulates" the count on each clock which increases linearly, until the maximum count is exceeded, the counter overflows to zero and the processes begins again and continues indefinitely. The amount the accumulator changes on each clock input is determined by the frequency control register: The larger the number, the faster the count accumulates, the lower the number, the slower the output changes. The accumulator contains a binary number between 0 and 2^N where N= the width of the register in bits. DDS accumulators are usually 24, 28 or 32 bits wide. The smallest number it can increase by is 1, so the frequency output resolution becomes MClk/(2^N); the higher N is (or the lower the Master Clock frequency) the finer the resolution. The output frequency is Freq Count x (MClk/2^N). For example, if the crystal frequency (MClk) is 4.096 MHz and the accumulator is 24 bits, the frequency resolution is .244140625 Hz (~ a quarter of a Hz). For 60Hz the Freq Count=246 (60.0585 Hz). If the crystal reference is divided down to 32kHz (÷128), the frequency resolution is 0.001907 Hz and Freq Count for 60Hz becomes 31,457 (59.9995 Hz). The same MClk with a 32 bit accumulator has a frequency resolution of 0.00000745 Hz and Freq Count for 60Hz becomes 8,053,064 (60.0000024 Hz).

The highest order bits of the accumulator are used as an address in a look up table that converts the linear phase accumulation into a sinewave amplitude value. This value is then sent to a digital to analog convertor (DAC) which produces an analog sinewave output. The DAC resolution is typically between 8 and 14 bits.

Because DDS is a feed forward system, it doesn't require a feedback loop and frequency changes take place on the next MClk input, are phase coherent and settle to the new frequency in uSecs. The output frequency will have the same stability as the crystal reference clock and phase noise will be better than the crystal by a factor of MClk/N where N is the frequency count. DDS is a type of sampling convertor, so the maximum frequency output is MClk/2 (Nyquist limit), but in practice, the output is usable to ~MClk/10. The closer the output frequency is to this limit, the worse the noise and spurious performance will be. Analog filters at the output of the DAC can reduce the noise and spurious content to low levels.

DDS is usually done by dedicated ICs that are complex to program and configure. A microprocessor is needed to compute the frequency count and perform the programming and communications with the DDS chip. DDS is commonly used in bench top test equipment and high end signal generators.

 

[Christopher T]

patrickd, your kind patience has been rewarded....Garrard 401 Statement by Artisan Fidelity, finished in African Crimson Padauk.

 

[caesar]

Stunningly Gorgeous looking tables, but how do they sound?

How does a $40K restored table compare sonically to $40K tables that seem to be hot these days, such as TW Acustic, Kronos, TechDas, etc?

 

[es347]

Stunningly Gorgeous looking tables, but how do they sound?

How does a $40K restored table compare sonically to $40K tables that seem to be hot these days, such as TW Acustic, Kronos, TechDas, etc?

..$40K? I've never seen a Artisan TT priced that high..??

 

[caesar]

I believe their very top models are up there, thus my post... I hope to think it's more than just beauty and nostalgia

 

[Christopher T]

..$40K? I've never seen a Artisan TT priced that high..??

es347, Artisan Fidelity turntable models range from $4895 - $58k.

 

[Christopher T]

Stunningly Gorgeous looking tables, but how do they sound?

caesar, Well, since some of us are clearly biased....:b many actual user testimonials and personal insights shared by others can be read here.

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/are-there-other-artisan-fidelity-tt-owners-aorund?highlight=artisan%2Bfidelity

Testimonials

Michael Fremer

http://www.analogplanet.com/content/artisan-fidelity-turntables-drew-me-sound-made-me-stay

 

[Christopher T]

How does a $40K restored table compare sonically to $40K tables that seem to be hot these days, such as TW Acustic, Kronos, TechDas, etc?

caesar, indeed a valid question, in fact I happen to have a couple of these modern belt drives in rotation at this very moment in time which are rather quite lovely (Basis 2800 Signature vacuum platter, Vector 4 & Kuzma XL DC, Kuzma 4Point ). :b

Over the years, during model design and testing phases, we found it helpful to directly compare various existing modern and vintage based high end turntable platforms consisting of numerous drive types as a base line for comparison during listening sessions. My conclusions, in a nutshell, are that each respective drive type (ie. belt, tape, idler, rim, direct drive & ac, dc based motors) and its corresponding design platform, if well executed possesses its own set of individual strengths, weaknesses and intrinsic personality traits which are expressed to one degree or another during record playback. Needless to say, the topic is diverse, intricate and entails a multitude of mechanical, physical and electrical engineering variables and parameters which may be pondered and debated for an eternity. Today, a myriad of exceedingly high quality, well engineered and fundamentally musical analog playback devices exist both of modern and vintage origin. Simply the age, or "vintage" of the turntable itself does not necessarily dictate the resulting playback integrity, or rather just because something is "new" or "old" does not automatically make it better, what is far more important in my humble opinion is the instruments fundamental design implementation, reliability, engineering quality, stability and lastly displaying the ability to completely immerse the listener during long playback sessions.

In so far as model selection is concerned, the Artisan Fidelity Classic series are for music enthusiasts who cherish the stock vintage, warm nostalgic character of each original manufacturers design, respectively. Whereas the Statement series and NG/NGS series while sharing fundamental vintage based architecture and platform, were strictly optimized and engineered without compromise, developed, voiced and designed strictly for ultra high quality, precision analog based playback in modern revealing listening environments and thus highly competitive alternatives to many current production, a.k.a. modern offerings.

I hope these musings and tidbits of additional insight help :b

 

[audio.bill]

I have to commend Christopher for providing such a well thought out and balanced perspective on how his turntables compare to their competition. That's a difficult thing to do when you work as hard as he evidently does to offer such beautifully hand crafted products at their various price points. I have no connection with him nor do I own his designs, but I have to admit that I have greatly admired his fine work and unique products.

 

[tunes]

Great post Christopher. I have admired your work/tables for years. Hope to see them again this weekend at axpona.

 

[Christopher T]

Great post Christopher. I have admired your work/tables for years. Hope to see them again this weekend at axpona.

Thanks, we hope to see you at the show as well :b

 

[Christopher T]

I hope to think it's more than just beauty and nostalgia

caesar, Artisan Fidelity turntables were never designed, manufactured for, nor intended to be museum art gallery pieces, they are bespoke hand and machine crafted, precision instruments made to playback cherished recordings and sing like songbirds.

Since our inception, literally hundreds of thousands of dollars have been invested towards research and development, including cmm machine measurement documentation, bespoke tooling, dies, fixtures, jigs, cad/cam programming, 3D modeling, cnc machining, spray finishing equipment, tribology and hydrodynamic engineering consultation, prototyping and in-room listening trials.

Computer Numerical Control (cnc) demonstration Technics Sp10Mk3NGS plinth

Garrard 501 Statement Magnesium Alloy plinth production demonstration

Garrard 301 Statement Bespoke Chassis plate production video

At a glance, the fundamental turntable design premise, especially certain vintage based examples may seem rudimentary, however, under the skin many of these electrical/mechanical devices we work with were originally engineered for professional broadcast, transcription and commercial duty and remain quite complex presenting a real design challenge when it comes to careful and specific retro re-engineering.

 

[tunes]

Beautiful tables by Chris were on display in the manufacturer's showcase at Axpona, not to mention one in active demo with a 4point arm and fuuga cart with berning electronics. Great sound in that room from the sweet spot centre chair.

 

[patrickd]

Yes, one of those was mine -- you can see the pics on the previous page. It is now with me after a long wait but sadly, the wait to enjoy it continues as there's a problem with the brand new OL arm and I'm waiting to hear from Chris or OL on what my options now are. If anyone here is an expert on OL gear, perhaps you might connect privately to offer some insight while I'm stuck in limbo. Thanks.

 

[gilles13]

Hello. Some news please.