"New" Terminator air-bearing linear tracking tonearm
- Thread starter spiritofmusic
- Start date
After a little "mishap" with the bespoke tonearm wire Audiophile Bill was good enough to make up for me, hoping to get that fixed by him, switch from Cardas to AN silver cart tags. Hoping not too long for that.
Aiming to also install the Audiomachina V8 cart vibration isolation pad. Throw in a quieter, gentler air flow pump, and my new SOTA Condor motor to my tt, and have pretty much come to the end of improvements I've had sorted to the basic Salvation/Terminator/Straingauge rig acquired in 2013/14.
Aiming to also install the Audiomachina V8 cart vibration isolation pad. Throw in a quieter, gentler air flow pump, and my new SOTA Condor motor to my tt, and have pretty much come to the end of improvements I've had sorted to the basic Salvation/Terminator/Straingauge rig acquired in 2013/14.
Have had the most frustrating experience with what seems to be a totally positive outcome, and a really fortuitous discovery at the end, that has pretty much wiped out my whole January.
In early December, after nearly a couple of years running my new Straingauge stylus, improved SQ and trouble free operation, it was time to pop in a replacement stylus. Less than 90 seconds "work", and my cart protractor said I was fine on alignment. Good to go in less time it takes to clean an LP.
A few weeks later, as the new year came around, growing issues with mistracking, groove distortion, to the point every LP unplayable.
So, got to work on setup. Yet the more I sorted levels of Stacore, TT plinth, arm gantry, armwand, then VTF, VTA, freeing air supply to arm, air pressure, dressing armwire optimally, my issues grew.
I haven't been this frustrated or angry in the hobby in a long while.
I'm absolutely stumped for a solution.
Even switching to my previous stylus, another new stylus, and stock armwire made no difference.
And then one of my rare brain waves. The only thing that has changed is the temperature in my room. My heating isn't sorted, and freezing temperatures outside mean a way below average temperature in my room.
Air supply. Low flow air LT design. Way colder than normal.
Yep, either the air flow is "sticky" or moisture build up. And voilà, I can feel my parallel tracking sled carrying the armwand is feeling not as smooth as possible, hints of friction.
Switching to the original sled (different metallurgy) from my stock arm to replace the one in my newer arm is way more freer in action.
This made an immediate difference, as did fine tuning all the setup parameters. Again. For the umpteenth time in a month.
And then I see my SRA is out, wasn't even paying attention to that. That now sorted.
And it *seems* I'm good to go again.
I'll reserve my fist pump if this is the same next week. But right now, dynamic jazz and classical LPs that were mistracking are good again
--
The fortuitous discovery? In fault finding I swapped out my specially made up Zavfino SILVER arm wire with Bocchino RCAs for the stock COPPER wire that came with the arm.
Total immersion in the sound is the result, lack of any sharp frequency nasties after expecting excess warmth and blunting of resolution. Indeed feels a perfect bend of resolution, tone, air and warmth.
--
So at the end of all this I have a hybrid stock/updated arm, bits from two arms (more Frankenstein Monster/Mecchano kit solutions from me), a more optimised setup, and the total bonus of discovery of a way more musical armwire.
--
And a wife who's looking at me with accelerating incredulity and dismay, lol.
In early December, after nearly a couple of years running my new Straingauge stylus, improved SQ and trouble free operation, it was time to pop in a replacement stylus. Less than 90 seconds "work", and my cart protractor said I was fine on alignment. Good to go in less time it takes to clean an LP.
A few weeks later, as the new year came around, growing issues with mistracking, groove distortion, to the point every LP unplayable.
So, got to work on setup. Yet the more I sorted levels of Stacore, TT plinth, arm gantry, armwand, then VTF, VTA, freeing air supply to arm, air pressure, dressing armwire optimally, my issues grew.
I haven't been this frustrated or angry in the hobby in a long while.
I'm absolutely stumped for a solution.
Even switching to my previous stylus, another new stylus, and stock armwire made no difference.
And then one of my rare brain waves. The only thing that has changed is the temperature in my room. My heating isn't sorted, and freezing temperatures outside mean a way below average temperature in my room.
Air supply. Low flow air LT design. Way colder than normal.
Yep, either the air flow is "sticky" or moisture build up. And voilà, I can feel my parallel tracking sled carrying the armwand is feeling not as smooth as possible, hints of friction.
Switching to the original sled (different metallurgy) from my stock arm to replace the one in my newer arm is way more freer in action.
This made an immediate difference, as did fine tuning all the setup parameters. Again. For the umpteenth time in a month.
And then I see my SRA is out, wasn't even paying attention to that. That now sorted.
And it *seems* I'm good to go again.
I'll reserve my fist pump if this is the same next week. But right now, dynamic jazz and classical LPs that were mistracking are good again
--
The fortuitous discovery? In fault finding I swapped out my specially made up Zavfino SILVER arm wire with Bocchino RCAs for the stock COPPER wire that came with the arm.
Total immersion in the sound is the result, lack of any sharp frequency nasties after expecting excess warmth and blunting of resolution. Indeed feels a perfect bend of resolution, tone, air and warmth.
--
So at the end of all this I have a hybrid stock/updated arm, bits from two arms (more Frankenstein Monster/Mecchano kit solutions from me), a more optimised setup, and the total bonus of discovery of a way more musical armwire.
--
And a wife who's looking at me with accelerating incredulity and dismay, lol.
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