Renssellaer’s Altec system with 211 amps and Garrard

[bonzo75]

Rensaeller bought these Altecs and added Markus Klug's multicell horn, Peter Riggle's Hiraga crossover, some other manual adjustments on cleaning up the speaker and added just over 5k 211 integrated amp. The TT is a Garrard 301. The only expensive component in the chain is the Ypsilon phono with Phasemation SUT. This amp is so much better than the Ayon spitfire before.


Sure with more budget one can experiment with preamps in the chain, other amps, you could experiment with tweeters or zingy carts like vdh and Dava, but just overall very difficult to beat the ability of this system to let you just sit back and experience the musical performances without focusing on any system hifi attribute.

The upper driver is the Great Plain Audio 802g and woofer is the original 416b. Both 8ohms.

More videos coming

 

[bonzo75]

 

[bonzo75]

 

[bonzo75]

Heifetz Piatigorsky

 

[bonzo75]

Heifetz Piatigorsky

Schneiderhan Starker

 

[tima]

Very nice Mark! I subscribed to your channel.

 

[Rensselaer]

Very nice Mark! I subscribed to your channel.

Thanks Tim,
What I learned from Kedar’s visit should improve the sound quality of my recordings on my channel (a full hour of warm-up before recording, not exceeding the 09:00 position on the volume attenuators and not using a puck).

As I am recording one side of each of my records for my channel, I will not be able to include that which made the greatest impact, the choice of recording. I was surprised to find that many of my most expensive recordings (some from Classic Records, Supersense Mastercut acetate and Electric Recording Company minimal AAA pressings cut on an all-valve Ortofon tape and cutter from the master tape records) don’t sound as good as many old original pressings.

 

[bonzo75]

As I am recording one side of each of my records for my channel, I will not be able to include that which made the greatest impact, the choice of recording. I was surprised to find that many of my most expensive recordings (some from Classic Records, Supersense Mastercut acetate and Electric Recording Company minimal AAA pressings cut on an all-valve Ortofon tape and cutter from the master tape records) don’t sound as good as many old original pressings.

And the old pressings were also not expensive, just very normal RCA and DG and Phillips, not necessarily expensive ED1

 

[bonzo75]

I do have a video of with and without puck , difference seems audible on video. Will upload later in the week have a few more

 

[mtemur]

I was surprised to find that many of my most expensive recordings (some from Classic Records, Supersense Mastercut acetate and Electric Recording Company minimal AAA pressings cut on an all-valve Ortofon tape and cutter from the master tape records) don’t sound as good as many old original pressings.

Besides originals OJC counterparts also sound better than those expensive releases IMHO.

https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/superiority-of-electric-recording-company-releases.35256/

 

[tima]

Thanks Tim,
What I learned from Kedar’s visit should improve the sound quality of my recordings on my channel (a full hour of warm-up before recording, not exceeding the 09:00 position on the volume attenuators and not using a puck).

As I am recording one side of each of my records for my channel, I will not be able to include that which made the greatest impact, the choice of recording. I was surprised to find that many of my most expensive recordings (some from Classic Records, Supersense Mastercut acetate and Electric Recording Company minimal AAA pressings cut on an all-valve Ortofon tape and cutter from the master tape records) don’t sound as good as many old original pressings.

Interesting. I can attest to an hour or more warm-up. By 'puck' I'm guessing that is a record weight or clamp. I'm not sure which turntable you have -- can you say a few words about it?

Of course recording is key. I tend to look for date issued and prefer originals. Album covers without barcodes are nice. Still sealed is nice if the shrink has not warped the record. Earlier is typically harder to find in top condition. If I like a performance I have found myself re-buying an issue from earlier than the one I have and finding in many cases that it is superior. Sometimes to the point of fanaticism.


1966


1965


1964

It takes time to build a collection.

 

[Rensselaer]

Yes, I mean record weight. It was a gift from a friend in Saudi Arabia who had it lathed from solid stainless steel.

No change from what is written under my notes here, the Garrard 301 is a “Reference” model made by Ray Clark of Classic Turntable Co. here in the U.K.

There are several issues associated with the 301 that Ray addresses: the platter is cast in aluminium, it is not balanced so can wobble some, the bearing is crude with less precision than modern bearings and the chassis, upon which everything is held, is pressed from cheap pot metal. It has machine screws that ran through the chassis with rubber donut washers. Loricraft told me to tighten the machine screws (holding the chassis to a particle board) finger tight then tighten 1/4 turn more with screw driver. The chassis/board combo then sat upon four squash balls on corner posts in a box plinth. This suspension system was needed to control vibrations from the above.

Ray’s Classic Turntable starts with a rebuilt motor, cadmium-free linkage, springs and wires, etc. he attaches this to the bottom of a new chassis that is CNC-machined from solid brass. Mounting bolts are threaded into the base and are not seen on the surface, no rubber donuts. The bearing is his design, much closer tolerances than the original. His also has a threaded lift in the bottom of the bearing (reached from under the plinth) that can raise and lower the platter (I am not keen on this, prefer to handle VTA with tonearm worry it may loosen or move gradually). The platter too has been CNC-machined from solid brass. It doesn’t ring like the aluminium original did, is true as well so doesn’t wobble.

The plinth is made of a veneered phenolic-resin-impregnated spruce ply. My reasoning for this is multiple layers (of ply) turns vibrations into heat and is a favourite of plinth makers for that reason (slate too). I read how grand piano makers use phenolic resin impregnated ply (Panzerholz) around the harp to prevent unwanted vibrations from conducting to the soundboard. I mounted the tonearm to the plinth and needed as much deadening of unwanted vibrations as possible. The turntable is low profile, looks old school, but weighs more than 100 lbs. It sits on Townshend isolation pods.

The “Reference” includes a power supply to control speed more accurately.

The tonearm is the Reed 5A pivoted linear-tracker (achieved without superstructure or air pumps).

 

[tima]

the Garrard 301 is a “Reference” model made by Ray Clark of Classic Turntable Co. here in the U.K. ...

Thanks, great description!

 

[bonzo75]

This is with puck

Without puck

Not sure if the damping is audible enough to have a preference through the video. I was there so I can hear it

 

[mtemur]

This is with puck

Without puck

Not sure if the damping is audible enough to have a preference through the video. I was there so I can hear it

Definitely audible. It’s better without puck.

 

[Rensselaer]

Definitely audible. It’s better without puck.

Good ears!

 

[ssfas]

Thanks, great description!

I have a near identical machine, indeed I joined this forum to converse with @Rensselaer before going ahead with it. I also got my tonearms from the same supplier as him, who I’ve known for some years, in my case a Reed 3P that was on my previous turntable and a Groovemaster 3 as a second arm on this turntable.

The brass platter and upgraded bearing are both non-standard. They were not options on original machines. They offer a fairly dramatic performance upgrade for £1450 which, considering the weight of the platter and the quality of the bearing, is ridiculously cheap.

The performance of these turntables is exceptional. I’ve had mine now for about six months and couldn’t be happier. It was an idea at the back of my head for about 10 years after going to see Terry O’Sullivan, who owned the Garrard brand before he sold it to SME on his retirement about three or four years ago. Terry was very busy with Garrard and his Loricraft cleaners, collecting one of which was the purpose of my visit. Ray used to do some of Terry’s work. Ray is a very young early 70s and still runs Another successful business, doing his Garrard work in a beautiful workshop/listening room in his house in Yorkshire.

I thought my Garrard might be a step down from a very well-made machine, also made in Yorkshire but the opposite was the case.

Like @Rensselaer, I also have the LDA power supply, which is the same one sold by Artisan audio in the USA. LDA is a business run by a guy called Nick Gorham, another charming Yorkshireman and very fine engineer who is based only about 15 minutes from Ray.

I use the Zavfino record stabiliser, our mutual tonearm supplier swears by it and I certainly like using it as well. He also swears by Phasemation, which will explain why @Rensselaer has two of them. I’ve not gone there yet, but I did buy an Ortofon SPU 1S from him a couple of weeks ago.

 

[bonzo75]

Some more

 

[bonzo75]

Spring

 

[Gregm]

Album covers without barcodes are nice.

Absolutely!
A tried & true way of avoiding re- issued / mastered / ad lib, mediocrity

Like everyone else, I would like first pressings -- but only have very few.
Generally, I am happy with the older pressings and when it comes to western products, Dutch, German, UK, are usually good (at least) when it comes to classical. Very early stereo LPs from the US (HMV etc) are excellent!

Of course, I also have Hungaroton, Supraphon, and Melodyia from the Soviet era -- Some of the Supraphon are excellent recordings and reasonably good pressings as well (a Beethoven cycle with Paul Kletsky, for example).