System problem

[_D_S_J_R_]

Ant, I'm not disagreeing with you one bit really, but I had years setting the bloody Formula 4 arms up with all sorts of cartridges and using the cursor weight to set tracking force never seemed to affect stability or issues due to effective mass in practise day to day - and the pre-LP12 'KJ W1 record Player was a JBE/Formula 4 and Sonus Blue, of which we sold a goodly few, the LP12 coming to us in late '77... The amount of fluid damping DID have an effect and you don't need much in my experience, just enough to prevent lateral wobble (a la Naim ARO) and absolutely NO more in my experience...

The Mani is a well reviewed once cheapie phono stage but I understand it's limited by the wall-wart that feeds it and with some non-standard tonearm wiring (REGA!!!), hum can be an issue too, even with mm cartridges. I'd be pushing my luck mentioning a PHONO ONE!!!! but there ya go, I have Upgrading the wall-wart can be costly...

I'm getting the feeling the Mani may well be like the infamous Cambridge phono stage (651P?) that measured pretty well but sounded pretty dreadful in practise with a music signal. I was going to try a Mani to see what it's really like but I just don't have the funds to experiment. It's also a couple of years since I had Phono 1's here, but 'bland and lifeless' were NEVER part of their portfolio I promise you!

[Rectified]

Dave:
I use a Swagman Labs 16V AC power supply with the 'Mani' that replaces the Wall wart.

Ok been farting about. I connected the 'Mani' Phono stage to the Schiit 'SYS'. output from the 'SYS' into the Headphone amp inputs. The 'SYS' is a two input switch unit with Volume Control. I switched the Volume to max used the Headphone unit as normal. The clarity is now there but thats an extra unit is the signal chain as well as an additional pair of Interconnects, something i originally did not want.

This tells me one thing the Headphone unit in no good driving the Phono stage signal. I also cannot seem to get use to a Flat responce sound after using amps with tone controls for donkies, but that me choosing the easy way out over the years

Im not sure what to do but it looks like a different Headphone unit may be in order!

[guydarryl]

Guy, I'm going to find out where you live (before we move) and I'm going to wash your ears out!!!!!!!!! Andr'e's been there and done it decades ago and moved on - from the conversations we've had over ten years or so...


http://rockgrotto.proboards.com/thread/ ... estoration

[Vinyl-ant]

Youre right on the amount of damping dave, too much/too high c/s silicone fluid kills the dynamics.
Ive used 60,000cs, and ended up with the bearing being about a 3rd full

Interestingly, i tried a few different carts in it a few weeks ago as ive stuck it on my lenco instead of the rb251 (cos I dont like it). Eroica was bloody awful, at440 lovely, m97 ok but boring, at150 best.
Trying to get the eroica to sound anything like was a non starter. The 440 and m97 needed about the same amount of fluid, the 150 a little more which I put down to the cart body being heavier than the 440. The eroica beat me, was impossible to like no matter what I did. Stuck it back in the jvc robot arm and it was lovely.

But i suspect andre knows all this

I will just always exhaust all free options before puting my hand in my pocket

[Rectified]

Ant: I don't use silicon Fluid in the Mayware arm, never have..

Always had a couple of private rules with Hi-Fi .

a, Low Mass arms/High Compliance cartridges.
b, The best bearing are no bearing.
c, Low power Amps/ High Efficiency Loudspeakes

The Mayware is the only low mass arm ive had the ADC Blocks working with. Even got the '25'/'26' working with it..

Dave: I like the STD '305' TT. This & the Logic' DM101' were my fav two decks back i the early 80's. However im not a fan of Bouncy Decks, i just don't know why i entertain them & will most probably get something else later on.

[_D_S_J_R_]

Long ago memories and I can't remember the viscosity rating of the original damping fluid (I've still got some somewhere I think in it's tube) and I think it's slightly lighter than the Rega cueing device fluid I have) but I seem to remember there's a taper at the bottom of the bearing well and I just used to cover that as I distantly remember. My last hands-on with a Formula 4 was in the mid 80's and it didn't like a 'period' LP12 so it went to a pal for not much dosh I remember.

[Rectified]

Hi Dave
Yeah the well is tapered. The Silicon is actually very thick more like a paste, thicker than treacle. I still have the original miniature Silver tube of it. Viscosity is about 60K

[Rectified]

Ok moving on to new way of doing things is far from working with me, i cannot listen to it. Im looking for another vintage amplifier.

Also Anyone got a near mint set of Ross 'RE272' headphones?

[Ithilstone]

I know vintage is OK with speakers and amps, with it you, if needed can do restoration and bring them back to shine again
and loads of vintage stuff was better designed and manufactured than current stuff at reasonable prices

But with HPs?? Tech moved so far that there is only sentimental value in this type of HPs and you can buy new one for 50 GBP that will out perform 99.9% vintage headphones

[Rectified]

I used to have two pairs of 'RE272' they were much better than any of the AKG phones im using.