LP 12 the Extreme Phono Way-First Impressions

Do you like what you hear ? I am curious, as the Mana board is solely used for 'reflective' energy to enhance and tune the effect of glass.

I found that the 'ting' of the Mana glass nearly = 440 Hz A tone. This can only be achieved with the proper thickness of 11mm glass. Perhaps that's where the 'magic' lies.

To get an idea, try placing/suspending A tuning fork somewhere in the middle of two speakers, make sure it is allow to resonate (i.e. not put it on a shelf there by damping its resonance).

BTW, the tonearm cable Alexc installed is NOT the hot-rod tonearm wire I pictured in extremephono.com. The hot-rod wire sounds very cohesive and smooth, but subject to EMI pick-up because it has no shielding. It also have less soundstage definition, since without a rigidly defined structure, the timing information cannot be well preserved. However, it remains heads and shoulders above most tonearm cable for under $100 DIY cost.

Casey - I still prefer the Neuance over the stock Mana glass shelf. It is not about "better" but about "different" in a way that, to my ears, is more pleasant. I find describing neuances (no pun intended) in sound as difficult as as finding the proper descriptors for a wine's bouquet and flavor. The Mana is more dynamic and "in your face", but the Neunace (to me) is more coherent and has more natural, realistic pace. Then again..what is "reality" when it comes to PRAT?. To be sure, if I did not own the Neuance the stock Mana would be very nice also....(same reaction I had comparing Nordost Quattrofils to AQ Diamond in my system. I could live w/ either, but the Diamond X3's were more balance throughout the range and, though less detailed on top, more pleasant/less fatiguing to my ears).

I bacame aware of Casey & his company Extreme Phono when I was hunting Ebay for a used Lingo to add to my 10 year old LP12/Akito 1/Benz Glider. I didn't find the Lingo but came accross Casey selling a used example of his cutom made silver interconnect cable specially designed to suit the LP12 installation & MC cartridges. I bought the cable &, to cut a long story short, once the cable was installed the improvement in sound quality was breathtaking! Certainly a bigger improvement than when I changed my trusty Quad 44/405 for YBA electronics.
I began to correspond with Casey regarding an upgrade game plan for the turntable. His advise was to dump the Akito for a better arm & also consider his carbon fiber subchassis & armboard upgrade. He also advised me to get new springs, rubber gromets & drive belt as these items do deteriorate over time. As you will see if you visit the Extreme Phono website Casey has a real understanding of the engineering & dynamics of how a turntable should function. With this peace of mind I went ahead & ordered the parts. I was also able to purchase a SME Model 10 tonearm with a type V mounting base from a supplier in Hong Kong, so the stage was set for a total phono make-over.
The total installation, including arm, took me about 8 hours. But I can honestly say that the time & effort was more than rewarded. See my comments regarding my initial listening impressions below. One warning to LP12 owners that do want to install one of the SME arms on their turntable, & I'm sure this applies to the 309, IV & V as well as the 10, you will need to cut-back the corner brace in the plinth where the arm is mounted. No big deal but you really need a Dremel tool to do the job properly. As for the SME arm it really is a jewel compared to the Akito.

Initial listening impressions:-

> Firstly there was obviously a tangible improvement in the quality of sound
> coming from my speakers. With more prolonged listening the
> subtleties became
> more identifiable. The surface noise, (needle in the groove), has
> vanished,
> the only audible sound on blank grooves being the hum from the phono stage
> of the amp. Soundstage has increased side to side & front to back. But the
> best part is the pace & rhythm of the music. Wow! I just could not keep my
> feet still. Come to think of it my whole body was moving with the music. I
> don't really know how to quantify the emotion I was experiencing but the
> fact is the music was drawing me in, I wasn't just listening anymore but I
> was now part of, what my brain considered, a live musical event. Other
> identifiable elements of the new presentation are a deeper low frequency
> performance with more authority to the bass notes, much more detail across
> the musical spectrum, & the space around the instruments &
> performers seems
> bigger & there location in the soundstage can be determined with pin point
> accuracy. Am I happy with the upgrade, you bet I am! I have only
> spent a few
> hours with the modified turntable so I'm sure my appreciation of
> the new set
> up will only grow over the weeks to come.

Just a quick question. I have had what I consider to be very good results (considering a relatively low cost) with 1/2" glass, which is actually 12mm as opposed to 11 mm as a support. I use it within a Target rack with vibrapods between both Target MDF shelf material and the component, as a shelf support for both CD player and integrated amp. I can do a 1/2" piece of glass for about $50 U.S. which I believe is quite a bit less expensive than the Neuance, which I have heard great things about. I have a Michell Gyrodec (older model) sited on the top spiked shelf of the Target rack and have never used the glass under it. I did experiment with both granite and marble and the 1/2" glass was clearly superior to both. Just wondering how you think it might be under the Gyrodec, which clearly sounds better straight onto the Target MDF shelf than it did on either marble or granite? Regards.

Blake

My post above should read that I experimented with marble and granite under the turntable (on the Target shelf) and that the table sounded better going straight onto the MDF spiked Target shelf. The half inch glass has been a clear winner with the CD player and integrated, but I haven't tried glass under the turntable. Sorry for the confusion.