Nude Turntable Project

I didn’t think I would be writing this review…….
Correction…..I didn’t think I would be writing this review with the following results and conclusions?
In fact it’s hard to tear myself away from the music to devote the time to write this review…..

When I designed the stainless steel cradle for the TT-101 DD turntable…..I never imagined that I would remove the surrounding slotted screen?
Nor did I imagine I would be hearing much difference from the set-up I had been playing over the last 2-3 years? After all….I was simply changing the turntable supporting feet from under the screen, to directly under the top plate which is effectively how all these models of DD turntables were designed to be supported in solid plinths.
I expected to be rather reserved (if not disappointed) in the changes (if any) I would hear?

And perhaps that’s the way it would have played out had I not been forced to remove the outer slotted screen because I had miscalculated by 2 mm the size of the circular cut-out I had designed.

Listening to the new set-up……there was instantly an audible change which confused me somewhat as I couldn’t quite ascertain exactly what it was?
The more I listened….changing back and forth between 3 different arms and cartridges……the more excited I became.
Firstly the silence!
Now the TT-101 was always quiet….at least as quiet as the Raven AC-2……but this new ‘background’ silence was quite unnerving.
There was a ‘depth’ to this silence (if that makes any sense?)….and through the ‘depth’, the ‘newly heard’ projected voices and instruments had body and tangibility.
Secondly the purity!
At every stage of my audio ‘upgrade’ path…….from the Halcro electronics to the Dueland speaker capacitors to the fully differentially balanced amplification operation…..there resulted a greater degree of ‘purity’…….probably best described as a lowering of distortions?
This new set-up lifted the purity to another level.

But the combination of these two improvements rendered a musical presentation so engrossing, so addictive, so transformative….that I broke open the Blue Label and danced a jig.

But how did this happen?
What really changed?
The sonic results I could not reconcile with simply a support change?
And then it struck me!
I grabbed the slotted metal surround screen and held a magnet against it………..
This screen was magnetic steel!
Now I’m not au fait with electro-magnetic theory and practice……but I do know that electrical current, transformers, power supplies and coils can produce magnetism and here was a steel enclosure surrounding this potential magnetism?
If there is indeed a magnetic field being created amongst which are placed hundreds of transistors, resistors, capacitors and copper wiring…..it seems a potential for harm? Almarg…..where are you?

Since I have had my TT-101…..on start-up, very often….the speed readout goes to 33.32 rpm before stabilising at 33.33 rpm after a few seconds. I thought this was normal operation?
Sometimes whilst listening to records…..the sound would ‘wow’ and I would jump up to see the speed read-out at 33.29 rpm or 33.32 rpm before once again stabilising.
Now on start-up…..33.33 rpm is hit straight off and there hasn’t been any speed fluctuations so far.

So my advice to all those with a DD turntable possessing a steel surround…..is please remove it and listen for the differences.
You may well be surprised and delighted?

Tim, Being a Connecticutian (a term of my own concoction) by birth and still a Connecticut Yankee at heart, I know Willimantic quite well. A prostitute could starve there, unless she also liked to babysit or cut grass.

As it turns out, I am wrong about the association between the word "hooker" and General Fighting Joe Hooker, even though he was notorious for his patronizing of prostitutes. Seems the slang may pre-date the civil war, back to the early 19th century New York or even to England in the 1500s. No one knows for sure.

Halcro, Could you be induced to make me one of those? How much does it weigh? I ask because if I were to modify your design in any way it would only be to maybe add another "ring" so as to enhance mass.

Now, as to the ferrous nature of the outer cage, that is interesting and it suggests to me either that Victor chose it as a matter of convenience or that it was indeed chosen for its shielding effect. Yes, I would like to know Al's opinion also, but being ferrous it would be a shield of sorts. Note that in the owners manual also they make a big point of connecting that ground lug on the outer cage to audio system ground. That WOULD be essential if it is functional as an RFI or EMI shield. How are you grounding the TT101 with no cage? With my balanced Atma-sphere phono stage, tt grounds have always been irrelevant. With my single-ended outboard phono, grounding is critical.

Dear Nikola,
Big spikes are necessary to counter the large deflection of my cantilevered shelf :-)

I grabbed the slotted metal surround screen and held a magnet against it………..
This screen was magnetic steel!

Strange for a TT that is marketed with the word laboratory ?

Just kidding Henry – cool looking project. Looks like you are having a lot of fun.

I like Banquo’s use of the word “steampunk aesthetic” which if what we were looking at was all analog stuff would work for me. I have stared at too many digital circuit boards so I would be inclined to want to keep it under covers myself. From what I have heard about parts availability for that JVC I would want to prevent a setup that could cause an accident pulling of some wire ?

My recommendation holds to put the table and the armpods on a dedicated shelf supported by decouplers – the AT616’s come to mind. Even though you are on the wall already.....

Now I realize you are in beta trial mode and the setup is being tweaked but is that an old Canadian penny shimming the left armpod ? :^)

Cheers

Lewm,
Did you not remember my 'incident' when I had the ground cable connected to one of the Halcro amps (as it wasn't long enough to reach the preamp?
After placing the Victor on the copper Fidelity Research Cu-180 platter mat to test 'isolation'.......when I turned on the power....I blew up the Halcro phono stage and also the Dyna XV-1s cartridge which was connected at the time.
A very expensive exercise.....

Since then I have not had the ground wire connected (my previous TT-81 did not even have one)......and all three arms use fully balanced XLR interconnects.