The final tweek is complete - I finally mounted my Rega components on the completed plinth (mentioned in a previous append) this weekend.
The tweek cost around $50 for materials and IMHO well worth it.
The results were varied from one album to the next, but the one thing that did stand out was the amount of additional detail that is presented to the listener.
- the bass was a little deeper on some albums
- the mid range was definately enhanced to provide a much richer sound, but this was probably due to the change in VTA
- the highs on most albums did not appear to be any different, but on some Genesis, Phil Collins, Police and a couple of Tacet albums I have there was a marked difference in the high frequency details - cymballs for one were much more detailed and brass sound great.
- the music was definately very enjoyable and much warmer in the mid range.
I think the main reason for the improvement in sound is due to the feet - each foot is made up of
- a 1.25" glass marble
- on top of that sits a 1.25" steel washer
- on top of that are two 1/8" layers of underlay foam 1.5" round
- the whole thing sits in a 1.5" hole about 1" deep bored into the plinth
- the marble does NOT touch the sides of the hole
When the plinth is sitting on all three marbles it "floats" just like a suspended deck.
- Any sound that it tranmitted through the floor/stand/marbles/Washer is absorbed by the rubber - since the plinth is too heavy to be moved by any residual sound waves - voila! there is no tranmission to the arm and platter
The unit is basically three pieces of 3/4 MDF cut to almost the same size as the original Rega platter and glued together
Change from the original plinth include:
- the position of the motor is further from the arm, but the same distance from the bearing
- mounted the motor on an aluminum plate with a foam spacer
- the position of the feet now distributes weight more evenly between them, BUT they are at difference distances from one another
- the power switch was moved to the back left corner to shorten wiring and hopefully reduce interference
- made the bearing and arm mounting holes a loose fit to ensure both were securly drawn down to the steel washers that isolate arm and bearing from the plynth
- to centre the bearing I used teflon tape to fill the gap
- I already had the extended Nut with a collar to centre the arm in the oversized hole
Many have reported better success with Birch plywood, so I might just give that a try some day, but for now I'm a happy camper.
My thanks to Mikkysix for some info shared offline - it proved very useful.
Regards...
The tweek cost around $50 for materials and IMHO well worth it.
The results were varied from one album to the next, but the one thing that did stand out was the amount of additional detail that is presented to the listener.
- the bass was a little deeper on some albums
- the mid range was definately enhanced to provide a much richer sound, but this was probably due to the change in VTA
- the highs on most albums did not appear to be any different, but on some Genesis, Phil Collins, Police and a couple of Tacet albums I have there was a marked difference in the high frequency details - cymballs for one were much more detailed and brass sound great.
- the music was definately very enjoyable and much warmer in the mid range.
I think the main reason for the improvement in sound is due to the feet - each foot is made up of
- a 1.25" glass marble
- on top of that sits a 1.25" steel washer
- on top of that are two 1/8" layers of underlay foam 1.5" round
- the whole thing sits in a 1.5" hole about 1" deep bored into the plinth
- the marble does NOT touch the sides of the hole
When the plinth is sitting on all three marbles it "floats" just like a suspended deck.
- Any sound that it tranmitted through the floor/stand/marbles/Washer is absorbed by the rubber - since the plinth is too heavy to be moved by any residual sound waves - voila! there is no tranmission to the arm and platter
The unit is basically three pieces of 3/4 MDF cut to almost the same size as the original Rega platter and glued together
Change from the original plinth include:
- the position of the motor is further from the arm, but the same distance from the bearing
- mounted the motor on an aluminum plate with a foam spacer
- the position of the feet now distributes weight more evenly between them, BUT they are at difference distances from one another
- the power switch was moved to the back left corner to shorten wiring and hopefully reduce interference
- made the bearing and arm mounting holes a loose fit to ensure both were securly drawn down to the steel washers that isolate arm and bearing from the plynth
- to centre the bearing I used teflon tape to fill the gap
- I already had the extended Nut with a collar to centre the arm in the oversized hole
Many have reported better success with Birch plywood, so I might just give that a try some day, but for now I'm a happy camper.
My thanks to Mikkysix for some info shared offline - it proved very useful.
Regards...