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To those with multiple tables/arms/cartridges

How do you 'play' your system?
For 30 years I had only one turntable, one arm and one cartridge......and it never entered my mind that there was an alternative?
After upgrading my turntable nearly 5 years ago to a Raven AC-3 which allowed easy mounting of up to four tonearms......I decided to add two arms.
RAVEN
A few years later I became interested in Direct Drive turntables and purchased a vintage 30 year old Victor/JVC TT-81 followed shortly after by the top-of-the-line TT-101 and I designed and had cast 3 solid bronze armpods which I had lacquered in gloss black.
TT-101
By this time I had over 30 cartridges (both LOMCs and MMs) all mounted in their own headshells for easy interchange.
STORAGE

Every day I listen to vinyl for 3-4 hours and might play with one cartridge on one arm on one table for this whole day or even two or three days.
I then might decide to change to a different arm and cartridge on a the same table or perhaps the other.....and listen to the last side I had just heard on the previous play.
I am invariably thrilled and excited by the small differences in presentation I am able to hear....and I perhaps listen to this combination for the next few days before again lusting after a particular arm or cartridge change?

Is this the way most of you with multiple cartridges/arms listen?......or are there other intentions involved?
128x128halcro
halcro's avatar
halcro OP
2,664 posts
 
Well you're all spoilt little 'girls'.........
I have 6 arms on 2 turntables with all their phono-cables (colour-coded) lying behind my phono-stage.
To unplug the cables from one arm and plug in those of another takes all of 15 seconds.
Flick a switch for MM/MC.....another switch for 3 stages of gain.....adjust loading and capacitance for MM only.......and I'm set in less than 30 seconds :-)
lewm
13,118 posts
 
Halcro, I can see you as part of a pit crew in a Grand Prix race, changing a tire in "less than 30 seconds".

So far, I do the same; I plug and unplug, altho I do have two phono stages, one inside the Atma MP1 for LOMC (and also for LOMM, the Stanton 980LZS) and one in the form of a modified Silvaweld SWH550, for MM/MI. Usually, I have 3 tonearms in play at any given moment.

But one can dream of a multi-input, infinitely switchable phono stage, can't one? The DSA Phono II and the others mentioned here do exist. I've gotta say I have a silly bias against the Manley Steelhead, only because it uses 12AX7s and I think also 12AU7s, of which I am not very fond. I just thought of another such candidate, the EAR 324. Does anyone have experience with that?
nandric's avatar
nandric
4,086 posts
 
Dear Henry, That is exactly what the 'Einstein who is not Einstein' suggested to me as 'solution' to my problem: plug in one cable in the (same)inpunt, then unplug this one
and plug the other one instead. My idea was that an single switch for the other input would solve the problem. Not so according to the designer of the (balanced) Einstein
phono stage. This switch will cause the worsening of the performance according to the designer. I have no idea about the truth in this situation but I solved my problem by purchasing the Basis Exclusive with two separate phono-pres and consequently two separate inputs for my two tonearms.
nandric's avatar
nandric
4,086 posts
 
Dear Henry, That is exactly what the 'Einstein who is not Einstein' suggested to me as 'solution' to my problem: plug in one cable in the (same)inpunt, then unplug this one
and plug the other one instead. My idea was that an single switch for the other input would solve the problem. Not so according to the designer of the (balanced) Einstein
phono stage. This switch will cause the worsening of the performance according to the designer. I have no idea about the truth in this situation but I solved my problem by purchasing the Basis Exclusive with two separate phono-pres and consequently two separate inputs for my two tonearms.
lewm
13,118 posts
 
Dear Nandric, I have to agree with Einstein who is in this case at least an "A" student. Putting a simple switch at the output of the tonearms will inevitably degrade the sound of both cartridges, because the signal voltage is so low in magnitude at that juncture, and because even very good switches have some micro-reactance. However, it may be possible to achieve switching by the clever use of relays such that the switch is not in the signal path, maybe. But that's why the multi-phono-input phono stages we've been discussing do have separate discrete RIAA stages for each pair of inputs. Once the cartridge output is amplified and equalized, it is less damaging to switch it.

But I confess, I installed a switch in my MP1, so I can change the cartridge load resistance from 100R to 1000R to 47K. I choose to believe I can hear no problem from that.
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