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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
thuchan
1,009 posts
 
To my understanding and hopefully I have learned my lessons we do concentrate very much on the front end while the basics behind the system (power supplies - oh yes it can make a difference, power distribution, fuses, matching parameters between preamp/amp/ speakers) are of some importance in a good system. How much difference does it make when changing a tonearm to the better, or a cartridge, while the back end misses a good standard.

I know some might argue that isolation platforms, speed control, matching of tonearm and cart (compliance) are even more important. of course this is also a crucial workplace. Nevertheless how often did I experience in my High End life that people are not aware what they are missing or just have no idea what it could change in their system. Usually the first reaction is blocking all advisory or consulting hints. Maybe it will also lead to aggression or other kind of lousy behaviour just trying to solve their cognitive dissonance. This is understandable and a certain kind of protection, also not investing too much money in some kind of voodoo toys they might think.

Oh yes, sometimes I start thinking that we were born to reach a level and then defending it for all the time. Are these good perspectives...?
thuchan
1,009 posts
 
Having now experimented with my new ToXion arm I am puzzled about the differences you can hear between the different materials the six Toho-tubes provide on the Axiom arm. One may believe it or not my current favourite is Bamboo. No I had only one glas of wine so far...
lewm
13,118 posts
 
What is a ToXion tonearm? I presume one is obliged to capitalize the "X"? Is this another Dertonearm product?
halcro's avatar
halcro OP
2,664 posts
 
Thuchan is a very special 'collector' of all things 'audio'.....but particularly analogue and specifically tonearms and cartridges.
He has acquired a full series of Toho armtubes and has had a special Axiom tonearm made to accommodate these arm-tubes.
This is really a one-off design which no other person in the world will be able to replicate.
So no-one will be able to argue with Thuchan that he doesn't have the very best?
But then again......on-one will be able to say very much at all? :-)
Except that.....he is one very lucky audiophile!
halcro's avatar
halcro OP
2,664 posts
 
I have always used an active MM and MC stage (all built-in) with my separate preamps and have read in the Forums and magazines about the Pros and Cons of using SUTs for LOMC cartridges instead.

Usually......there are just so many varying results and opinions and it all seemed to be specific-cartridge dependent.....so my impressions were that SUTs were generally not worth the effort unless you really knew what you were doing?

Recently......a friend (who had heard my system)....lent me the Kondo KSL SF-Z SUT for a try-out.
The results were truly astonishing with my 3 LOMCs (Dynavector XV-1s, Fidelity Research FR-7f/Lc and ZYX UNIverse) all sounding purer, richer, more transparent and ultimately more enjoyable than directly through the Halcro DM10 Active LOMC Input.

It's no secret that I have preferred the sounds of high-compliance MM cartridges in my system over the last few years.......but this will now force some new 'play-offs' over the coming weeks.

Oh......and I bought the Kondo from my friend.
He has 'golden' ears :-)
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