Tonearm Rewiring


Who's done it here? Was it worth it? How much did it cost? KABUSA.com has this wire set, which, with an hour of bench time at my local tech, should be able to rewire my SL1210M5G for about $60. I'm also intrigued by the claimed improvements in mechanical performance by wires the impose minimal drag on tonearm operation.

Anyone experiences shared on this topic are most welcome.
johnnyb53
Hi Johnnyb53,

I have been wondering the same thing myself. Here is a link to some large pictures:

http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/how-to-rewire-a-technics-sl-1200-tonearm.148792/

My opinion is that the hardest part, which requires a light touch, would be to desolder the old wires and solder the new wires from/to the cicuit board at the base of the arm. Otherwise, it seems to be mechanical and just remembering what part fits where before you go to the next one.

Having said that, I had my local area tech upgrade the stock capacitors in my JD9. It seemed like the right thing to do to avoid melting a circuit board.

By the way, the new Clarity Caps make a difference. To my ears, the sound has more clarity and the bass is definitely better.

I recently upgraded to Pat Cullen's interconnects and saw an improvement - cleaner sound - so I think changing out the tone arm wire would be a benefit. IMHO it should let through more of the sound from the vinyl.

BUT, do you think $10 wires is going to make a difference - seems very inexpensive??!! I mean is it going to be equal to or better than a Cardas rewire?

On the other hand, for about $100 is it not worth a try?

Dsper
yes it is a good thing. I have done it twice to my alphason, the last time with cardas 4X33Ga from cartridge clips to rcas, but it took me a lot longer that an hour.