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Fidelity Research FR-64 vs. FR-54

In a prior discussion, I had asked about tonearm suggestions for a Luxman PD-441 table that currently has a Denon DA-307 tonearm and Grado The Reference high output cartridge.  Many suggestions were provided.  A Fidelity Research FR-64 was suggested as a simple replacement.  I'm wondering if the FR-54 would also be good, being that it is mentioned in the Luxman manual in the same category as the Denon arm on there now?
bdunne
nandric's avatar
nandric
4,086 posts
 

Dear chakster, You should write to my brother Don and ask

where his Lustre is rewired. He got my Lustre 801 as present but

the (silver) wire was broken in one of the channels. He is very happy

with the result and prefer the Lustre above his Graham 2 (?) for

the MC carts. I would not recommend rewire by FR-64. There are

two kinds of the FR-64 S; one with silver wire the other with copper

wire. I own both but can hardly hear any difference. Thekong

mentioned Schick's article and pictures of the dissasembled FR-64.

There you can see how complex this job is. Dertonarm rewired  

FR-64/66 for his fiends with Ikeda silver wire but he is an  FR

specialist .  If one is not satisfy with the wire he owns he can better

sell his sample and buy the other with the other wire.


lewm
13,486 posts
 
I had a go at re-wiring the tonearm on my Kenwood L07D, which has a separate part number, L07J.  I gave up when I found that I could not separate the vertical shaft from the pivot housing, even after all fasteners that might have prevented the separation had been removed. I don't know what was holding them together, but I was loathe to exert total brute force.  So, after several tries with "moderate" effort applied, I gave it up. With every pivoted tonearm, the delicate internal wires need somehow to get past the bearing at the pivot and must be installed so as not to impede the bearing in any plane.  The job was too scary for me.  I have conceived of a "quick and dirty" method, which I intend to apply to the L07J; one could run the wires entirely external to the arm tube but fixed to the arm tube with bits of tape, from above the headshell back to the pivot.  Then fix the four leads right over the pivot point (so not to impede its motion) and run them maybe another foot back of the arm or all the way to the phono stage.  I guess the same could be done with the FR tonearms, but mine has "Silver Inside", and I have no issues with short circuits.  The L07J has Litz wire inside, which is commendable for low capacitance but I have always perceived a sort of sluggish coloration from Litz wire interconnects.  The Kenwood, nevertheless sounds fine, but could it be better with "better" wire?  This is what keeps us awake at night (for 5 minutes).

lbelchev
64 posts
 

The first was the recommendation to use Bearwald instead of Stevenson and consisted in increas of the spindle-pivot distance with 1,5 mm (aka eff.lenght of 246mm).

Dear Nandric,

When I adjust the PS distance at 231,5 mm, my SPU can not catch the Baerwald - it is on the Stevenson point. I need 1,5 mm to catch the Baerwald (Dr. Feickert protractor) or the Dennesen protractor intersection point.  When I adjust the SP distance at 230 mm, the SPU is just on the Baerwald and on the Dennesen points ....?


chakster's avatar
chakster
6,144 posts
 
@nandric 

Dear chakster, You should write to my brother Don and ask where his Lustre is rewired. He got my Lustre 801 as present but the (silver) wire was broken in one of the channels. He is very happy with the result and prefer the Lustre above his Graham 2 (?) for the MC carts. 

oh, yes
I remember this story from Don. Just checked by mailbox now and you know i realized the answer is already there. Don has described full story from the start in september when i asked about external cable. Nice, so he had the same problem with old Lustre internally. Ok, his choice is Discovery Cable from Joseph De Phillip who rewired your ex Lustre silver with Discovery copper cable. That's good as it's medium priced copper litz.
chakster's avatar
chakster
6,144 posts
 
@lewm 

 The Kenwood, nevertheless sounds fine, but could it be better with "better" wire?  This is what keeps us awake at night (for 5 minutes).

Haha, exactly.
It took at least 2-3 hrs to disassemble my Lustre 801 in parts for the first time, we did it. Internal tube damping doesn't looks like in the manual, but there is something inside for damping (Raul love it) in this armtube. I'm looking forward to try the arm with new wires. The magnetic tracking force works, but incorrect. I hope the magnetic (?) antiskating works, i have no idea how it works in this Lustre tonearm.     
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