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New Townshend Rock 7 owner

The Townshend is in transit to it's new home. I purchased this one-owner table as a package, complete w/ Funk Firm FXR ll arm, dc motor upgrade, Discovery Balanced phono cable and Brinkman PI cartridge. It come with all original boxes, manuals.

If all goes well, I should be able to get it up and running with one exception, my phono stage is not balanced. Since the original owner bought this from a respected dealer as a package, I think my best route would be to get a pair of RCA to XLR adapters in order to hear the package as close as possible as was intended.

Any thoughts on that aspect? What brand adapters would be recommended? Also, any thing I might need to know from experienced users to help with set-up? Thanks.
128x128slaw
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
9,717 posts
 
@nsp, the Triplanar, another mighty fine arm! Another good arm for the Rock is any of the Kuzmas. It has been said that the Rock minimizes differences between arms, but differences nonetheless remain. An arm partnered a lot with the old Rock Elite (Mk.2) was the Zeta, the combination I own. Right after the Rock Mk.7 was introduced, I ran into Max at CES in Vegas, and asked him how much better than the Mk.2 was the Mk.7, and he said "just", positioning his thumb and pointed finger with but a tiny gap between them. I intend to eventually own a Mk.7, but until then, my Elite will suffice ;-) .
nsp
653 posts
 
slaw
 yes I understand the belt goes around the sub platter/ motor pulley. What I referred to as the platter maybe what you call the plinth. The plinth  is what the record is placed on top of. As Max says in his diagram the belt should never touch a platter or the chassis. in in my situation the top of the belt scrapes ever so slightly against the bottom of the plinth/ platter. I eyeballed and try to I I bald and try to measure the top of the motor housing to the top of the chassis. My motor housing top is significantly higher than the top of the chassis. It's not a half inch but maybe a quarter of an inch. I think this is the problem.On your setup are the top of the motor housing  and the top of the chassis the same height?
nsp
653 posts
 
slawAlso Max indicates in writing and his diagram that the belt should run over the transition between the top cylindrical section of the motor pulley and the center tapered section. my belt does not do this it runs almost all the way towards the bottom the motor pulley.
nsp
653 posts
 
bdp24
The Zeta tonearm is not one that I am familiar with. If you spoke directly to Max then you got it from the source!! It's nice that he was honest enough to give his opinion and not try to sell you the newer model if there was not that big of a difference.
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
9,717 posts
 

@nsp, the Zeta is a cult item from the 1980’s and 90’s, far better known in the UK than in the U.S. It was a favorite with users of the idiosyncratic Decca cartridges, who also liked the Rock. In fact, the Rock was developed using the Decca cartridge.

Regarding the nomenclature used for the various parts of the Rock Mk.7, the 12" round disc the LP is placed on (it’s white on the Rock Mk.7) is always referred to as a platter. In most tables, the "body" of the table that the platter’s bearing and usually the tonearm are mounted onto is called a plinth. As the body of the Rock Mk.7 is so "skeletal", it’s hard to think of it as having a plinth!

At any rate, the belt should not touch the 12" white platter, or anything else other than the metal sub-platter. Changing the height of the motor pod to effect where the belt rides on the sub-platter is simple---just shim it with a thin sheet of any material of your choice---metal, acrylic, wood whatever. Or place it on little "footers" of your choice---you can try hard materials and softer, see what you prefer.

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