"It’s amazing the amount all of you know.."
It’s also amazing the amount all of us don’t know. Like why an outboard pod is not advisable, especially the pods shown in those photos. I don’t argue that it cannot be done well, but the doer must be someone who understands the potential problems. In my opinion, it is not a good idea for your first venture away from standard. If you watched the video provided by Mijostyn, pay special attention to the discussion and views shown of the underside of the AR XA chassis, with the T-shaped heavy metal brace that links the tonearm pivot to the bearing. The narrator discusses the significance of that idea; you don’t want the tonearm and the bearing to be independent of one another structurally or in terms of how external forces affect them.
How to choose an upgraded tonearm.
In two recent threads on selecting an upgraded cartridge, some of you suggested a new tonearm was in order. Since I’ve never chosen a new tonearm, I’m asking you all for some advice on how to do so for that future event.
My current turntable is a VPI Classic 2 with a VPI JMW 10.5i unipivot tonearm. A new Lyra Kleos MC cartridge is on order. I’ll likely be changing to a gimbal style tonearm. The rest of the system is Magico A3 speakers, a Luxman 507uX MkII integrated amp, a Marants Ruby CD player, and a Shunyata Hydra Denali power conditioner.
What price range should an appropriate tonearm for the Lyra Kleos be in, that would also be in keeping with the price point of my Classic 2, The Classic 2 was in the $3-4,000 range, as is the Lyra Kleos. I’ll be purchasing new, not used, and will not be upgrading any other equipment than the tonearm.
Pardon some rookie questions, but what attributes should I be looking for in a quality tonearm? Who are some of the better known manufacturers, and which models of theirs might be workable? Are there other alternative to either a gimbal or unipvot tonearm? Are tonearms generally interchangeable between different manufacturers turntables? And what improvements in sound quality might be gained by upgrading my tonearm?
Since this is all new to me, any other advice you might have about things to consider would be greatly appreciated and will help kick off my research. Thanks,
Mike
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- 103 posts total
Lewm- appreciate the heads up. It’s going to take a minute to sort out all the information on this thread alone much less other information gathered on the subject. It might be most cost effective to get a VPI gimballed Fatboy and call it a day. It would be integrated structurally with the rest of the turntable since it’s made to go with the existing tonearm’s base. It is gimballed so should complement the Lyra Kleos cartridge better, I wouldn’t have to waste $170 on a dual pivot for the current arm. And the professional set up cost of about $200 wouldn’t have to be redone if I upgraded at a later date to a better tonearm. I’m thinking out loud here. Mike |
I’m not a fan of external arm boards. Instead of explaining the technical reasons, which will invite another 50 odd posts debating the issue, the reasons I would give are - ugly - if the cleaning person lifts the pod to dust underneath, and forgets to tell you they may have moved it, you will likely end up with misstracking and damaged records. You stated that you wanted to keep the Classic 2 for the long haul. If that is so it may be possible to mount a surface mounted arm as @lewm suggested with minimum intrusion into the plinth - 3 screws that when removed could be plugged and touched up quite easily. Another possibility for a surface mount arm would be to get an arm board cut and use the existing VPI screw holes to mount the arm board. Then mount the surface mount arm to the arm board. This would mean no extra holes in the existing plinth. The only question with this solution is whether there is enough height from plinth to top of platter to accommodate arm board plus arm and allow plenty of VTA adjustment. The tonearm manufacturer should be able to advise you of the minimum height from arm board to platter top required. |
Technically, outboard armpod is not the best solution, but OP want to try other tonearm without drilling, that's one of the option to consider. I did try diy armpod and found the result was quite good, the real problem was repositioning the armpod back to its spot as @dover point out. |
The OP does not need to spend substantial monies to achieve a Design for a Tonearm Pod that will enable them to try out a alternative Tonearm and not butcher the Plinth of the TT, risking de-valuing it by potentially much more than the cost incurred to produce a Pod. A Thick walled hollow metal billet with the selected diameter, can be machined with a very tight tolerance for the overall length dimension. These can be found at an engineering shop as a waste item cut off. The Side wall can have a Slot produced to allow a Cable routing. The Base can be Tripod Configured Drilled and Tapped to receive a footer. The Top Face can be drilled and tapped to receive the a Top Plate for the Tonearm. Materials of choice and selected thickness can be selected to produce a Top Plate, the thickness should prove to be a tuneable material, and trialling a selected thickness can create a preferred interface. The type of above task is the kind of undertaking a trainee will be given at a machine shop, and the charge will be reflective of this. A Lead Shot mixed with a modellers clay such as Newplast can be used to fill the void and add mass, that should prove to be a tuneable material by adding or removing, again trialling a volume of mass, can create a preferred interface. To somebody that is toying with the idea of trying out a New Tonearm and expressing a want to learn about lathe machining, an investigation into producing a Pod will be a good place to start, especially when a dialogue can be had with a professional metal worker Note: As an advisory for a TT that is valued and has the pride of ownership attached that many do, keep Children, Grandchildren, Pets and Cleaners well away from the device, it will most likely all end in tears for the Kleos, and possibly even the Tonearm.
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- 103 posts total