By 'most imperfections' I meant dishes and warps.
How best to eliminate LP warps
I own about 2500 LPs, and I like to think they're flat. Furthermore, I espoused the view that warped LPs ought to be discarded. But lately I have found 2 or 3 of my LPs that do have warps but sound too good and are too precious for the music recorded on them to throw away. So I am in the market for ideas on how to remove warps. I am aware that there was a device on the market that looked like a large waffle maker, to be used for warp removal. I think Furutech made it, but I never see it advertised these days. I am also aware of the DIY method of placing an LP between two glass plates and heating the ensemble. The question there would be how hot and for how long? Any suggestions are welcome, especially opinions on the efficacy of the Furutech. Thanks. Please no comments on vacuum hold down; I think it's a great idea but none of my five turntables has that feature.
- ...
- 149 posts total
Terry, you wrote, "My DIY air bearing tonearm / Koetsu setup is sensitive to small azimuth changes - 6 minutes of arc from perpendicular is clearly audible". That's remarkable because it infers that your Koetsu is perfectly constructed internally. If perfect 90 degrees of azimuth yields audibly superior results even in comparison to a few minutes of arc off 90 degrees, then that would be the case. There is a good case to be made for setting azimuth at 90 degrees notwithstanding electrical measurements of the results, but it usually means a slight compromise in crosstalk perfection, because most cartridges are not perfectly constructed. But your general point that warps throw off azimuth as well as speed is well taken. |
@lewm , you hit on it. It depends on what is playing at the time. You can hear the warps on prolonged steady notes with quieter backgrounds. I think solo piano is the worst. The violin note on The Lark's Ascending would do it. |
Sorry, I didn't mean to imply that the Koetsu was perfect. Although, it may be for all I know - all I do know is, that it's close. I just meant that after optimizing azimuth by ear, a 6 minute change is clearly audible. Since my arm wand is artisanal and a one-off, it's almost certainly out more than the cartridge, and all that uncertainty led me to construct for adjustability. I don't like to adjust for electrical measurements because, according to Peter Lederman of SoundSmith, many of the better cartridges have excellent separation on one channel but superb separation on the other. Equalizing crosstalk can lead to a stylus at an obscene angle, and that was indeed the case with the K. Which is why I now adjust by ear. YMMV. |
- 149 posts total