Garrard 301 - Project


I have been contemplating for a while which turntable to pursue given so many choices. Every time I look around, I just can’t help drooling over a fully restored Garrard 301 or 401. Aside from being an idler-drive, I keep reading and hearing about their unique ability to reproduce music with its sense of drive and impact thus making them very desirable to own. And with available meticulous restoration services and gorgeous plinth options, what’s not to like, right!

Would you please share your experience, good and pitfalls (if any) with a restored Garrard 301 to avoid before I go down this path.

And what about the IEC inlet and power cord, would they be of any significance. My two choices would be Furutech FI-09 NCF or FI-06 (G) inlets.

I have already purchased a Reed 3P Cocobolo 10.5” with Finewire C37+Cryo tonearm/interconnect phono cable with KLEI RCA plugs option.

Still exploring Cart Options, so please feel free to share your choice of cart with Garrard 301 or 401.

And lastly, I would like to extend my gratitude to @fsonicsmith, @noromance ​​​​@mdalton for the inspiration.

lalitk

Lalit, We had conducted business about 6 years ago and had been in touch via email many times since then. We have not conversed in over two years. To my knowledge there was not any unattended business or things left in the air. Your statement seems to imply otherwise. Please contact me directly via email since it appears there are matters to discuss. Best regards, Aric

@aricaudio 

Aric, thank you for reaching out. I appreciate your willingness to reconnect. I’ve made peace with the experience and don’t feel it’s worthwhile to revisit or invest further into it. I trust you’ll understand and I wish you continued success.

@lalitk  I was looking at your room and can't make out if it's a basement or an attic–like over the garage type of bonus room. 😏 

@noromance 

My room is a bonus room, it’s not acoustically perfect but the dimensions offer a lot to work with. The 15’ depth and 30’ width give me some flexibility for speaker placement and optimal listening spot. The 8’ ceiling is standard due to being on 3rd floor and part of a split attic, sloped ceiling angle in the back, which helps with diffusion and reduced parallel surface reflection (a bonus in disguise). 

@lewm 

Appreciate you sharing your thoughts. While I can see your point about not all vintage tubes live up to their reputation, I have a different take on trying vintage NOS tubes. Just like anything else in audio, NOS tubes can be easily a misfit in any given application. To @macg19 point, NOS mullard’s performed admirably better in his DAC versus phonostage. 

Whether NOS tubes are worth chasing depends on your goals, system resolution and budget. If your system or a tube component responsive to tube rolling, then it’s totally worthwhile to chase the best possible NOS tubes that can further elevate your emotional connection with music. YOLO! 

@noromance 

I picked up another nice album off Amazon, Ben Webster - Plays Duke Ellington.