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Back into vinyl - part 1

About five years ago, while I was living nice, quiet, and boring vinyl-less life, I run across some very nice LPs while walking around my local flee market. I got rid of all my records years ago, almost immediately after Sony and Philips promised us all “Perfect Sound Forever”. My music life was easy and simple, few hundred of my CDs were complemented by couple hundred cassettes and only sometimes I was wondering how come some of my cassettes sounded very obviously better than CDs.
But I would not let these thoughts bother me – digital was better, period. Doesn’t every manufacturer of audio equipment say so for 20 years now?
Anyway, the albums I run across were so dear to me and so impossible to find on CDs that I bought them, without even thinking about the fact that I had absolutely no idea how to use them. Did they even sell turntables anymore?
Being a nerd I started searching the Net for information and to my surprise discovered that not only they still sell TTs, but there is a whole range of them, from 50 Presidents all the way to tens of thousands.
I was considering getting me some of those 78s, so three-speed machine was needed. I quickly found a site of KAB Electro-Acoustics, and called the guy.
Kevin was very helpful and knowledgeable. After hearing my pathetic story he very kindly described me current situation on the marked and few days later I was a proud owner of KAB Broadcast Standard, equipped with Shure V15VxMR.
The LPs that I bought sounded amazing. They were almost 40 years old, though in very good condition, but the sound was so real that no CD could even touch it.
Bare in mind, my system was nothing to write home about – middle-of-the-road ES Sony CD player, amplifier and cassette deck and Mission speakers.
And then I found audio forums.
OK, I have to admit – I am always questioning my knowledge. Even when I am 100% sure about something, there will always be a thought buried somewhere deep inside, saying “What If You Are Wrong?”
So I started asking questions and in return heard condolences about my TT and really stupid explanations about why direct drive is inferior to belt drive. Someone even quoted well-respected magazine reviewer stating that DD table is constantly changing speed at a rate of about 3500 times a second, which is quite audible.
I bought it.
I sold my KAB table (surprisingly very close to the original price), in my heart blaming Kevin for selling me this junk, and got myself a … well, I don’t think I should use any more names here – it is really irrelevant. Let’s just say that the table was listed at $750 and at that price point is considered to be a de facto standard in audiophile world.
Well, this is where my problems started. First, the damn thing was running fast. I was trying to get my dealer to fix it with no positive outcome. “The table is flawless” was the answer. Oh and did I mention “No Returns” policy?
Running fast, switching between speeds was a nightmare, and then in 2000 they released an updated motor in which was supposed to fix speed deviation problem (what problem?) which set me back another $150. With no positive outcome.
I had to let it go, losing a lot of money in the process.
What do you think I did next? Correct, I bought another belt-driven table from different manufacturer. It was about twice as expensive as my first one and was coming from the company that is even more respected in audiophile world.
The construction of the table was very unusual. Almost as unusual as one of the first models from this company, shown in one of Stanley Kubrick’s movies.
Built quality seemed to be better, but as I discovered, in order to achieve best results, I needed much better tonearm, special power supply etcetera, etcetera… Oh and did I mention that you can’t really clean the record on this table? Friction between the belt and the platter is too low for it…
I got back to the previous company and purchased their just-released top of the line model. Exotic materials used for platter, outboard power supply, fancy words used in its description… I was not as stupid as I used to be, so I purchased it from Canada, thus loosing my US warranty, but saving about 30%.
Well, what do you know? The table was running fast! The brilliantly engineered power supply did not allow for speed adjustments without knowing the schematics and friendly technical support staff of the manufacturer was too friendly to respond to my request.
Another bummer.
I was getting smarter. No more purchases, I said to myself, before I am sure I know what I am buying.
Very famous and very local manufacturer just released reasonably inexpensive model, which I borrowed from my local dealer. Build quality was so low that I still don’t understand how people can actually mention the word “quality” when talking about this table? Platter bearing was loose, table was running slow and besides the motor was running hot as hell. I called the company with my questions and they responded that bearing has to burn-in (oh really?) motor has high operating temperature and speed can be easily adjusted by using their power generator costing a mere $1000! Thanks!
I tried few more tables. The more expensive they were getting, the more I was shocked by their poor quality.
I got tired. My vinyl collection was several hundred LPs by now but I had no means of listening and enjoying.
Then I called Kevin.
I told him about my experience and my frustration and his simple and knowledgeable words got me back to real world.
I have a degree in electrical engineer for crying out loud, cant’ I do something?
And I did.
To be continued…
alex_yakovlev
qualitymanfc28
17 posts
 
I have received the new isolation feet for the SL1200 and will report after I have some experience. Early signs are very encouraging. It is liable to be a few days before I can report as I have three different sets of feet to compare (standard, Kevins sonic domes and the Isonole).

Now for a question:
I currently feed my turntable into the phono input on my Sony A/V amp. Then to my speakers, Kef KHT 2005 with a Mission sub woofer. It is fine for movies and uncritical listening. I do most of my listening on headphones which are fed from a Creek headphone amp. The signal is taken from one of the tape loops on the amp. The sound via head phones is vastly superior to the speakers, as you would expect. The problem is that the turntable now gives such a wonderful detailed and lifelike signal that I do not think the Sony phono input is doing it justice. I think a better phono amp is requied.

1st: What phono stage should I buy? Depth of pocket is an issue here. I think about £200 ($350) is about right and I have been looking at two possibilities. The current favourite is the Creek OBH 18 with Kevins Creek power supply. The specifications look fine, it is a name I know and trust and it will match the headphone amp.

2nd: Grahame Slee's MM phono stage with his own power supply £200 total. This has an excellent sonic reputation.

Which sounds better, which is better made and which will suit my system best? Are there any others I should consider?

Next question concerns hook up. I would like to feed my new phono stage directly into the head phone amp which poses no problem. This will give the best fidelity. If I do that I will lose the ability to play any other source through the head phone amp without swopping cables around each time I change source.

What is the solution? I can retain the present setup and feed the new phono stage into a spare line input but then the sound will be coloured by the Sony amp. I can use splitters at the headphone amp to input the phono stage direct and still keep the other sources available. This introduces the splitter into the chain and will probably colour the sound. The other possibility is to use an addon extra input switch box from the likes of QED but these also will dirty the signal from the phono stage.

So any one got any advice?
zaikesman
3,017 posts
 
A passive switchbox might potentially introduce less degradation than running the phono input in and out of the receiver, but depending on how the internal routing on the receiver works the difference could be fairly negligible. The bigger difference in either switching scheme could be the introduction of the extra set of interconnects (and the expense for same). I recommend simply running a test comparing direct-feed to switched-feed to ascertain what's audible, and then balance what you find against the convenience factor. I think the gains just from going to the better phonoamp will handily exceed any small losses should you choose to go the switchable route. (Sorry, can't give any advice on your proposed amp choices.)
qualitymanfc28
17 posts
 
I have now had the replacement feet for 10 days and have done some comparative listening tests. First impressions are favourable.

Based on "thump the turntable support whilst wearing headphones with the pickup stationary on a record"

1 Stock feet - horrendous thump heard
2 Kevins sonic domes - reduced thump but still a thump
3 Isonole feet - absolute silence

Based on "thump the deck plate whilst wearing headphones with pick up playing a record". This was not a heavy thump, I would say equivalent to someone knocking against the turntable support whilst playing record.

1 Stock feet - pick up jumps out of groove
2 Sonic Domes - pick up keeps in groove but mistracking
heard
3 Isonole feet - rock steady, no perceptable difference

Listening to music via speakers at normal volumes (85db measured on a cheap hand held sound level meter so accuracy not good)

1 Stock feet - rock solid image, dark background,
instruments portrayed accurately. Human
voice nicely presented.
2 Sonic domes - as above but more of it.

3 Isonole feet - Another veil gone. Everything more
vivid, dynamic. Last trace of
silibance gone from female voice.

Same test via headphones, speakers switched off.

The same findings as above.

Conclusions: I really do not understand this. It must be all to do with vibration and transmission of the vibration. My outfit sits and an Optimum 5 shelf rig coupled to a suspended wooden floor via castors. This is not the most rigid of setups. I therefore expected differences using speakers but via headphones?????

There seems to be something more fundemental going on here! The only explanation I can come up with is that vibration is entering from somewhere else, apart from the speakers, maybe from the amp that sits on the second shelf of the stand, and that the Iosonole feet are filtering the vibes out. The sonic domes are reducing this vibration but the Ionoles are killing the vibes dead.

So are the feet worth it?
If you use your SL1200 at horrendous volumes (DJing?) or in an environment that is less than ideal, most definitely.

If you use the SL1200 for normal domestic listening and have paid attention to obivous sources of vibration probably not, go for the sonic domes.

If you are after the last enth of quality then definitely yes. Another veil been lifted.

One thing is certain, ditch the stock feet.

My equipment is good but not high end. If I can hear the differences then I am sure someone with a well matched superfi system will be over the moon with these feet.

The pecking order for upgrade for the SL1200 has to be:
PS1200 first
Arm damping second
Feet third
Threaded clamp fourth
Strobe disabler fifth.

It would be nice if someone with the time, knowledge and test equipment could run a proper measured comparison against the stock feet and come up with an explanation of what is happening.

Music used for each set of feet was:
Joan Armatrading "Show Some Emotion"
Leo Sayer "Another Year"
Beethoven Piano Sonata "Appasionata"

Oh yes - one last plus point for the Iosonoles, by God they look the business.
zaikesman
3,017 posts
 
Even listening through phones, the needle riding in the groove is always a constant source of vibration dealt with by the turntable. If the table is not supported in such a way that is compliant (to isolate the table from outside inputs) but also well-damped, then the effects of this self-generated vibration will linger longer and cause more subsequent interference at the stylus/groove interface, with audible effect on the reproduced sound.

Rigidly spiking the chassis to a sturdy rack might also work well in this regard as long as you listened through phones, but listening through the speakers on a springy floor with a so-so rack, damped compliance is the way to go.

What will work best is kind of a hit-or-miss affair, the system Q depending as it does upon the mass of the suspended table (and shelf if used) and the compliant and damping properties of the chosen supports (and their distribution and number used), not to mention the properties of the rack and floor. The whole interaction is probably too complex to predict usefully, especially given that the exact properties of the supports in a state of compression are likely an unknown, so trial and error to hear what works well is generally the easiest way to go about things here.

My own experience has been that compliant footers which are broadly shaped (not spherical or conical, though a very shallow hemisphere seems OK) and of relatively low height, made from fairly dense and soft (somewhat squishy, flexible) material that exhibits a 'slow' rebound character (is not bouncy), and used in numbers that keep each support under only medium compression (I use five 2" diameter pucks) do the trick.

The stock 1200 threaded feet are useful for the necessary task of leveling the table. So what I do is keep the feet on, but place whole shebang atop an inert shelf that is isolated from my rack by the compliant feet (my shelf is a Symposium and the feet are FoculPods; my rack is a Salamander Synergy that is also on casters and is not the most rigid thing going). I have thought about experimenting with removing the stock feet and replacing them with brass cones having the appropriate threaded posts to still work for leveling purposes - thereby coupling the table's chassis to the nonresonant shelf, which might function effectively as a vibrational sink, and eliminating a potential source of phase-reinforced interaction between the undoubtedly differently-tuned resonances of the two sets of compliant footers. But I haven't done it yet.
qualitymanfc28
17 posts
 
If anyone is interested enough to have a look at these feet, the web site address is: www.isonoe.com There are good pictures and an explanation of how they work. My appologies as my original article spealt the name of the feet incorrectly. There is no "l" in the name.
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