Building high-end 'tables cheap at Home Despot II


“For those who want the moon but can't afford it or those who can afford it but like to have fun and work with their hands, I'm willing to give out a recipe for a true high-end 'table which is easy to do, and fun to make as sky's the limit on design/creativity! The cost of materials, including 'table, is roughly $200 (depending, more or less), and add to that a Rega tonearm. The results are astonishing. I'll even tell/show you how to make chipboard look like marble and fool and impress all your friends. If there's interest I'll get on with this project, if not, I'll just continue making them in my basement. The next one I make will have a Corian top and have a zebra stripe pattern! Fun! Any takers?”

The Lead in “Da Thread” as posted by Johnnantais - 2-01-04

Let the saga continue. Sail on, oh ships of Lenco!
mario_b
I glued a 10mm hard acrylic platter,specially cut leftover Rega platter on.Brings the VTA up to spec as well.Beat that!
Hello again,

Mine is Delrin plate, but my entire approach to the project was different in that I scrapped most of the Lenco, and designed in the potential to scrap all of it. My view is that the one superior feature of the Lenco is the fact that the idler wheel rides on the underside of the platter, rather than the rim. This opens a myriad of possibilities, including the replacement of the entire platter itself. Also, Lenco's implementation takes stress off the bearing assembly, and opens it to endless possibilities, as well. That one feature is worth the price of admission. The stock motor, etc., are ancillary, and trivial by comparison.

It is the fundamental idea of how the idler engages the platter that makes the Lenco different. In many other respects, it is inferior to some others, but they don't measure up when it comes to the engagement idea. What a point of departure it is for one who is willing to swim in uncharted waters!

-mosin
Mounted new RB300 w/ Denon 103R. Need advise, please.
Did some tweaking with new armboards. New armboard is approx. 2-3mm below top plate. ***Where is yours?

I played an LP

1. seems fast. Timed it and it is about 33rpms in 56 seconds. However, on this table (Lenco 75/S) the slowest adjustment is 33 and I cannot slow it down. Other table goes down to 16 allowing for adjustment.

2. in the middle of the LP, the stylus skipped, not advancing. I lifted and advanced, the stylus would not drop onto grooves. Could be my armboard is too high (thick)*** I placed another mat on top of the first and LP played all the way through. However, #1 and 3 still a problem.

3. Lots of sibilance, i.e. thick and smothered sounding "s" sounds. Could this be related to new Creek phono stage not broken in. Or cart adjustment?

Digital scale reads 1.6 g tracking force.
Not sure about VTA and cart alignment, just eyeballed.

Any ideas?
Thanks from Oreegunn
Problem # 2 may be that your lift mechanism is interfering with the tonearm. Check to see if the flat part that supports your arm is not bent upward. I am not sure if this is the case for number 1 but the notches that set the speeds i.e the 33 45 78 and 16 on mine can be shifted slightly by loosening the screws that hold them in place.
Harry
Hi Michael, if you can't adjust the speed properly at the brackets, then you need to go further into the machine and adjust at the joint which shifts the idler-wheel assembly. This is the circular bit with two screws which pivots around a nut and bolt arrangement: loosen the screws, and move the idler sled backward or forward (with the two screws sliding and changing position on the two arcs) until you get a good range of + or -33 1/3 with the bracket in the middle, then tighten again.

As to the tonearm, does sound like an arm-lift problem as Harry said. Even though the Denon is burning in, and probably the phono stage too, it shouldn't sound so bad. Remember: the tonearm should be parallel to the record with the stylus in the groove. Once this is done, then use the nifty dynamic VTF arrangement on the Rega to increase mass to suit the low-compliance Denon: shift the counterweight as far back as is conmfortable on the end-stub, and then use the spring to achieve 2.5 grams tracking force. Can't do that with an RB-250! I LOVE those RB-300s, especially with MCs (here they stand up to the best, their biggest problem being they're too cheap, and too ubiquitous). However, with Grados I do believe the RB-250 sounds better, but will know more in the future.