Is the KAB Fluid Damper worth it if...

Is the tonearm dampen something a newbie can install? One that is not mr diy?

Michael

Ps sure wish the technics 1210M5g could use any phono cable you want because the attached one looks cheap! Yeah perhaps can ship to kab but thats a pain! Anyone change out the phono cable?

The TD-1200 Tonearm Dampening System is easy to install, the trickiest part is removing the tiny screw on the tonearm of the MG5. I stripped it, so I had to get a Dremel tool to cut a flat screw slot into the stripped phillips screw head in order to get the screw out.

The phono cable on the MG5 is actually a feature that you paid for in getting the MG5 model. The cable is pretty darn good. You are much better off addressing other issues on the turntable first before to approach the actual phono cable. IMHO

The external power supply and tonearm dampening system are two big areas of improvement.

The fluid damper is not difficult to install. The biggest risk is in over tightening- stainless into aluminum is easy to strip. No need to sock it down, just snug it up and you will be ok. As James mentioned be careful removing the screw on tonearm . It is a small philips that will require an eye glass type philipsl to remove.
It will be well worth your efforts.

Radioheadokplayer:

Lowering the noise floor is a cumulative process and the fluid damper represents one increment. The biggest is clean records, but the biggest for the Technics is how you platform it. If you don't want a multi-layer approach, at least get the Isonoe feet from KAB. If that's more than you want to spend, then do what I did and replace the feet with Dayton threaded brass cones from PartsExpress situated on a $25 or $50 butcher block cutting board from Ikea or Cuisinart respectively, placed on the proper weight-rated Vibrapods or Mapleshade's cork/rubber Isoblocks. Next, get some Technics bearing oil and put a few drops into the bearing well. You'd be surprised what this does and how commonly it's ignored. Oh, yeah, and the Sumiko or LPGear ZuPreme headshell. It's more rigid and less resonant.

Also, some stylus shapes are reputedly quieter than others. The MicroLine stylus in particular (used on several Audio Technica cartridges) is cited by reviewers for this characteristic.

Ps sure wish the technics 1210M5g could use any phono cable you want because the attached one looks cheap! Yeah perhaps can ship to kab but thats a pain! Anyone change out the phono cable?

The M5G cable may look generic but it's not. I believe it's OFC litz wire. At least it's OFC. I've lived with my M5G for over a year and have made lots of mods and upgrades, but haven't felt any urge to upgrade the cable. It's fast, extended at both frequency extremes, clear and transparent, and a good capacitance match. For reference, I'm used to using Kimber Hero, JPS Superconductor, and Audioquest PSC+ (high purity single-crystal copper) as interconnects. To the M5G's credit, I have been able to easily tell differences in cartridges, turntable mats, the fluid damper, and downstream improvements in the phono and line stages. A low-rez interconnect would obscure those changes. The transparency and speed of my 1210 M5G is remarkable. I never would have thought I could get the sound out of it that I do, though it's been a year-long evolution.

You can extend the top end a bit by separating the left and right leads, and can lower noise by then twisting them together.

johnnyb53,

is it easy to replace existing tt feet with the dayton brass cones?

are we talking vibrapods cones or isolators....4 right?