Most popular TT upgrades: skeptical but curious...

Hhmmmm, upgrade to a P3 you say. FWIW I have no personal experience with the deck however I've been reading about TT upgrades for a few years and this is my take. There is quite alot written on the subject both here and on other forums. There have been a plethora of ezine articles on the subject also.

The arm itself benefits from a rewire, Incognito, Cardass, take your pick. The end stub & weight replacement is also very popular and have proven sonic benefits. The P3 has been reported to have speed stability problems, generally on the faster side.

Sub-platter and platter replacement is also popular however the information I have read goes both ways, seems to be very system dependent on what the TT is sitting on. Same comment regarding replacing/upgrading the feet.

Keep researching the subject and don't restrict yourself to one source.

Rccc,
How is it he can respond to my post, but I can't do the same to his?
Are you the self appointed minister of this post?
LOL

BTW, I agree, it is (in) appropriate.

My upgrades and what I perceived to be an audible effect for my TT rig (VPI Jr., JMW 10.5, Benx Micro Glider, Innersound Phono Stage - purchased TT with Bright Star Big Rock so neverplayed w/o it).

1. Added Living voice TT mat & BDR record clamp and felt all was a little quieter and smoother sound. Dynamics increased a bit.
2. Added SDS and noise floor went way, way down; better detail, soundstage, dynamics & better bass impact; more air around notes, wider & deeper soundstage - obviously needed speed stabilized & corrected.
3. Upgraded outboard motor; upgraded power cables on SDS & motor to Shunyata Hydra Diamond back as well as shunyata taipan to preamp and phono stage and felt the front to back was deeper and the notes had a little more room. I didn't realize I had motor noise until I upgraded to the new motor. Background became very black; music just came out of the soundstage. .
4. Upgraded TT IC from stock Monstor Cable to Cardas Phono IC and didn't really experience much of a difference. (felt better doing it, though)
5. Upgraded power conditioner from Richard Gray 1200S to Hydra 8 and brought system to another level-the air around the notes went up multiples; absolutely no noise and incredible black back ground. Music just flowed from a black, wider and deeper soundstage.
6. Added Shakti Holographs - more demensional, wider sound stage. Better detail and transparency and I thought it was pretty good before I aded them.

Just my 2 cents~

05-08-08: Rccc
Johnnyb53, The rb 250 is not a unipivot.

Woops, you're right. I've read various articles that seem to say that it is, but it obviously has an axle bearing for vertical movement.

Have you ever actually seen the reduced resonance from using a puck or similar device like on a scope or with any measurement equipment?

No, and I didn't know that was a requirement for posting here. It comes down to this: I have a buttload of used LPs I've gathered from thrift shops and dollar bins over the past year. On some records, the surface noise is a bit distracting; then I put the KAB record grip on and the surface noise recedes into the background enough to enable me to enjoy the record. It's happened many times on many records. But am I going to go out and get an oscilloscope and post pictures to satisfy you? I don't think so.

A record clamp reduces slippage? In 40+ years of playing records Ive never seen or heard of a record slipping during play.

There are too many articles to count that talk about stylus drag affecting speed consistency. It's not an extraordinary leap in logic that if there is such a thing as stylus drag, that if the record were on a felt mat there could be microscopic slippage at the record/mat interface--enough to audibly affect pitch or tempo--without necessarily causing the belt to wobble or actually slow down the motor. After all, the modulations in a record groove are microscopic--down to .1 micron. Why couldn't a groove area with heavy modulation induce speed fluctuations, including some microscopic record slippage?

Or do I have to furnish electron micrographs of the actual event accompanied by time stamps to the 1/1000 of a second to satisfy the Posting Police?