Arm and Cart Help?

[Andrew]

Hi Guys,

I'm looking for a new arm and cart, my deck is "The Source", a late eighties super deck made in Scotland to rival and better the Sondek (which I think it does by a mile).

I started with a Goldring 1006, moved up to the 1042, liked both of these for the money - phenomenal floor shaking bass, nice treble, good attack, but with snap crackle and pop. Next I enjoyed the musicality of a Sumiko BPS, it was more quiet in the groove, but Paul B is right, these are a tad dull.

Finally, I got a Dynvector Karat 17D2mkII from a certain man in Honkers - very dry, definitely, no hiss, no snap crackle and no pop, CD like quiteness, clean bass, not as low as the G1042, but lacking in air and no real attack, it did however, last really well, over 20 months used almost every night for a couple of hours at a go. Nice but I don't think I'd get another.

Now, there's nothing wrong with the deck. But my arm is past its best and is a veritable b****er to set up. I can never get it to track really well, if I get even close on the third track on the HIFI News I'm doing well. It uses grub screws to locate the pillar etc and these have bitten into the metal making it even harder - it auto locates into the dents made by the grub screw holes. The bearing is a bit scratchy on the run out and that doesn't help either.

I'd like more air, an arm that is easy to set up and adjust, blood hound like tracking, the quietness of MC, deep bass and good attack transients, plenty of wallop and longevity.

What do I do? All suggestions welcome. What worked for you guys what didn't?

Please help I'm getting vinyl withdrawal.

many thanks,

-- Andrew

[Paul Barker]

My Mayware has transformed the 17d2 from dry uninspiring and wooden on top to a very nice sound. It isn't a dvxx1l by any means, but it's more like one now. I would buy another.

I can't imagine needing another arm, but for fun I may make a unipivot.

[Andrew]

Hi Paul,

Perhaps I was being unfair on the Karat, it was very good value, and does most things very well. It was especially quiet in the groove which I do value. It has lasted much longer than any MM I've ever had, I think MMs must wear quicker due to the extra load caused by the weigth of shifting the magnets. Actually, I would get another, at that price, if I could be sure the new arm was a match.

cheers,

-- Andrew

[Andrew]

Paul, Isn't the Mayware a unipivot?

cheers,

-- Andrew

[NealG]

Easy to setup? Then SME 300, IV or V. Origin Live none Rega based arms, Illustrious, Conqueror, Enterprise. All depends on budget. Hadcock boys might want to chip in here, looks like a great arm but may not be the easiest to setup.

[Paul Barker]

Yes but not a fishy one.

[NickG]

FWIW, I found the hadcock simple enough to setup, no different than any arm other than it needs the azimuth setting up. One thing I found was it much easyier to set tracking weight with a balance as the lower friction allows the ballance to work (unlike the rega). And all I used to setup the azimuth was a small mirror to check it was vertical. Then the normal fun with a test disk setting anti skate. Needed to add extra mass to the hanging weight for the kontra for that.

PS. Paul, spot the extra fishy rererence...

[soulminer]

Is anti skate any relation to uncle halibut ??

[NickG]

No. they are on different sides of the famiLP

I hope the Hull fishermen dont read this, skate is a favourite.