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Change of turntable ahead…

Awoke early today to sit with a good coffee and listen more to the Systemdek and its new stylus. I’m listening to some chamber music. Mozart String quartets with the Juilliard. Firstly, the sound has a larger soundstage and really presents textures well. You can hear the layers. The increased bass has balanced out the treble well. The CBS sound is perhaps a little forward but the TT is trying hard to find space between instruments. The instrumental lines can be followed easily and you can easily trace the musical journeys of each without any being too prominent. Transients are handled particularly well and this appears to be a consistent strength of this turntable. As instruments gather in crescendos, there is no apparent constriction to the sound, maintaining its poise throughout the music. And the instrumental sounds have edge and definition which can make for some exciting passages.
 
pickwickpapers said:
ime, this is where you'll really need to temper expectations - although apologies if you've more than enough experience in this area already.

for myself I've found that very few used records clean up well (to the point of a significant improvement) and, by G**, I've wasted a horrible amount on machines and unguents.
Also, and this is really opening the can/ jumping head-first down the rabbit-hole etc, of late I've started to feel that the 'alcohol-based solutions damage records' creed might have some truth to it.
All along records I've cleaned thus have sounded a bit duller subsequently (while also not improving much in terms of crackle etc!) - or at least the impression has been hard to shake.
Either that - or excessive cleaning pressure (particularly vacuum) damaging the vinyl 'lands' (?), which George Merril (US deck designer) believes.

But recently I've just been using a wet-brush / dry brush approach, with alchohol-based potions, and I've still had that impression of resulting 'dullness'.
Could have been pushing down to hard I guess...

also a horrible time-sink of course.

so, I would suggest sticking to discs that sound pretty good from the get-go, and other than obvious mould and heavy detritus, not worrying too much about cleaning regimes.
I think with most used lps, the worst stuff is due to irreversible groove damage.

YMMV, needless to say.
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Couldn’t agree more, my experience mirrors yours.
 
Listening to Serkin and Szell playing Mozart Piano concertos. Never noticed Serkin’s humming before nor the knock of his heel perhaps on the floor as he pedals. Lifts lot of detail this needle.
 
pickwickpapers said:
Ror myself I've found that very few used records clean up well (to the point of a significant improvement) and, by G**, I've wasted a horrible amount on machines and unguents.
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Yes, I agree too. There are two things I do.

Firstly, try to buy records in good, playable condition. If it's covered in scratches and dirt it's still going to be a crap record after you clean it. Second is to prioritize having a turntable that is forgiving of poorer vinyl. I've had things which unnecessarily highlighted less than perfect vinyl like Rega RP10, Linn Ittok. Other components just let the music flow and allow you to forget about the flaws. LP12, Rega P1, Exact and Ania Pro for example. Get both of these things right and playing records is fun rather than a chore.
 
Mr Pig said:
Yes, I agree too. There are two things I do.

Firstly, try to buy records in good, playable condition. If it's covered in scratches and dirt it's still going to be a crap record after you clean it. Second is to prioritize having a turntable that is forgiving of poorer vinyl. I've had things which unnecessarily highlighted less than perfect vinyl like Rega RP10, Linn Ittok. Other components just let the music flow and allow you to forget about the flaws. LP12, Rega P1, Exact and Ania Pro for example. Get both of these things right and playing records is fun rather than a chore.
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I appear to have got it right!
 
The Systemdek and new stylus have been spinning for a week or so now. The upgrade to a 520 Mk 2 stylus has been very worthwhile and the newfound bass extension catches me out at times. Now that my ears have adjusted, there has been a noticeable increase in the quality of sound. The older stylus was exciting and very enjoyable. The new stylus has added refinement extension, depth and fluidity of sound. The detail levels remain impressive. It becomes mine officially at the weekend so I will learn a little more about the suspension and how to get the bounce right. Vinyl Engine has been a good source of information For me. The refurbishment appears to be very sound and the seller was very complimentary about the guy who did this so I’m very confident in the quality. It certainly feels solid. It’s great that these turntables remain operable nearly fifty years since their appearance and even more impressive that they clearly compete with modern, quality TTs. I can also see more potential. A new arm and stylus will surely take it to greater heights as the pagoda style base is such a solid foundation, but this will be a project.and then there is the phono stage though the Tisbury is very impressive for its price. I’m very happy with the set up as it is now. Mr Waits has never sounded so alluring in my set up.
and it’s also the Easter holidays ahead so some time to kick off my shoes, listen and play.
 
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"The Systemdek and new stylus have been sinning for a week or so now."

Devil be out of ya! Send it off to confessional pronto. Or not, sinful music can just be so great! Hah, glad you are enjoying the combination Del! :)
 
I’ve bought a levelling bubble to make things easier regarding levelling the base and platter. This has really helped. It’ll also help with the azimuth of the arm. Just playing Muti’s Scheherazade now. Sounding open and fluid. Lovely recording. Very quiet surfaces.
 
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