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Decca cartridges

Tony L said:
A FFSS arm and cart has just appeared on teh eBays here in appropriate vintage context (nothing to do with me, just linking as it's a nice looking example). I bet that's a damn fine deck assuming it's possible to service it to something close to as-new condition. No one ever mentions the Connoisseur idlers, but IIRC that one cost more than a 301 in it's day.
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I had a few Connoisseur turntables like the one in the eBay advert when I dabbled in the vintage scene back in the late 1980s and 90s. The Connoisseur looks cool in the hammerite finish but is not quite in the performance league of the 301/401. Plus there is the source of replacement parts and spares that will be an issue.
 
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G T Audio said:
Plus there is the source of replacement parts and spares that will be an issue.
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That seems to be the main issue, the rubber parts often look to have perished to the point of uselessness and I don't think there are any replacements available (unlike the 301/401, 124, EMT, Lenco etc).
 
It`s possible that as a very small manufacturer Sugden could have used some off the shelf parts, such as idler wheels - if you knew the original source...
 
Just to return to cartridge/tonearm matching for Deccas, the only issue I have noticed with my Blue/Audiomods combo is that it goes bonkers on the HFNRR horizontal resonance track (very high amplitude oscillation). Apart from this, as I said earlier, I have no other problems with tracking etc. I reckon I can easily do a bit of DIY silicone damping on the arm (small plastic paddle attached to the rear of the counterweight into a small bath of silicone fluid). I guess this could help the horizontal resonance issue? opinions, anyone?
 
Tony L said:
That seems to be the main issue, the rubber parts often look to have perished to the point of uselessness and I don't think there are any replacements available (unlike the 301/401, 124, EMT, Lenco etc).
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Indeed Tony. They most certainly will have to be remanufactured.
 
I have a NOS Decca International unipivot in its polystyrene stashed in my loft. After handling it I found it hard to take seriously. ISTR some magnetic vertical suspension system.

Paul
 
Paul R said:
I have a NOS Decca International unipivot in its polystyrene stashed in my loft. After handling it I found it hard to take seriously. ISTR some magnetic vertical suspension system.

Paul
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I use one of these, a pita to set up but does a good job with Decca PUs.

I have a Decca SC4E and a Decca London Grey Export, sorry, cannot post any pictures as all my vintage Hi-Fi kit is in storage, stashed away in one of those large metal shipping containers.

I am considering emigrating.

I may be interested in your Unipivot Decca Paul, if for sale please PM me with details.

Are you in the UK?
 
Paul R said:
I have a NOS Decca International unipivot in its polystyrene stashed in my loft. After handling it I found it hard to take seriously. ISTR some magnetic vertical suspension system.

Paul
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Vertical magnetic suspension - bit like a Schroeder then, or even the magnetic bearing on my Platine Verdier turntable. Great way of absorbing the excess energy generated by the Decca pickup. Decca tonearms weren’t the best to look at, but somehow they seem to work well with Decca cartridges.
 
Paul R said:
I have a NOS Decca International unipivot in its polystyrene stashed in my loft. After handling it I found it hard to take seriously. ISTR some magnetic vertical suspension system.

Paul
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If I didn't have my ARO I'd be PMing you right now... yes, it was odd, yes it was plastic, but it worked. The magnets were there to stabilise the unipivot "wobble" that alarms some people, but isn't a problem once playing.

I thought I'd got over my Decca fetish, but now I'm not sure, though if the Decca presentation is right, just about every other cartridge is wrong, but they sound so lively, who actually cares, music is there to enjoy.
 
I will see if I can find my Blue (may even have a my Gold somewhere) neither have had much wear, but how well they will still work after 20 years in storage is anyones guess.
 
JemHayward said:
I still have a blue, and I used a gold for many years... In many ways, my life since then has been a search for the same magic in a cartridge that is easier to live with.
A few observations:
In the 80s the QC on Deccas was a bit iffy...
I'm still searching but I reckon that my ESCO/Zu DL103 does everything the Decca did, without the downsides.
!
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Forgive me for condensing your post. As I have gently (perhaps too gently !) been suggesting that cartridge may well be the Soundsmith Strain Gauge. One of the reasons is that the cantilever is so much lighter than any mc (and certainly any mm) so it has some of that Decca speed and dynamics... but tracks extremely well. Not suggesting all will like it but anybody who misses that Decca sound should most definitely hear it.
I am not 'Mr Soundsmith' or an agent or a dealer of any kind.
 
I think some good MCs get close to Decca sound.
The Dynavector DV17 models have much of the lean. quick and nimble characteristics of a Decca. Grado also shares some of the characteristic which is interesting as its operating principle is similar.

Deccas aren't that different in character to a good clean MC.
 
wacko said:
Forgive me for condensing your post. As I have gently (perhaps too gently !) been suggesting that cartridge may well be the Soundsmith Strain Gauge. One of the reasons is that the cantilever is so much lighter than any mc (and certainly any mm) so it has some of that Decca speed and dynamics... but tracks extremely well. Not suggesting all will like it but anybody who misses that Decca sound should most definitely hear it.
I am not 'Mr Soundsmith' or an agent or a dealer of any kind.
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A friend has a Strain Gauge cart.( without any preamplification), but (one of?) the cheaper one(s), and I've listened to it a number of times. Can't say it was very different, albeit capable. I do know that the higher priced one(s) in the £5K + bracket come with related circuitry, so I don't know if all Soundsmith cart's have similar design principles or whether the cheaper variant is just a glorified m.m.(or moving iron?).
 
Mike Reed said:
A friend has a Strain Gauge cart.( without any preamplification), but (one of?) the cheaper one(s), and I've listened to it a number of times. Can't say it was very different, albeit capable. I do know that the higher priced one(s) in the £5K + bracket come with related circuitry, so I don't know if all Soundsmith cart's have similar design principles or whether the cheaper variant is just a glorified m.m.(or moving iron?).
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You did not hear the Strain Gauge: it does not work without the Soundsmith phono/preamp.
Have a look at their website: it is slightly chaotic but clear enough.
 
I had a Decca blue although the cartridge was actually red I think. I used to try and stop resonance with a lump of blue tack on top of the cartridge. Once heard never forgotten, the most exciting, live sounding cartridge I ever had. May go back one day but difficult and expensive to get a good one as many are reconditioned and some a bit ropey.
 
JayM481 said:
I've recently come into a few Deccas. A C4E that looks like it was hit with a flamethrower, but is supposed to be in good shape sonically (and supposedly converted to SC4E, though I have no way to confirm),
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FYI, All Decca SC4Es started life as C4E's, SC4Es exceeded the C4Es specification by an unknown (by me) margin and were then encased in a Decca SC4E cartridge body. The S stands for 'Select.'

I have never taken any electrical or frequency measurements of my SC4E, I would presume all three coils would be of very close resistance / capacitance / inductance under the correct dynamic and / or electrical capacitance loading.
 
wacko said:
You did not hear the Strain Gauge: it does not work without the Soundsmith phono/preamp.
Have a look at their website: it is slightly chaotic but clear enough.
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It might have been one of the Panasonic ones but it certainly would have needed the custom accompanying amplifier. You'd get no output into an ordinary line stage.
 
Darmok said:
FYI, All Decca SC4Es started life as C4E's, SC4Es exceeded the C4Es specification by an unknown (by me) margin and were then encased in a Decca SC4E cartridge body. The S stands for 'Select.'
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If all SC4Es were selected out from the general population of C4Es, then would it follow that all C4Es will fall outside the tighter SC4E spec?
 
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