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Which idler?

mass is often confused with a 'better sound'. Certainly, higher mass usually (in the hifi sense) means 'thicker', which means higher frequency resonances, lower critical frequency and poor damping ability. The thicker material will be much stiffer, and mechanical impedance much higher too. It will, however, have less displacement because it is stiffer. And most stiff materials don't damp, although there are a few man-made products which are stiff and have excellent damping ability, like some engineered woods and composites of resin/fillers.

Of the common materials used for plinths, or even loudspeaker boxes, none (other than those mentioned) do a good job. Chipboard (now almost extinct) was good, but mdf and ply are not. Have we progressed. Well profits may have, but the use of technology hasn't. o_O
 
Chipboard (now almost extinct) was good, but mdf and ply are not.

Surely chipboard existed when the BBC did large amounts of hugely expensive research into cabinet design and came up with the thin-wall damped ply designs that are still widely used today?
 
I have a few dual 1229s amongst the hoard. I have a nos 401 too. I bought it at auction to resell but I might end up keeping it.

I think the worst thing in the duals is the main bearing, which has several balls rolling around a track to allow the autochanger spindle to go through the middle. I once converted one to an inverted style single point bearing and it took the sound to another level.

After that is the arm, and particularly the plastic clip in headshells. I was planning to make a new arm at one point but ended up with a Sony 2250 DD as I just love the ergonomics. That was about ten years ago. I'll revisit idlers at some point because there's something special about the sound.
 
Surely chipboard existed when the BBC did large amounts of hugely expensive research into cabinet design and came up with the thin-wall damped ply designs that are still widely used today?

Yes, Tony, that is true. But the BBC were very concerned about consistency between their 'speakers, and chipboard was a bit too variable for them, along with problems with cabinet making. Material variability is a problem (for some) but chipboard has more than 6 times as much damping as ply. Of course, there are many variants of both, which is why the BBC was very careful with their specifications, even to the battening on the internal edges.
 
Lenco's are not complicated, and plinths need not be, either. [Learning curves (the real ones) are only judged on their slope, not their size!. The Lenco LC doesn't have a steep slope.] :cool:
 
If you do decide to go the Lenco route be careful, it's addictive.

I've gone from this;
20200701-154725.jpg


To this;
20200812-081611.jpg


To this;
20210716-072032.jpg


In 12 months!

TS
Hi I’m about to receive my G75 and I was wondering what oil you use for the bearing and motor?

Cheers,
Peter
 
Hi I’m about to receive my G75 and I was wondering what oil you use for the bearing and motor?

Cheers,
Peter
I bought a ceramic thrust plate & ball bearing kit for mine which came with a small tub of oil. As for the motor, I followed the instructions on the LencoHeaven site & repacked the bearings with silicone grease although TBH if the motor is running smoothly & quietly I don't think it's strictly necessary.
As I said, lots of great advice on the LencoHeaven site, enjoy your deck!

TS
 
The main bearing in Lenco's does not have to perform to excess, meaning low speed. Best to use a light machine oil, like sewing machine oil. Don't use grease or any teflon loaded stuff, as the oil has to pass through the sintered bronze bushings.

Advice on LencoHeaven is usually good, if only single track (no thinking outside box), but only anecdotal, rather than backed by logic or science.:(
 
I was hoping to get a pointer to an actual brand/product. I’ll do more online searching.
 
I bought a ceramic thrust plate & ball bearing kit for mine which came with a small tub of oil. As for the motor, I followed the instructions on the LencoHeaven site & repacked the bearings with silicone grease although TBH if the motor is running smoothly & quietly I don't think it's strictly necessary.
As I said, lots of great advice on the LencoHeaven site, enjoy your deck!

TS
which bearing/thrust plate did you buy? There are a few options.
Thanks,
Peter
 
The ceramic thrust plate & ball bearing kit I bought off a seller on that auction site, iirc he is in Portugal. I also bought the offset mounting collar for the AS-212 arm from him.
TS
 


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