I have wondered why I don't see more of them in people's systems... Was it unreliable, or sound issues, or just finicky with setup as I've been experiencing with the Michell?
Naw, it worked just fine. But getting the springs to talk to each other was a rather large PIA. It became tiresome to me. The older I get, the less dicking around is desired. So, Rega.
Ah, yes. I started out with a Rega P2. Sounded great with a kludged mat. Went to a Technics after that for the sake of speed accuracy, discovered that the sound wasn't as good (later realizing that the stock arm, sorbothane domes, and not-so-rigid shelf setup were all likely problems), so sold that and got the TecnoDec. The TecnoDec has way better sound, a platter and bearing that likely rival the Groovetracer stuff without having to mod anything, and the ability to actually change the speed (Regas always run way fast). Now that I've spent all the time tuning the setup of the TecnoDec, I'm getting annoyed with the difficulty in getting reliable speed accuracy. Doh.
That said, I believe you can actually use the Phoenix Engineering Falcon and Roadrunner with Regas, depending on what motor you have, so you could easily have flawless speed AND marvelous sound all at once. I'm kind of jealous.
Ah, yes. I started out with a Rega P2. Sounded great with a kludged mat. Went to a Technics after that for the sake of speed accuracy, discovered that the sound wasn't as good (later realizing that the stock arm, sorbothane domes, and not-so-rigid shelf setup were all likely problems), so sold that and got the TecnoDec. The TecnoDec has way better sound, a platter and bearing that likely rival the Groovetracer stuff without having to mod anything, and the ability to actually change the speed (Regas always run way fast). Now that I've spent all the time tuning the setup of the TecnoDec, I'm getting annoyed with the difficulty in getting reliable speed accuracy. Doh.
That said, I believe you can actually use the Phoenix Engineering Falcon and Roadrunner with Regas, depending on what motor you have, so you could easily have flawless speed AND marvelous sound all at once. I'm kind of jealous.
I know a couple of people running VPI decks with the Eagle/Roadrunner. Excellent power stability and reliable, essentially exact & stable speed, with the sound benefits of a belt drive. I'm jealous. Just not in the cards for me.
So is the Phoenix Engineering speedbox compatible with all/most AC motor turntables? I never knew such a thing exists. How does it work, does it get feedback from the motor or the electronics in the turntable?
Asking because my turntable speed fluctuates. Its really old, and the electronics might have gone bad. The turntable is a Telefunken S500.
The results are pleasantly surprising. No electrical mods or improved bearing (yet), just the Audiomods Classic tonearm, Isonoe footers, Funk Firm Achromat (not yet bonded to platter), Origin Live armboard (which came with crap-tastic mounting hardware that I needed to replace with larger, sturdier parts from Lowe's) and a 2mm or so large washer as a spacer. The sound is more forward than with the TecnoDec, and there's less a sense of ease and air, but the tradeoff is that everything is tighter, punchier, and more certain (ie: the imaging with the TecnoDec could be a bit more vague in comparison). I think I may stick with this going forward. It's certainly not as pretty, but the thing just WORKS. Also, as a nice added bonus, the cumulative spacer height seems to be just about perfect for VTA with the Achromat. In the likely event that I send the arm in for the Technics-specific micrometer mod, I should have a bit more play to get perfect VTA, but this may well work perfectly fine for a while. Nice!
And yes, the Michell clamp does seem to work well with this. Until I've finished any other mods that might require removing the platter, I'm extremely hesitant to bond the Achromat to the platter, so the clamp helps alleviate the slippage issue. I do use the felt washer, and I need to put a fair bit of pressure down to get it to stay (not much spindle left with the 5mm Achromat), but the results seem quite good.
My "Hot Rodded" Red Rega RP6. This Baby is now in a league of it's own, rock solid 33.3rpm, dead quiet noise floor but it hasn't lost that Rega rhythm. Thank you Gtoovetracer, Tangopinner, Michael Lim and Swagman Labs, you make some really cool gear.
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