The VP130 is fun to tube roll with especially since you only need a single 12AX7 or 5751. Also if you get any hum, ditch the power supply. RatShack sells a Enercell 15V power supply and M size tip (Radio shack part numbers 273-332 and 273-344) that work much better.
When I first got back into Vinyl, I had that with a few different Pro-Ject and Music Hall tables and they brought tons of enjoyment. Maybe it was the excitement of enjoying records again, but it might have been more fun than my system now which is way more $$$.
Not my current table but the most visually striking of the bunch I've owned, and what a difference that Perihpery Ring made by increasing PRAT and bass weight.
While the Classic is a great table I always found it to have excess mid-treble energy is the 3-5KHz range (tried mats, carts, Best Tractor, VTA adjust, etc) and could never get it to relax and just flow through some easy, breezy music.
Considered turning down the rock by swapping my solid state phono pre for a tubbed design but ultimately having the ability to run a fully balanced system was a must for me (phono carts are inherently balanced), so the GCPH stayed and the goofy golf ball Amadeus came in instead. Just wish I knew of Well Tempered Labs years ago!
Thanks, just an old vpi scout with upgraded jmw signature tonearm/grado sonata cart, black acrylic platter, hurst motor and outer ring and sds control.
Bill Firebaugh has initially provided for all adjustments
http://www.vinylengine.com/library/well-tempered/arm.shtml
on his arms, not just azimuth and VTA. In some recent(ish) models, there is a lack of antiskating adjustment - which is fixed at some "medium" setting, which works kind of well enough for current cartridge compliance/VTF/stylus shape combinations. A golf ball floating in silicone fluid came to life only after he sold the initial company - and is a much better than former disk plate part used initially. It allows for much greater movement without undue resistance, particularly in vertical plane, where original design was problematic with warps - practically any vertical irregularity had to be absorbed by the poor cartridge cantilever. The ball version arm is also far less prone to structural resonances.
Even if the cartridge alignment is not specifically mentioned, it is still possible to perform it. But it is awkward - as it always has been. The worst part of the design(s) is around the headshell(s); mounting the cartridge using a single screw and not providing any platform for it, as in some versions, is the worst possible solution in existence.
Well Tempered Arm, regardless of the model (although there are differences among models), primarily shines in the midrange and overall stability - trading some dynamics in the process. It is a nice relaxed listen and I like it.
I suppose I misspoke. I'm only talking about WTL's modern "golf ball" tonearms when stating that they do not provide offset angle and overhang adjustment.
Here's a quote from Art Dudley regarding the Amadeus mk2 (Stereophile Jul 30, 2014)
"The effective length of the tonearm is greater than average, at 10.5". Its modest aluminum cartridge mount is fixed in place at an offset angle of 19°, and there are no provisions for overhang adjustment—a fact noted in the comprehensive owner's manual: "Some alignment protractors may well disagree. However, the Well Tempered Lab stands by their convictions."
While I suppose you could adjust offset angle/overhang by adjusting the position of the golf ball relative to the center of the cup, I wouldn't bother as the manual states the ball should sit in the center of the cup. As for anti-skate, it's just a simple half twist of the tonearm cable.
Ya, the first incarnation of the WTA proved to have to much resistance in the tonearm's vertical plane, although it was this resistance that Bill initially thought would provide adequate damping for the tonearm...maybe he went a little overboard in the beginning! This was later rectified through careful redesign of the paddle though.
Here's a quote from J. Gordon Holt regarding the Well-Tempered Arm, note the date (Stereophile Apr 9, 1985)
"The "headshell" is merely a small aluminum block with a single elongated hole in it (for overhang adjustment). The cartridge does not attach directly to this, but to a small metal strip, one end of which extends in a gentle curve to serve as a finger lift. The strip has two unthreaded cartridge-mount holes".
Hey everyone, I posted this over at the Turntable Setup thread since I wasn't aware of this thread, but I figure it's more appropriate here. I'm trying to identify a tonearm I found in a box today in a storage unit; does anybody know what make/model this is?
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