[jumping jupiters]

I've been on an interesting journey of chasing neuance these days...

It's been satisfying to feel finished on my "major" audio upgrades over the last 6 months. Now it is down to the hobby of tweaks and minor changes to wring out the last drop of system pleasure.

Having been very satisfied with my system as a whole I thought I might make a few changes to my TT over time...I intentionally bought a deck that would allow upgrades over time...as funds became available. There are a few manufacturers out there with this phylosophy and my budget appreciates it. About two years ago I set out and listened to three brands in my range...Linn, VPI and Michell. Ultimately I perfered Michell and bought their Gyro SE. The ultimate expression of the Michell deck is their Orbe model which the Gyro can be converted into over time.

When I first got the deck it was a very nice step from my former Rega Planar 3. I continued to use my integrated's phono stage and continued on using the Goldring 1006 cartridge previously on the P3. The sound was very nice, but not night and day from the CD player I bought in a similar price range. So, I began the meandering journey to my ultimate goal of a full blown Orbe. My first misconception was that a new cartridge would catapult the table well beyond the digital competition...not the case. While the Benz H2 was literally 10x the cost the sonic change was more of a dissapointment in how little it improved for the money vs how much better things got.

Surely the problem was the phono stage in the integrated...again I plunged into the kitty for another "big" change. Again marginal improvement over the previous listening experience.

For the better part of 6 months I left the upgrade path on the back burner. After all the digital playback was a lot more conveniant then analogue for similar results. Then I got that itch one more time in the form of extra loot. What if a tonearm would make a difference...surely that RB300 is out dated...maybe I'll just change the wiring and get a little benefit...but then I'm half way to a replacement arm that is both rewired and holds promise of better musicality!?!

So, one sunny day I got really tempted on an Origin Live Encounter arm. Everyone raved about the OL1 and the Silver so why not plung a little deeper into the Encounter? 2 weeks later a package arrived at work and I was out of there as soon as the getting was good!

It took me 20 minutes to breakdown the RB300, transfer cartridge and begin spinning vinyl! I thought I might give the arm the benefit of the doubt and pull out an old Audiophile standby for me..."America IV" by Jonny Cash. W-O-W! Suddenly I thought I might actually have an audiophile grade cartridge, phono stage and turntable! This arm pulled everything together and threw true timbers, deep bass and a stable soundstage like nothing I've heard in my system prior. Not only that but it has several adjustments that actually make a difference. With the RB300 arm prior I could adjust VTA all day and get little difference to my ears. With the Encounter every small change proved a huge difference. Records that were long forgotten began sounding beautiful and engaging once the proper VTA was dialed in on the fly with the OL arm.

Now in fairness I may have been dissapointed in the arm if it was employed prior to the higher grade cartridge and phono stage, but it is difficult to believe. Also I am aware that the wiring in the RB300 is rather poor by today's standard and all should consider replacing it. But, I like to just believe that the tone arm is responsible and I've been up past 12 each night for 3 weeks to prove my love for it...and I think I spun 2 CD's over this same time!

Sorry for the length, but this new arm has brought me back to loving music and late night headphone listening...which made me think of you guys here at Head-Fi!

Cheers

 

[nelamvr6]

Excellent post, thanks for recounting. I'm glad you're happy with your new setup.

20 minutes to change an arm huh? I never attempted such a thing, it looks to be a daunting task from where I sit.

You didn't have to drill any holes or modify the deck in any way? Is that because of the arm you chose? If you had chosen a different arm, say an SME, would the job have been more difficult?

 

[Dept_of_Alchemy]

Great story, I feel happy for you.

Aren't those the moments that we audiophiles wish for?

And the music, of course!

 

[jumping jupiters]

No need to be too afraid of a TT setup...if you're a little handy it is really no big deal. In fact I've learned that attempting small tasks can be rewarding in terms of understanding how changes effect sound.

Michell tables use custom drilled mounts for a given arm. I have two of these arm boards...one for Rega mounts and the other is drilled for Graham arms. You can buy a new one for whichever brand desired for a reasonable sum. So it was convinient that the OL arm is the same mount size as Rega due the fact that it slipped right in, but I chose the Encounter because they make arms cheaper than SME! I bought it used and it really is a bargain used.

It also helps to own a machine shop...but not necessary!

 

[Uncle Erik]

Have you made any of the factory mods to your Gyrodec yet? I'd like to know if the Orbe platter and/or power supply make much of a difference. I've been very interested in the Michell, as well, and came close to buying one. However, I chose a Planar 3 because the price was right and it seemed like a great starting point. I'm thrilled with it... but I'm sure upgraditis will hit eventually.

Anyhow, any more information on your setup would be much appreciated. And thanks for the great post!

 

[ssportclay]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jumping jupiters /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've been on an interesting journey of chasing neuance these days... It's been satisfying to feel finished on my "major" audio upgrades over the last 6 months. Now it is down to the hobby of tweaks and minor changes to wring out the last drop of system pleasure. Having been very satisfied with my system as a whole I thought I might make a few changes to my TT over time...I intentionally bought a deck that would allow upgrades over time...as funds became available. There are a few manufacturers out there with this phylosophy and my budget appreciates it. About two years ago I set out and listened to three brands in my range...Linn, VPI and Michell. Ultimately I perfered Michell and bought their Gyro SE. The ultimate expression of the Michell deck is their Orbe model which the Gyro can be converted into over time. When I first got the deck it was a very nice step from my former Rega Planar 3. I continued to use my integrated's phono stage and continued on using the Goldring 1006 cartridge previously on the P3. The sound was very nice, but not night and day from the CD player I bought in a similar price range. So, I began the meandering journey to my ultimate goal of a full blown Orbe. My first misconception was that a new cartridge would catapult the table well beyond the digital competition...not the case. While the Benz H2 was literally 10x the cost the sonic change was more of a dissapointment in how little it improved for the money vs how much better things got. Surely the problem was the phono stage in the integrated...again I plunged into the kitty for another "big" change. Again marginal improvement over the previous listening experience. For the better part of 6 months I left the upgrade path on the back burner. After all the digital playback was a lot more conveniant then analogue for similar results. Then I got that itch one more time in the form of extra loot. What if a tonearm would make a difference...surely that RB300 is out dated...maybe I'll just change the wiring and get a little benefit...but then I'm half way to a replacement arm that is both rewired and holds promise of better musicality!?! So, one sunny day I got really tempted on an Origin Live Encounter arm. Everyone raved about the OL1 and the Silver so why not plung a little deeper into the Encounter? 2 weeks later a package arrived at work and I was out of there as soon as the getting was good! It took me 20 minutes to breakdown the RB300, transfer cartridge and begin spinning vinyl! I thought I might give the arm the benefit of the doubt and pull out an old Audiophile standby for me..."America IV" by Jonny Cash. W-O-W! Suddenly I thought I might actually have an audiophile grade cartridge, phono stage and turntable! This arm pulled everything together and threw true timbers, deep bass and a stable soundstage like nothing I've heard in my system prior. Not only that but it has several adjustments that actually make a difference. With the RB300 arm prior I could adjust VTA all day and get little difference to my ears. With the Encounter every small change proved a huge difference. Records that were long forgotten began sounding beautiful and engaging once the proper VTA was dialed in on the fly with the OL arm. Now in fairness I may have been dissapointed in the arm if it was employed prior to the higher grade cartridge and phono stage, but it is difficult to believe. Also I am aware that the wiring in the RB300 is rather poor by today's standard and all should consider replacing it. But, I like to just believe that the tone arm is responsible and I've been up past 12 each night for 3 weeks to prove my love for it...and I think I spun 2 CD's over this same time! Sorry for the length, but this new arm has brought me back to loving music and late night headphone listening...which made me think of you guys here at Head-Fi! Cheers

I had a similar experience when I finally mounted an Origin Live Silver tonearm to my Technics 1200 MKII. My rule though is that the turntable is the thing and that the tonearm is the 2nd thing.BTW,the cartridge is the last thing.