Thanks to Holger for sharing with us his fantastic turntable upgrade experience!
Hi Michael,
I have now solved my problem. It was actually the cartridge. I not only replaced it, but also had the tonearm rewired at the same time. After years, my DIY-turntable is finally finished. Here it is:
The basic idea was an TT with two outboard motors, each equipped with three belts. Naturally, everything had to be vibration-free and precisely adjusted.
That's why I opted to glue the braces rather than simply screwing them on. After months of experimenting with different adhesives, I finally found the right one.
Then it was time for the motors. I had a Rega motor from my RP3 and bought a second one as an upgrade-kit. Unfortunately, they were both garbage. The one from the upgrade-kit didn't even have the spindle running straight. There was also a lot of electromagnetic interference from the front motor, so I replaced the Rega motors with Pro-Ject ones. They still run wonderfully today, and the interference was gone — for the time being.
However, after I upgraded the cartridge from a Denon DL-103 to a Dynavector DV-20x2L, the interference returned. After searching for a while, I finally found a company that offered a matching mu-metal cup with lid for the front motor and agreed to burn them for me at a reasonable price. This took over a year.
The TT has two levels, so to speak. The first floor's got two adjustable acrylic bases with Michael Lim's Motor Isolation Bases, which the Pro-Ject motors are mounted on. There's also an adjustable acrylic platform for the actual TT. The acrylic platform sits on Michael Lim's aluminum isolation feet (sand-filled), and the acrylic bases of the motors rest on Clearlight Audio RDC cubes and buttons. I also used the latter as feet for the TT itself. They are made of a composite material that practically blocks out vibrations.
Six silicone belts are driven by the motors via triple pulleys (all TangoSpinner).
The motors are powered by a power supply unit from Dr. Fuss, a renowned specialist among German insiders.
The drive was mainly constructed using parts from Michael Lim.
- Acrylic plinth
- Top metal bracing
- Stainless steel bottom bracing
- Bronze bearing hub
- Aluminum sub-platter (Signature Series)
A Dereneville R-SUB mat is placed between the sub-platter and platter for dampening. The platter is a Rega Planar 8. Two Dereneville Magic Mats are placed face-to-face on top of it.
The Rega RB2000 tonearm has been rewired with pure silver cable and equipped with Eichmann Klei Pure 22 Harmony plugs. The tonearm weight is a Michell Tecnoweight. Michael Lim's tonearm stabilizer provides a secure hold on the plinth.
A Cartridge Enabler from Origin Live is placed between the headshell and cartridge. Currently, a Goldring Ethos SE is working there.
Now that everything is ready, I think it looks great, but more importantly, it sounds even better. There's a natural, clear sound ranging from deep bass to the highest treble. It's incredibly detailed and holographic with a deep, three-dimensional soundstage.
I am very happy with this result, which is the fruit of years of work and, ultimately, considerable expense.
Best regards,
Holger
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