Parks Audio Puffin Review (Phono Stage)

[watchnerd]

IMHO you will never get true consistent speed with a belt drive and will usually have to adjust each time you want to do serious listening (or record something). This is where direct drive turntables differentiate themselves. I recently switched from a boutique turntable to an old DD classic and have enjoyed the peace of mind. There are simply too many variables with belts, such as wear and humidity, which can affect performance and compound. There's nothing like seeing the "lock" signal light up.

One thing that helped was using a test record with a 3.15kHz W&F signal and adjusting speed with it. This gave me the best results, but it is a lot of work and something I found that I had to do too often for my liking. But this is only my experience.

This echoes my experience.

My Michell Gyro SE is speed-adjustable. I'll get it dialed it to a +/- .01 RPM, and then a week later, it will be off by +/- .05 RPM.

I basically stopped obsessing about it and just re-check it every few months or so.

 

[JP]

Is your Puffin the roaming Puffin?

It's a roaming Puffin, but not The roaming Puffin. Actually, I don't think it has roamed at all since it left me.

 

[BDWoody]

Is your Puffin the roaming Puffin?

How many are floating around out there?

 

[SIY]

It's a roaming Puffin, but not The roaming Puffin. Actually, I don't think it has roamed at all since it left me.

I have not heard back from the next person supposed to get it. LMK what you want me to do with it.

 

[USER]

This echoes my experience.

My Michell Gyro SE is speed-adjustable. I'll get it dialed it to a +/- .01 RPM, and then a week later, it will be off by +/- .05 RPM.

I basically stopped obsessing about it and just re-check it every few months or so.

Exactly. You don't get belt drive or boutique turntables for reference quality. There's nothing wrong with that at all, and if you really care about it, this is not the medium for you anyways.

As far as I can tell only a handful of people in this world have been able to have the privilege of having a true reference set-up. JP seems to be one of those lucky few and I try to learn as much from him as I can.

 

[watchnerd]

How many are floating around out there?

A murder of Puffins?

 

[watchnerd]

The way it's implemented it should be rather accurate, especially if you're getting the same reading with different records.

That said I've never actually used my Puffin, nor have I seen it in the past couple years.

I get very consistent readings across different records for a given anti-skate setting.

If I change the anti-skate, it will change a teensy bit, even across other records.

 

[mash]

Good comments from everyone...thks!

I tend to think of this effort in a couple of different ways...pragmatically, I'm not trying to build a reference system. I'm building it mainly for "social" benefits. Of course, I want it to sound good but that's not the real point. I do the bulk of my listening (and certainly my critical listening) through digital sources.

On another front, setting up a vinyl system is fun project for the backyard engineer in me. I like understanding the system and figuring out how to tweak it. The good news is that it already sounds great.....so, its more for the peace of mind than anything.

 

[Helicopter]

I don't need the one here, @BDWoody 's wandering Puffin, since my audio interface has no digital input, and my NAD PP2 can do the same job the Puffin is currently doing. If you want me to pass it along or return it I am happy to do so at any time. I do have some desire to measure some more AT carts, but I haven't been particularly ambitious about this, and I could probably do it fine with my Audio interface and PC software RIAA anyway.

Edit: I haven't tried the Azimuth thing. I have SL-1200s.

 

[watchnerd]

I don't need the one here, @BDWoody 's wandering Puffin, since my audio interface has no digital input, and my NAD PP2 can do the same job the Puffin is currently doing. If you want me to pass it along or return it I am happy to do so at any time. I do have some desire to measure some more AT carts, but I haven't been particularly ambitious about this, and I could probably do it fine with my Audio interface and PC software RIAA anyway.

Edit: I haven't tried the Azimuth thing. I have SL-1200s.

Is it not possible to do azimuth adjustment on the SL-1200?

 

[Helicopter]

Is it not possible to do azimuth adjustment on the SL-1200?

certainly possible, but I just set everything to 52mm overhang.

 

[watchnerd]

certainly possible, but I just set everything to 52mm overhang.

Errr

Now I'm confused.

When I adjust azimuth on my SME arm, it doesn't have anything to do with overhang.

I twist the headshell relative to the tonearm while keeping the pivot to stylus distance the same.

If it was an airplane, I would say I'm adjusting the "roll", not the pitch or yaw.

 

[JP]

I have not heard back from the next person supposed to get it. LMK what you want me to do with it.

I’m not in a hurry. Likely wait until April.

 

[JP]

I’m not in a hurry. Likely wait until April.

How rude of me - if you want to get it out of your hair, feel free to send it back.

 

[Helicopter]

Errr

Now I'm confused.

When I adjust azimuth on my SME arm, it doesn't have anything to do with overhang.

I twist the headshell relative to the tonearm while keeping the pivot to stylus distance the same.

If it was an airplane, I would say I'm adjusting the "roll", not the pitch or yaw.

I just use a speed level, a bubble level, and calipers to level and center everything. Usually does fine on the test tracks after that. Only once did I have an issue, with my 440mlb, and then I used a protractor which totally changed the setup and had cart all cattywhompus, but also ened up fine and well.

 

[engie490]

Is it not possible to do azimuth adjustment on the SL-1200?

There are 2 screws on the bottom of the tonearm for adjusting azimuth.

You can buy a headshell that has its own azimuth adjustment though. Keep in mind that you will probably increase the weight of the headshell though (the Technics headshell only weighs 7.5g).

 

[watchnerd]

There are 2 screws on the bottom of the tonearm for adjusting azimuth.

You can buy a headshell that has its own azimuth adjustment though. Keep in mind that you will probably increase the weight of the headshell though (the Technics headshell only weighs 7.5g).

That makes sense. The SME M2-9R also has such screws.

I also have AT headshells that allow for azimuth adjustment, but I find them pretty fiddly.

 

[JP]

They’re not for adjusting azimuth, they’re too attach they bayonet. As the holes are oversized they can be used to adjust azimuth, though an adjustable headshell would be the better way to go, or return defective cartridges.

 

[watchnerd]

They’re not for adjusting azimuth, they’re too attach they bayonet. As the holes are oversized they can be used to adjust azimuth, though an adjustable headshell would be the better way to go, or return defective cartridges.

Well, in the case of the SME M2-9R, they are.

See page 17:

"Release the azimuth locking screw underneath the tonearm..."

https://sme.co.uk/audio/wp-content/uploads/sites/1/2016/12/SME-series-m2-9R-and-12-r.pdf

 

[JP]

I was speaking about the Technics. I like the simplicity of the 3009 azimuth adjustment.