Schitt Sol Turntable

[AudioSceptic]

This is the paradox of vinyl.

If you want real precision, don't bother, go digital. You'll go nuts trying to make vinyl perfect....not to mention the variable quality of the medium itself.

However, if you're too sloppy (where 'too sloppy' is proportional to stylus sophistication), vinyl sounds bad.

Actually, I've always thought that vinyl sounds much better than it has any right to. It's just that a lot of the problems are self-inflicted. It never needed to be as tweaky as it has been.

 

[watchnerd]

Which one(s) do you have?

I have 3 tonearms:

Jelco SA-750D, SME M2-9R, and SME 309

 

[watchnerd]

Actually, I've always thought that vinyl sounds much better than it has any right to. It's just that a lot of the problems are self-inflicted. It never needed to be as tweaky as it has been.

The 'Wild West' of vinyl is an interesting 'What If' question and an example of variances of evolutionary paths compared to, say, cassette and CD.

More mature, tightly engineered formats (cassette, CD, etc) seem to have come about more nicely uniform when you had a combination of electronics companies that also owned record labels (e.g. Philips & Sony both made electronics gear, and owned record labels). So there was a built-in unification of the media and playback electronics in a single corporate entity.

But in the early days of LP, it wasn't like that...the record companies were all doing their own independent thing, even making their own LPs with variances in playback EQ (Decca, RCA, Louisseau-Lyre, etc.).

Then you had oddball things like 16" transcription disks used for broadcasts:

It's a wonder it all worked.


I think it shows that vinyl is like the Kalashnikov AK-47 of the audio world -- a lot can be 'wrong', and dirty with gunk, but still operational and usable.

 

[AudioSceptic]

I have 3 tonearms:

Jelco SA-750D, SME M2-9R, and SME 309

Thanks. So you are not stuck with fixed offset, as you would be with a SME IV or V, or the old 70s S2Imp or S3. Those would limit your alignment options.

 

[AudioSceptic]

The 'Wild West' of vinyl is an interesting 'What If' question and an example of variances of evolutionary paths compared to, say, cassette and CD.

More mature, tightly engineered formats (cassette, CD, etc) seem to have come about more nicely uniform when you had a combination of electronics companies that also owned record labels (e.g. Philips & Sony both made electronics gear, and owned record labels). So there was a built-in unification of the media and playback electronics in a single corporate entity.

But in the early days of LP, it wasn't like that...the record companies were all doing their own independent thing, even making their own LPs with variances in playback EQ (Decca, RCA, Louisseau-Lyre, etc.).

Then you had oddball things like 16" transcription disks used for broadcasts:

It's a wonder it all worked.


I think it shows that vinyl is like the Kalashnikov AK-47 of the audio world -- a lot can be 'wrong', and dirty with gunk, but still operational and usable.

Yes, a fascinating history, and I just love names like Rek-o-Kut. They must have spent days thinking that one up.

 

[AudioSceptic]

Thanks. So you are not stuck with fixed offset, as you would be with a SME IV or V, or the old 70s S2Imp or S3. Those would limit your alignment options.

I should also add that with the 2-hole fixed headshell, an SME also limits you to a fixed effective length for any given cartridge. This means that you can only vary the overhang and pivot-to-spindle distance together. More limitations in alignments?

 

[Frank Dernie]

Since there is no standard for the location of the stylus deflected by VTF either for 3 hole or 2 hole cartridges, and alignment is just redistribution of the tracking errors of a pivoted arm not worthe bothering with.
If I have to have a pivoted arm I prefer arms where the adjustment is at the pillar end, like SME but appreciate this is more expensive to make so not commonly adopted.
I shall be sticking to a parallel tracker though.

 

[watchnerd]

Cartridge shoot out:

https://audio-head.com/a-schiit-shootout-4-turntable-cartridges-compared/amp/

 

[617]

I have 3 tonearms:

Jelco SA-750D, SME M2-9R, and SME 309

I have an SL1200 mkii, and I always wondered how stupid it would be to get an outboard arm for it, like a 12" jelco. How stupid does that sound to you?

 

[anmpr1]

That may be one of the least expensive bits, but CF seems to be used to imply high tech these days. CF is good for a lot of purposes not necessarily for arms (and 3-D printed even less well suited but modern).

I've seen arms made pretty much from everything: balsa wood to stamped steel. I've seen them straight and cruved. Unipivots, gimbals, knife edge, magnetically suspended. Electro-mechanically and silicone damped. Different anti-skating mechanisms, and some with none at all. Fixed and removable headshells. So many variables.

 

[anmpr1]

I have an SL1200 mkii, and I always wondered how stupid it would be to get an outboard arm for it, like a 12" jelco. How stupid does that sound to you?

In the early '70s Panasonic/Technics made something called a 'Plusarm' device for their SL-110/120 series. It was an outboard clamp that you could use to fit a second arm on their tables. You could use one of their own, or another brand. I think it was mainly sold in the home Japan market.

 

[617]

In the early '70s Panasonic/Technics made something called a 'Plusarm' device for their SL-110/120 series. It was an outboard clamp that you could use to fit a second arm on their tables. You could use one of their own, or another brand. I think it was mainly sold in the home Japan market.

This is a great example of something for which I have absolutely no need but feel intense compulsion to buy.

 

[watchnerd]

I have an SL1200 mkii, and I always wondered how stupid it would be to get an outboard arm for it, like a 12" jelco. How stupid does that sound to you?

My table can handle 2 arms at the same time, but they can be mounted to the chassis.

Going to an outboard 12" arm may not be stupid, per se, but I'd ask:

1. What cart are you planning to use? The TK-950L has an effective mass of 13 grams, which is on the chunkier end so matching compliance may be different than the default Technics arm
2. What problem are you trying to solve? Tracking issues?
3. If you really want to get into transcription length arms, why not get a TT designed for that (e.g. SP10)?

 

[watchnerd]

In the early '70s Panasonic/Technics made something called a 'Plusarm' device for their SL-110/120 series. It was an outboard clamp that you could use to fit a second arm on their tables. You could use one of their own, or another brand. I think it was mainly sold in the home Japan market.
View attachment 32960

A strap-on for turntables...

 

[617]

My table can handle 2 arms at the same time, but they can be mounted to the chassis.

Going to an outboard 12" arm may not be stupid, per se, but I'd ask:

1. What cart are you planning to use? The TK-950L has an effective mass of 13 grams, which is on the chunkier end so matching compliance may be different than the default Technics arm
2. What problem are you trying to solve? Tracking issues?
3. If you really want to get into transcription length arms, why not get a TT designed for that (e.g. SP10)?

- I hadn't considered this. I assumed finding an appropriate cartridge wouldn't be too difficult
- I like vinyl precisely due to the tweaky nature of it, so making a concrete arm base and affixing it to my 1200 seems like a fun project and a good way to test new cartridges - have one forgiving cartridge and one more hifi.
- That would be a more practical solution, but if I wanted to seriously upgrade my TT I might be looking at Micros, seems like there are better values to be had.

 

[AudioSceptic]

I've seen arms made pretty much from everything: balsa wood to stamped steel. I've seen them straight and cruved. Unipivots, gimbals, knife edge, magnetically suspended. Electro-mechanically and silicone damped. Different anti-skating mechanisms, and some with none at all. Fixed and removable headshells. So many variables.

I've just found that Well Tempered is still around <https://www.welltemperedlab.net/products/ltdtonearm/>. Hanging the whole caboodle from a thread is a novel way of avoiding spending any money on bearings! It also comes in a 16" version <https://www.welltemperedlab.net/products/royale-400/> Is this the longest arm available?

 

[solderdude]

I reckon this turntable would not be sold in the Netherlands under that brand name

 

[garbulky]

It's a pity that it requires so much assembly. This would have been my upgrade turntable from my Pioneer. I like the overall look of the thing and the Schiit aesthetic. However I do wish they had a few features like autoreturn. Not even sure if they even have the start stop tone arm lift button. But neither are deal breakers.
Question if one sees a record wobbling slightly on the platter like on the setup video where the cartridge moves up and down is that a bad sign?

 

[watchnerd]

I reckon this turntable would not be sold in the Netherlands under that brand name

Does rekokut mean something dirty in Dutch?

 

[watchnerd]

Question if one sees a record wobbling slightly on the platter like on the setup video where the cartridge moves up and down is that a bad sign?

Could be a warped record, which happens, or it could be the platter isn't level or truly flat, which is bad.