Success: Technics SL1200MKII Tonearm Rewire and Damping

[perceptionist]

This upgrade interests me and I had to sign up to ask a question. In the materials pic there is the cotton tubing in the baggie to the right of the ear plugs and then there is also a length of white tubing with blue spiral stripe sitting above everything.

It is shown where this blue stripe tubing is used here and in a couple other pics:

but it does not show or instruct where the other cotton tubing w/o stripe is utilized.

Am I missing something or is it an "either or" situation for both of these items?

Thanks!

 

[omishra]

Hi, Thanks!
That cotton tubing with different weight and thickness was considered for selection. Pic displayed how I used it. Finally I settled with the tubing which was inside the bag (7mm dia). Not all tubes are used.

 

[perceptionist]

Thanks for the clarification. What made you choose one over the other?

Thanks

 

[omishra]

What made you choose one over the other?

7mm diameter tube was fitting inside the tonearm tube with touching maximum to inner surface. it was softest material so it had more damping property. Lower weight was preferred but weight was more or less same in all. Pulling wires was easy with more diameter.

 

[perceptionist]

Ah ok... Thanks for the info!!

 

[nickvivid]

I just did this task to my sl1200, here's my thoughts:

First off, i need to address that i have a nuded denon dl103r - it has more opennness and clarity than the standard 103r. About 100 hours on it so far so nicely broken in. Zupreme headshell and also have a few wood and aluminum spacers in there. This headshell / nuded 103r setup has great balance of highs and tight lows.

I did the arm rewire and lightly stuffed it with cotton - used the kab kit for this, and it definitely cleaned things up a little. The kab 10g additional weight isn't enough for the back, so what i did was add a couple nickels for an additional 15g and heatshinked them together, and double side sticky taped it to the back of the kab weight.

I heatshrinked the arm as well. And then i setup vta to the sweet spot and experimented with vtf starting around 2 grams. I also used the baerwald protractor.

Then i listened:

Too clean! Too nice! Too sterile. Don't get me wrong, everything was there, but it was now too perfect. Not musical. Not organic. Just dull lifeless perfection. So, i removed the heatshrink, set the vtf to -1 grams or so, and added a penny to the top of the headshell (so im tracking around 1.2 grams, but with the amount of mass on the headshell its working fine with no tracking issues or inner groove distortion) and slightly unscrewed the headshell from the arm which will increase the highs, and then the magic happened.

Now, the theory (and what ive read elsewhere) is that the 103 with this arm needs a little jitter room to work. Anything too perfect and stiff and that's what your records are going to sound like. If you can get the vibrations in the arm to be controlled and in a way you can dial it in and out, then you can, with some work, tweak the sweet spot.

It's easily the best TT setup I've heard in my life now. And I'm happy about that. BTW I listen to a lot of classic rock records. Those guitars need to wail and the bass needs to have that soundstaging goodness. It needs to be alive and vibrant for me. It's all there with this setup.

Nick

 

[studiord]

Hi,

I know it's a bit late in the day but I saw this post of yours and had a few queries about rewiring the tonearm as I am planning to go down the route some day soon. Check this link for Cardas (4) Strand, Braided 33AWG Tonearm Cable with Soldered Clips being sold for $90 :

Dedicated Audio - Cardas (4) Strand, Braided 33AWG Tonearm Cable with Soldered Clips

If I understand, you have basically achieved the same thing in half the cost ? Correct me if i am wrong. If yes, then what is different about this wire ? Is it because it is braided or because it includes the headshell clips ? Also, is it advisable to use a braided wire in a technics tonearm ?

I would appreciate your response. Thanks in advance.

RD

Tanoj, Thanks!

Heat-shrink tubing and nylon clip for RCA wire is locally bought from market. You can find it locally at any electrical-cum-hardware store.

Other items and sources are as follows -

Cardas wire - Parts ConneXion - The authority on hi-fi DIY parts and components search product codes for different colors
CARDAS-70871, CARDAS-70872, CARDAS-70873, CARDAS-70874, CARDAS-73813
or - KAB ELECTRO ACOUSTICS ->Sound Accessories -> INTER CONNECTS


Cotton Sleeve 1 ft X 7mm/5mm Cotton Tube - http://www.partsconnexion.com/product1179.html

Headshell Lead wires
1 set X Headshell Connector wire - AUDIO QUEST HL-5 Headshell Leads,
or here Garage 'A Records: Product Detail

Ear plugs from local tool/sports shop or here

RCA cable was leftover of component cable from Sachin. So he can point of source.

 

[omishra]

This wire is with the terminal clips so that add to cost. But its good for people who can not solder to those thin wires. Otherwise IMO braided wires add fixed capacitance to wire inside tonearm tube which could be more than non braided wire. Also inside the tonearm metal tube (which is already grounded) non braided wire itself is not prone to any other interference. though braided wire is not bad idea, but IMO its unwarranted at that place.

Hi,

I know it's a bit late in the day but I saw this post of yours and had a few queries about rewiring the tonearm as I am planning to go down the route some day soon. Check this link for Cardas (4) Strand, Braided 33AWG Tonearm Cable with Soldered Clips being sold for $90 :

Dedicated Audio - Cardas (4) Strand, Braided 33AWG Tonearm Cable with Soldered Clips

If I understand, you have basically achieved the same thing in half the cost ? Correct me if i am wrong. If yes, then what is different about this wire ? Is it because it is braided or because it includes the headshell clips ? Also, is it advisable to use a braided wire in a technics tonearm ?

I would appreciate your response. Thanks in advance.

RD

 

[studiord]

Thanks for your reply. I am still confused. You are saying the braided wire includes the clips. So did you not replace them ? Is it very difficult to solder them as I have zero experience.

And what about the Audioquest headshell wires...is it necessary to replace them as well? Because those cost you $25 which means this braided wire sure is expensive. Does the partsconnexion website ship outside the US ?

I know I am asking too many questions but don't know if i should go ahead with this rewiring or just go for the tonearm fluid damper from KAB.

RD

 

[omishra]

The cardas wires are thin and Teflon coated. You have to burn its cover by dipping into molten solder metal on tip of soldering rod. Also,soldering requires steady hand though not difficult.

Headshell wires are your choice and not mandatory to replace.

IMO part connexion ships worldwide though at steep charges, pl get it confirmed.

 

[sachu888]

Cardas shielded wires are stiff. You may have movement problem with your tonearm.

Regards
Sachin

 

[studiord]

Thanks again. Btw, what are your thoughts about the following upgrades and how would you prioritise them ?

Cardas rewiring
Tonearm fluid damper
Isonoe feet
Funk firm achromat
Record clamp

RD

 

[studiord]

Sachin,

Which wires do you suggest then? I am looking at rewiring only if it makes a big difference to the sound quality. Otherwise might just replace the headshell with Zupreme or Nagaoka.

Cardas shielded wires are stiff. You may have movement problem with your tonearm.

Regards
Sachin

 

[sachu888]

We had good experience with earphone wires from Sony Ericsson Mobile.It is thin and flexible.FM Raghunadha tested it against Cardas and found them better.

Regards,
Sachin

 

[sachu888]

Thanks again. Btw, what are your thoughts about the following upgrades and how would you prioritise them ?

Cardas rewiring
Tonearm fluid damper
Isonoe feet
Funk firm achromat
Record clamp

RD

You can try replacing Your TTs stock interconnects first.The original Technics has very high capacitance interconnects,replace them with short length of lower capacitance cables.I am using Video Component Cables(Red,Green,Blue connectors) with very good result.They are well shielded and very low capacitance.The only drawback is that they are thick and very stiff,not easy to work.Joshua suggested Rg174 cable,which is thin,flexible and very low capacitance.

Regards,
Sachin

 

[Decknician]

Is the turntable still suitable for DJing after this mod?

Are back-cuing and nudging still possible?

 

[omishra]

Is the turntable still suitable for DJing after this mod?

Are back-cuing and nudging still possible?

Though my TT was never used by DJ and I never do that - still -
After all mods its functionality is not reduced but sound quality is improved by means of tonearm damping and less interference through better wiring. So all OEM usecases are still valid.

 

[cat's squirrel]

omishra, you seem a little confused. The resonance you speak of (<13Hz) is formed by the arm mass and cartridge compliance. The frequency for this should be around 10Hz. But what you have done is tackle the structural vibrations of the arm, which is a separate issue, completely. Most 9 inch arms have their first resonance at around 600Hz, far from the <13Hz you mention. These arm resonances can be reduced by the work that you have carried out, and is commendable.

However, there is mention of damping the plinth, and of damping too much. I believe this is not possible, adding damping material would mean adding up to 10 times the mass of the original plinth, which is impractical. Loudspeakers (most of them) have far more damping than this, and yet the thought of loudspeakers 'damping the music to death' is unheard of.

 

[arunvenkatesan]

omishra
that was a nice presentation of rewiring. Have learned a lot. thanks

 

[musiklava79]

omishra, you seem a little confused. The resonance you speak of (<13Hz) is formed by the arm mass and cartridge compliance. The frequency for this should be around 10Hz. But what you have done is tackle the structural vibrations of the arm, which is a separate issue, completely. Most 9 inch arms have their first resonance at around 600Hz, far from the <13Hz you mention. These arm resonances can be reduced by the work that you have carried out, and is commendable.

Regarding the vibrations being carried from the cartridge to the tonearm and again from the chassis (TT base plate) towards the cartridge via the tonearm pivot and tube, would the placing of some kind of damping material below the tonearm base help in preventing chassis (TT base plate) vibrations? How much of a role does a wooden/bamboo/carbon fibre tonearm wand play in damping vibrations? Would the use of some kind of visco-elastic material around the chassis (TT Base plate) help in preventing some of the vibrations?