[Halcro]

Nice arm Neo...
When does he go to recovery?
Regards

[neobop]

Hi Henry,
Not much wrong with the arm, most of it is cosmetic.  A couple of things like the rubber bushing on the counterweight stub is wiped out, and the set screw for the weight is missing.  The set screw is 4mm standard thread, so no big deal.  I want to keep the rubber coupler and I'm figuring out a way to fix the stub permanently in the most forward position - the VTF applier thingy. 
The anti-skate spring is disconnected from the knob (my fault) and I'm thinking of hooking up a bucket and string.  I like that arrangement.  It's easy and precise to add or subtract lead shot.  Old springs are a PIA.  I modify most of my arms anyway, at least the counterweight.  The Unitrac is the only one I didn't mess with. 

The important thing is the bearings seem like they're in good shape.   Now to figure out where I'm going to use it.  I'd like to get that Sapphire platter on a pod, but I don't want to invest in a BD motor/controller.  The arm on the Sony X50 is messed up and I'm not using it, so I'm thinking of defeating the semi-auto function and using it there.  It's a decent table with a brushless/slotless motor.  I think the arm and the semi function are the weak parts of the table.
I can probably fix the Sony arm, but that might be a project.  The pillar is loose in the VTA adjuster and the semi function has it tilted.  I might have to shim the pillar with a sleeve or maybe Teflon tape.   That arm is weird.  About a dozen or more tiny horizontal bearings surround the pillar beneath the plinth.  If you're not careful when removing, the parts that hold them in place separate, and the bearings go flying.  Don't ask me how I know this.

I should probably get a TT81, but your thread has them scarce.  There's a 441/505 MKII on A-mart, but I have to get rid of something first.
Thanks to Griff for helping figure this out.  I think this will be a great arm.
Regards,

[Halcro]

I should probably get a TT81, but your thread has them scarce.

I know it's strange.....but the TT81 seems almost as rare as the TT101?
Compared to the thousands of Denons and Yamahas that are available on the used market (without even mentioning Technics), it is such a shame that Victor appear to have made so few..

[neobop]

AFAIK the TT71, 81, and 101 weren't exported to the US.  The Y7, 8 and 10 were, I believe.  I was looking at a special TT71 - 120V.  It had a giant clear plinth and a 7082.  I decided against it.  I figured the arm might be too heavy and I'm really looking for an 81. 
I probably shouldn't be writing this stuff.  Now I'll never find one.

Ever hear the Brit table Trans Fi, the one with the Terminator linear tracker?  Some guys get the arm and not the table.  It's rim drive like Teres Verus only supposed to be better.  He makes the base out of slate and it probably weighs a million and costs a million to ship.  Interesting table.  Maybe I could buy the motor/controller for that platter of mine collecting dust.

[Halcro]

Haven't heard the Trans Fi but like you, I have read many raves for their arm.
I've been meaning to sell my Micro MA-505s tonearm since getting the 507/II....but somehow I never get around to it.....

[Halcro]

Hey Neo....
http://www.canuckaudiomart.com/details/649230581-jvcvictor-tt81-direct-drive-turntablemotor-deck/

[ACHiPo]

Halcro and Neo,
Sure like watching your banter.  Feel like a kid again at the barbershop.  Only at an audio store.

Anyway, reading and learning.  Thanks!

P.S. That JVC drive is nice looking.  It's got me thinking about another project using something like this...

[neobop]

Thanks Halcro,
Somehow it didn't show up on shark.  Maybe I missed it. 
neo

[neobop]

AC,
Is that marble or corian on the bottom?   If that's for a plinth I'm not sure if it's the best choice.  Weight/mass definitely helps, but marble, like slate is good at transmitting vibrations.   The game changes with combinations and I don't know what you're planning.

You know those Kenwood faux marble plinths, the KD500, 600 ?  Those are actually made of ground limestone and polyester resin.  Very effective.
neo

[ACHiPo]

AC,
Is that marble or corian on the bottom?   If that's for a plinth I'm not sure if it's the best choice.  Weight/mass definitely helps, but marble, like slate is good at transmitting vibrations.   The game changes with combinations and I don't know what you're planning.

You know those Kenwood faux marble plinths, the KD500, 600 ?  Those are actually made of ground limestone and polyester resin.  Very effective.
neo

Neo,
I have a 3" slab of curly maple that I thought might make a good turntable plinth.  The maple slab is sitting on my assembly table, which has a Silestone top I reclaimed from our kitchen remodel.

Our sink is made up of a composite with quartz and granite dust--very dead vibrationally (makes for a quiet garbage disposal).  It could definitely make a good plinth.

AC

[Halcro]

Halcro and Neo,
Sure like watching your banter.  Feel like a kid again at the barbershop.  Only at an audio store.

Anyway, reading and learning.  Thanks!

P.S. That JVC drive is nice looking.  It's got me thinking about another project using something like this...

Glad to hear ACH....
As far as plinth material goes for a DD like the Victors, I have proven that it makes little difference to the sound as long as the motor unit is simply resting on rubber pads and not rigidly fixed.
What turntable are you working with?

[ACHiPo]

Glad to hear ACH....
As far as plinth material goes for a DD like the Victors, I have proven that it makes little difference to the sound as long as the motor unit is simply resting on rubber pads and not rigidly fixed.
What turntable are you working with?

Halcro,
No Frankentable yet.  Right now I'm just adding a second arm onto my WTT 'table.  But all that barbershop talk between Neo and you have me scheming

Seriously:  I don't have any plans for another table, but am enjoying my dive into the rabbit hole, and Neo's musings have me thinking about direct drive.  Of course, a nice idler would work well in that slab, too 

AC

[Halcro]

What car is that in your moniker ACH?


I love my Porsche 356B Super....

[ACHiPo]

Halcro,
That's a beautiful Speedster!  My avatar is a 1966 AC high performance 289 (ACHiPo--get it?) in Rangoon Red with Borani alloy wire wheels--the British (but with LH drive) street version of Shelby's 427 AC Cobra.  If I ever stop dumping money on hi-fi stuff, I might actually be able to afford one!

AC

[neobop]

 Porsche 356B Super  1963?   Looks clean as a whistle. 

Hey, look at this '66 427 Cobra:

Has the steering wheel on the wrong side.  Silly Brits, shift with your left hand?  Is the clutch on the far right? 

My favorite car was a '72 Firebird 350:

Like this, only sundance orange.  Love those old GM small block V8, but you could drop a big block into just about anything and fly.

So Henry,
How is that new pod working out?  I'm thinking of building one out of steel and that Kenwood limestone/resin stuff.  I figure I can add acrylic paint to the mix and sculpt it over a rebar like frame.  Your pod design has inspired me to new heights of insanity.  I want a giant dust cover that lowers over the whole deal, like the Cone of Silence in Get Smart. 
Seriously, I might be getting that TT81.  Thanks again for the tip.
neo 

[Halcro]

You know your cars Neo...
It is indeed a 1963 model 


Also with the wheel on the wrong (right) side....
The new granite cradle


is a revelation 


I'm having another one made which has a larger internal and external diameter to allow the innards to 'breathe'. I'll also be sticking a layer of cork around the inside.



This fully polished cylinder is carved out of a solid hunk of granite in China and delivered to me in Sydney for US$300.....
I sure hope you get the TT-81 Neo....
I cannot say that I can tell the difference between it and the TT-101...

[ACHiPo]

The new granite cradle


is a revelation 


I'm having another one made which has a larger internal and external diameter to allow the innards to 'breathe'. I'll also be sticking a layer of cork around the inside.



This fully polished cylinder is carved out of a solid hunk of granite in China and delivered to me in Sydney for US$300.....
I sure hope you get the TT-81 Neo....
I cannot say that I can tell the difference between it and the TT-101...

Halcro,
That is a stunning set up!  Making the ring out of the composite stuff might be better sonically, but wow, that is beautiful audio jewelry!  Hard to imagine getting it made for $300--think we paid $500 for the sinks!

Neo,
Like the Cobra.  Prefer the understated street cars with under car exhaust, wire wheels, and no roll bar though.  Or I'd gladly take a Sunbeam Tiger--kinda the same idea of sticking a big engine in a little car.

AC

[neobop]

Henry,
That really is a sharp set up.  Thanks for the dimensions.  Did Victor make any provision for ventilation with their wood plinths, other than underneath?  Seems like a good idea though.  With composite material I could have vent holes - wouldn't want to drill through granite, probably just mess it up.

What's the deal with the 3 rubber duckies under the motor unit?  That's a critical part of the set up.  Concentrate the weight of the motor unit onto 3 small areas?  That, in effect becomes the suspension - constrained rubber.  How much does the motor unit weigh?

neo

[Halcro]

Neo,
The TT101 weighs 10Kg (22lbs) so no big deal when sitting on three pads just as it did on the steel cradle.



Both Victors sound audibly better in my system without the steel shroud so ventilation is improved even further.....but what the granite cradle clearly demonstrates is that there is a marked centrifugal action to the platter spinning which needs to be resisted by 'mass'.
In their wood plinths, there is quite a bit of space around the metal shroud. I can't recall if there is also ventilation under the QL-A7....
Did you buy the TT81? I noticed it was 'sold'.....

[neobop]

Interesting - I like the metal cylinders/receptacles for the spikes on the steel frame.  Can't see exactly what couples them in the granite one, a threaded insert in a drilled out part?

The granite certainly will resist the motion of the platter, but overall the coupling is as stable, in terms of relative motion, as the interface between motor unit and base.  That's why I asked.  I'm not saying another method would be better, I'm just thinking out loud.
My conjecture is that that the heavier base would be better anyway, and improvement might not be attributable to better resisting platter motion. 

The 3 rubbers mass couple the motor unit and is semi-compliant, depending on rubber composition.  I was thinking a bead of silicon caulk or some kind of gasket might be better.  Have you tried other means of coupling the motor unit?   
neo