Jim

I was also going to mention to Fido, if you wanted a nice custom AR-XA or AR-ES-1, Steve would do an excellent job on one and for cheaper than you'd think. If you were to purchase an XA on the bay for around $200-ish, you could have things done to the table that would make it compete against tables at much higher price points.

Mike, no problems with commenting, I was going to mention Steve myself. I'm actually going to see him tomorrow and am also going to Kevin's at KAB for another cartridge this weekend.

Fido, What it comes down to ultimately is going to be small differences in sound stage and or depth, small increases in clarity, black noise in the background, tighter bass response, clearer mids and high end. There are other things as well. The mat for instance will help on static build up which in turn causes dust to more easily attach to record grooves and stylus tips. A good mat alleviates some of that build up due to lessening static build up. It will also help in sound quality being quieter with background noises. Upgraded arms with better bearings or wiring will help in drag and cleaner sound. A better plinth helps in sonics as well as the real wood is a better insulator. I am still learning a lot and one of the beauties is having forums like this or Audio Karma to learn from. What I would consider on your table if you wanted to do some upgrades would be to rewire the arm and get cardas wires for the head shell sled installed, and maybe get one of the deer hide or double suede mats to put on the table. Then I would also give the idler wheel a slight sanding yearly just to roughen up the edges for supple rubber contact against the platter. Also, think about cleaning the contacts at least annually or twice a year. Larry does those upgrades as well as Bill at fixmydual.com If Larry didn't do it when he did the plinth, add on thin cork inside the plinth on the walls as well.That will help with the sonics. The only reason I sold my 1229Q was because I wanted to experiment with other tables. The 1229 is an "audiophile" table even though it's a fully automatic table. The suspension is nice on them as well,maybe look at it annually as well and level it out by stretching the springs when needed. If you wall mount it you'll also help with sonics due to foot traffic. As Mkane also stated, the cartridge is about 70-80% of what should be the main piece, and if you were to try an upgrade on a cartridge, don't be afraid to try out a good $500-600 ranged cartridge if you have the money.It will not be a waste.

Deer Hide is my next mat.

I bought a double sided suede mat for mine. Best thing I did. No static, and it makes for a quieter background.

Mike, I remember him now talking to me about your table, not knowing of course it was you. The arm gave it away. I'm contemplating doing a Grado or two, but am trying to figure out on how to set up a low output one. I may go the route of a Graham Slee step up ladder for one of the woody types.

So Larry Spence who is doing the plinth and other work did a second plinth for his own build. I have the Blue and he has the Purple. Seeing the Purple though, makes me want to get my other table done in Purple now.

mkane, It looks like the platter on the lower one was powder coated. Is that correct? And if so, did it make any sonic difference? I see where Marc did the mod on the arm,I'm doing the same on my 1st XA. As you can see from the above photos, we are doing everything pretty much to the hilt. Your dark oak is beautiful. On the 2nd XA, I'm torn on Steve taking it and having free range with it, or having Marc do it all. By the way, which arm did Steve put on there? I'm contemplating switching out the arm as well,especially if Steve takes it. The good thing with him is that he's only 10 minutes from my house, so it makes for an easy thing.What carts are you using as well?

Fido, I also just came across Steve Frosten who is another AR enthusiast. A friend of mine has "THE TURNTABLE" version and just had his replinthed. It has been at my house for awhile as I did a few things to it for him but Steve took it to a new level.

Fido, I remember us speaking about it.

MR.PEE1, Log onto kabusa.com and give Kevin a call. He has several different types of Technics,and is also known in some regards as the Technics 1200 guru. He does everything to them. And his work is know world wide. He can take those tables to the next level from re wiring to arm rebuilds to everything else. You can get a fully redone rewired table for less than $1,000.00. If you look online as well, you can find fully functioning ones for less than $400.00. Or maybe just redo your Sanyo

Must taste like chicken. Beef woulda made the water a little darker.

So I am getting the AR-XA table pictured in my profile built, and figured I'd upload a few pictures of the build. The table has taken about 8 weeks due to upgrades and weather. The 1st pic was how we were going to do it, as it was a one off. But I liked it so much I asked the builder to do a second one. The changes I am doing are the arm will be the stock arm,but the tube will now be an S-Shaped SME type with Technics styled head shell. I am also attaching adjustable feet in order to level the table easier. It will also have a custom built cover and the plinth will be solid Tiger Maple wood. This project is being done by Larry Spence out of Texas along with Marc Morin out of Ohio. Marc is redoing the arm and upgrading the bearings to sapphire as well as the suspension, and Larry is doing the plinth, all new wiring, caps, and everything else under the hood. In the meantime, I picked up another XA table stock, and wound up meeting another table builder and known AR person, Steve Frosten. He will most likely help on the new addition table once this one is done and I can A/B them. Anyone who knows AR tables may be familiar with these people, and I am lucky to have found them. Steve is actually 10 minutes from my house,so it makes for an easy get together on tweaks. I know there are several on here that have had Larry make plinths for them, but this is some of the other work he does as well.

Not at all bright to me. My forte II's are brighter to me. I like the KG's as they can be brought out into the room and are easier with placement than the forte II's.

Yes, they are. There are a bunch of people on here who can help you if you ever get the need to upgrade to another amp, custom builds, or even taking that amp and upgrading the caps and resistors. Some may say not to as they are builders, but some will help point you in the right direction or offer to do it for you. Where in NJ are you? I'm in Fords (Woodbridge). I'd be more than happy to let you preview how my amps sound if you ever wanted to check them out with yours. I have forte II's with the Crites crossovers and titanium tweeters as well as KG 4.2's with same upgrades minus the tweets that I use for my 2 channel stuff. Maynard made a recommendation on speaker placement for me for my room and when I have it set up that way,the speakers just disappear.

Those little Chinese amps are pretty nice. I have one or two myself. I wanted to experiment with them and had one totally rewired and had the caps and resistors upgraded and it made a difference. I did sell it after being made an offer I couldn't refuse, and then purchased another one, just wired in triode mode only. The amps seem to get better parts in them as they "upgrade" the models.

Shade, If you are anal like me, you could try using the Graham Slee Elevator. It allows you adjust the ohms input which can also give a little more louder sound levels without turning the knob up that much, or the Acession or similar model. It allows you to use an adjustable output or standard output and level out the sound to match the higher output stuff on cd.. You could also try an ADC XLM MKII or similar cartridge as they have about 5mV output.

What's with the reputation number? What does it mean?

Maybe because it was me? LOL. WTF

Really? I got blocked on a word that wasn't a curse?

If you were closer,I'd ****** them up, or if there were a way to get them shipped I'd be on them.

I thought these sold a long time ago. What did I miss?

Keith, I hope this was a condescending apology, because I would not apologize for being real. I agree as well that today's world is a bunch of pansies and that it needs to change. People need to get over themselves and being so PC and making sure they go out of their way to make sure they let you know you're wrong because you don't agree with their thought process. I don't know what was said, nor do I care, but the reason I have backed off the forum for some time is because of the PC. I actually had someone on here complain that I called myself white trash and was asked not to use derogatory language. It's a joke to me how people today are so much into what someone else says or does when it doesn't immediately affect them or their families personally. People used to mind their own business and not care what was said as long as it didn't physically hurt them. "Sticks and Stones" is no longer a valid saying. Just my 0.02. I could care less what anyone says or how they say it,so long as it doesn't physically hurt me or my family. Sorry you feel the need to apologize, and I don't mean it in a negative way. Saying sorry for something you really feel sorry for is one thing, saying it to appease is another.

A few of my favorites that I'd like to own. 1950 Cadillac Hearse I'd chop, drop, and do the interior in a burgundy velvet with a burgundy carpet with jet black paint, and flames. The one with the flames was actually for sale near me many years ago and was owned by a rock band. We were about $5000.00 apart in pricing at the time. 1949/1950 Merc chopped and dropped.

And it will be even tougher if you get the SAS for both carts. I just also spoke to Larry about the Jico SAS as he's a big Shure fan.