PIC - Granite for TT, Scott 355, Cornwall, ST70

[kjohnsonhp]

Here's shot of the latest 2-channel setup. My neighbor installs granite counter tops and he cut me a scrap for my TT shelf. The Scott is my NOSValves 355 I bought at an antique auction live on ebay, the ST-70 has been redone with better caps but only the most common mods. I picked up the MMF-5 30-days old for $350 and unloaded the old B&O.

I think I need a better CD player or at least he mods to this Sony. Over time I can upgrade the TT and other parts, too.

[mobile homeless]

Nice gear, KJ. You know, in looking at that shot, you might get some improvement with moving your source/amps away from the Cornwalls as much as possible. Every inch can help here I have found. And I really think you'll hear a improvement with the TT and tubes if you go to a quality rack/stand. I have found this makes a major difference with the turntable/CD player. It also helps with the amplification as well. AGain, you dont have to plop down $$$ on a premade solution if you feel inclined to put some effort into making a stand. But I found this was WELL worth the cost, either in time and effort, or towards a used offering via the net. I ended up making a stand that is very close to the Michael Green Deluxe Rack (threaded rods/shelves. It's a stand that had been imitated a lot with several pages online dedicated to the construction. There are quite a few options for sale as well, some not as expensive as others but still providing good properties. The stand/isolation/coupling really does bring everything up a notch. I consider it just one more component. I know my various turntables change their character depending on the type of stand; with some, it can make or break the final result (definitely with my Linn LP-12). I think once you get your CW up in the 90dB range, you will get some serious sonic artifacts running into that gear/table on that wood rack. It could be doing the whole rig and your ears an injustice.

kh

[Guy Landau]

Nice setup, KJ.

You can find some info on great DIY rack in http://www.tnt-audio.com/clinica/flexye.html

Guy

[kjohnsonhp]

Thanks for the info on the rack! It's one of the last remaining left-overs from my 1980's system The rack was moved a little closer for the pic but I agree with the need for better placement.

Now that I at least have the basics (TT,preamp,amp,Cornwalls), I feel like I've finally gotten in the game. I can now start to tweak the rest (room, placement, rack, cables, power) and upgrade parts over time.

One issue I still struggle with is keeping HT in the same room. The 55" RPTV which seems to pull the image forward. Throwing a blanket over the glass screen seems to help. I rollup screen and projector is what I'd like to get.

[mobile homeless]

Yes, the TNT rack is a nice alternative. I do, however, prefer the 4 rod approach as I feel it's more stable ultimately. Greg Weaver did a version but I think you can substitute some more visually appealing shelves although I have seen the two MDF shelves glued together and routed to look EACTLY like the Michael Green Deluxe Justarack. Using real wood or birch plywood is an alternative too (some might prefer deadening the wood underneath shelf).

I think a mixture of the Greg Weaver and TNT approach is good.

Grey Weaver DIY Rack

TNT Flexi Table

If you dont feel like making it yourself, there are tons of used racks floating on Audiogon and occasionally something interesting will show up on ebay. Do some poking around the net. I found my Linn LP-12 doesnt like the big, heavy, solid rack either. I have to get a separate stand for it. But many TT arent affected this way.

kh

[jt1stcav]

A wonderful, straightforward audio system...bet it does sound fantastic. Enjoy!

[NOSValves]

Ken,

nice setup ! Now you need to get to modding the ST-70 great gains to be had there !

Craig

[leok]

kj,

Nice setup. Is the ST-70 also on granite?

I've worked on a few ST-70s for people around here, and always liked the powerful, but clean presentation. They were probably the best I've ever used with the Fortes (which, in retrospect, probably presented load problems to my non-feedback tube amps similar to what the Chorus-IIs do). The ST-70s had no trouble at all with the Fortes. I'll bet they're a perfect match with the Cornwalls.

leok

[jhawk92]

I will be building a modified Flexi for my 2-ch system as well. Since my K-horns are walnut as is the case for the 299B, I decided to build the shelves of 3/4" walnut plywood. Gregorius sent me a link to a wood shop in Missouri that had the plywood and they cut a 4x4 sheet into 4 2x2 shelves. I'll also try out my veneering skills as I bought some walnut veneer to cover the edges.

I thought that brass hardware would look sharp with the walnut and found 1/2" x 3' all-thread at my local Fastenal store, instead of the standard steel color. I'm going with 4 legs, mainly for stability with the bigger shelves and with the eventual small babies that I'll have running around the house. I'll finish the shelves with a nice satin polyurathane. Should be a pretty sweet unit once I get it assembled.

The shelves may be a tad oversized, but I don't have any waste and leaves plenty of room for bigger components later on. I really like the ability to infinitely adjust the shelves depending on component size. Also, it makes it pretty easy to level out the top shelf for the TT.