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So, I have always felt my vinyl lagged my music server performance. Even after getting a Allnic H1201 and utilizing a Denon 103R with aluminum head shell, and adding all the Groove Tracer Delrin Platter, sub platter and counter weight, it just did not reach a level of performance I expect for my system. Don't get me wrong. Every step was a step in the right direction. And I have a pretty darn good music server, so the bar is pretty high. However, I just new there was more to be had from my Rega RP6. For goodness sakes, reviewers love these things. For a while I have been sitting on the fence about getting a new tone arm. Hmmm, is that going to help? I have also been looking at the Michael Lim remote motor mount and considering that. Of course Joe is telling me get a Roxan. Joel is telling me get a Hans. Those are $4500 to $7,500 investments. I really don't want to spend that money. Well, I am one of those love to fiddle with it kind of people. Why can't I make my own remote motor mount. I have always had my unit sitting on a piece of 3/4" birch plywood. It just worked better that way. One day it was raining, and I had nothing to do. This was the day. I removed the platter from my turn table, locked the arm in place, put a guard over the needle, then opened up the bottom motor mount cover. Inside were 2 screws to remove the speed controller, and with a little light prying, the double sided tape released the motor. With those parts removed I put the table back on it's plywood stand and marked a location through the whole where the motor spindle went. Then I took a small block of wood, added some double sided tape to it and stuck it on my plywood base. Then I did the same on top of the block and stuck the motor to it. Walaaaa, a remote motor.
Let me tell you. That was one of the most significant upgrades I did to that turn table. The background noise from the motor was significantly reduced. All sorts of detail I could not hear in the past was heard. You can turn the volume up much louder and have a black background. When the music is playing there is so much less hash in the presentation. It got rid of a lot of fatigue.
Armed with a positive success I went to the local Laird Plastics and found a sheet of 1/2" acrylic. Only enough to make a base. About 24" x 24" for $35. My base is 17" x 14". On the drive home I also stop at a reuse it shop and low and behold, they have a large sheet of Corian for $60. I pick that up too. Let me tell you, that stuff is dense and heavy. A couple days go by and I find some more time so off to my table saw with the sheet of delrin I go. I clean some edges and get things more square, then cut (2) plates 17" x 14". Through one of them I take a whole saw and cut a 2.5 in whole where the motor goes. I save the core. Then I take a scrap and cut another 2.5" core from it. I take the one sheet I did not cut holes in and double side tape the cores, one stacked on top of another onto it. Then tape the motor to the stack. Then I take the sheet with the hole and place it over the stack of cores. Between the 2 sheets I have 5 little dots of double sided tape, about 1/4" square that I use to hold the sheets in place, and to make ever so small a separation between the two sheets. Then I put the RP6 onto the new platform. Once again another leap forward. Motor noise when you put your ear on the plinth is significantly decreased, almost null. Bass impact/depth is much deeper. Highs are more extended and the location of instruments are more spatially laid out. My RP6 is now a very pleasant analog device to play records on.
Anyone with an RP1 - RP6 would be very happy with this alteration to their table. I would say it rubbishes your retail value, but it really takes an ok table and brings it to a decent table.
As an aside, with the success of the corian under the TT, I cut a couple pieces and put them under my First Sound preamp. It extended the highs and made the presentation just a little more revealing. Enough so that some of my less quality records express their age and wear. With the plywood, there is enough smoothing to not reveal all the flaws. I am now wondering what might happen if I take the current delrin top off and replace it with acrylic or plywood. I would leave the very bottom piece of delrin, along with the stacked cores as delrin, but I could shift the tone to some degree by altering the top layer.
Let me tell you. That was one of the most significant upgrades I did to that turn table. The background noise from the motor was significantly reduced. All sorts of detail I could not hear in the past was heard. You can turn the volume up much louder and have a black background. When the music is playing there is so much less hash in the presentation. It got rid of a lot of fatigue.
Armed with a positive success I went to the local Laird Plastics and found a sheet of 1/2" acrylic. Only enough to make a base. About 24" x 24" for $35. My base is 17" x 14". On the drive home I also stop at a reuse it shop and low and behold, they have a large sheet of Corian for $60. I pick that up too. Let me tell you, that stuff is dense and heavy. A couple days go by and I find some more time so off to my table saw with the sheet of delrin I go. I clean some edges and get things more square, then cut (2) plates 17" x 14". Through one of them I take a whole saw and cut a 2.5 in whole where the motor goes. I save the core. Then I take a scrap and cut another 2.5" core from it. I take the one sheet I did not cut holes in and double side tape the cores, one stacked on top of another onto it. Then tape the motor to the stack. Then I take the sheet with the hole and place it over the stack of cores. Between the 2 sheets I have 5 little dots of double sided tape, about 1/4" square that I use to hold the sheets in place, and to make ever so small a separation between the two sheets. Then I put the RP6 onto the new platform. Once again another leap forward. Motor noise when you put your ear on the plinth is significantly decreased, almost null. Bass impact/depth is much deeper. Highs are more extended and the location of instruments are more spatially laid out. My RP6 is now a very pleasant analog device to play records on.
Anyone with an RP1 - RP6 would be very happy with this alteration to their table. I would say it rubbishes your retail value, but it really takes an ok table and brings it to a decent table.
As an aside, with the success of the corian under the TT, I cut a couple pieces and put them under my First Sound preamp. It extended the highs and made the presentation just a little more revealing. Enough so that some of my less quality records express their age and wear. With the plywood, there is enough smoothing to not reveal all the flaws. I am now wondering what might happen if I take the current delrin top off and replace it with acrylic or plywood. I would leave the very bottom piece of delrin, along with the stacked cores as delrin, but I could shift the tone to some degree by altering the top layer.
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