Optimizing TNT, Triplanar, Transfiguration Temper


I'm writing because of a combination of frustration and potential in my turntable set-up. I have never gotten the sound from the system that I expected, but feel that I am beginning to glimpse the potential of achieving it. I have made some changes recently that have led to more changes that have brought me closer to what I have heard from other systems with similar components. I am hoping someone can guide me toward finally obtaining the basic qualities that I'm looking for and I can fine-tune from there.
What I have heard before from lesser components and am not getting is the sound of the transients jumping off the record. I thought this problem was merely from the characteristics of the Transfiguration Temper Supreme, but with some modifications of the table I am beginning to hear it and wanted to see if I could bring it out further.
Let me back-track and tell you my components and what modifications I have made so far. I am running a VPI TNT upgraded to 4 (w/ the rectangle cutout for the motor), with the original motor and just added an SDS (which made the biggest improvement), a Wheaton Triplanar tonearm upgraded to VI, and a Transfiguration Temper Supreme cartridge.
When I upgraded to the SDS, the timing and solidity of the sound improved dramatically. I then found that using a single belt directly from the motor to the table actually outperformed the three-pully design originally designed for the table, perhaps with some trade-offs, i.e. voices sound clearer and better-defined, but piano may have a little less air and realism.
Finally, the table sits behind the speakers, particularly the left speaker. Moving the speaker forward a few inches seemed to significantly clean up the sound, so vibrations from the back of the (B & W 803) speaker may be muddying the water. My other components are Spectral DMC-20 and DMA-180 and MIT/Spectral reference cables.
Like I said, I am glimpsing the potential of this setup, and the music is starting to clean up and jump off the record, but it's just not quite there. I feel like I'm missing something simple and would like advice before making a lot of changes. I think I've set the cartridge up properly with regard to alignment, azimuth, VTA and no anti-skate. I have not removed the damping trough yet, and that is the next thing I was thinking to try. I am planning to try to further isolate the table from the speakers - the cable lengths prevent me from totally moving the preamp and turntable. I was also considering using different belts or string/dental floss etc. Another possibility is investing in a single-motor flywheel, which also would not use the three pulleys included with the TNT turntable. But, I feel that there is something simple and straightforward with the front-end that I am missing. Any advice?
128x128ctlphd

Showing 12 responses by ptmconsulting

I also have a Temper, on a Moerch DP6 arm and a VPI based table. Here's what I can suggest.

1) Table isolation is paramount. I made a DIY Ginko by placing the table on a 1" maple butcher block and putting 8-10 squash balls between it and the shelf.

2) This cartridge is finicky to setup, so double and triple check everything, especially VTA. When setting this realize it is a Shibata stylus which means the high frequency waves in the groove need to be perfectly aligned with the angle of that stylus edge. So listen for the leading edge transients being clean and sharply defined. If you do this the bass will fall into place too.

3) Replace the VPI rubber belt with silk thread. You have an SDS so you can adjust the speed to compensate for the smaller diameter of the thread. This change was huge for PRAT and detail retrieval IMO. Here's a source for thread (in any color you choose - try #2, 3 and 4 sizes:

http://www.artbeads.com/stringing-materials-griffin-silk-bead-cord.html

4) Damping - I found that minimal damping is warranted. Too much and things get flat and squishy sounding with reduced dynamics.

5) Cartridge loading. I load mine at 220 or 470, depending ... higher values produce a more open tonality but sometimes this can be a bit too sharp with some recordings so I tone down to 220 for those.

6) Anti skate - it is important to set this properly. No anti skate means you are missing something that should be there IMO. Here's an explaination of how I set it.

Anti skate can be set by ear. Find a recore with some vocals and some decent dynamics. Then set the force to zero. This works best with someone helping you, but you can do it yourself if you're patient.

Listen to the right channel and you should hear it almost lower in dynamic volume than the left (a bit recessed). Slowly turn the tracking force up, I mean very slowly a wee bit at a time. Eventually you should start to hear the right channel coming up and getting closer to what the left channel is producing dynamically. Then as you get higher you should hear both channels sounding more dynamic and just better and better. Move the anti-skate up very slowly now.

At last you will hear a fairly dramatic drop off in the quality of both channels. You have now gone a wee bit too far. Back it off a notch and you have optomized your anti-skate.
I have a Moerch DP6, not a Triplaner. Can;t speak to the TP arm, but my Moerch sounded best with very little or no damping goo. Far more lively and much better to my ears. I would suggest using damping sparingly on any arm - it seems to suck the life out of the music.
Read my explanation on how to set AS properly (above). When set correctly it will sound better than with nothing.
I was always told to start at the high end (e.g. 44k unloaded) and work my way down in values (loaded) until things snap into place. I found this balance to be between 220 and 470 for me (I have a switch on my Hagerman Piccolo step up that allows me to choose between several values easily). A loading of 30 would certainly make your transients sound dulled.
Glad to hear that your changes moved things in the right direction. I agree with removing the damping trough, that just seemed to kill the dynamics on my arm.

Keep playing and adjusting. This is a top notch cartridge and, as such, it is very finicky to setup and get perfect. But when you do ...
Here's a write up by Jon Risch on VTA/SRA. I only wish I could find the picture that makes this all obvious. Basically the pointy sidewall of the Shibata stylus as to align perfectly with the angle of the cut in the record groove. Listen to high frequency tones for this, like triangles and vibes. When that aligns properly all should lock in, including the bass.

"Getting the stylus contact line to line up with the HF modulations of the groove wall is similar to aligning a tape haed to the recorded waves on the magnetic tape: you want them to be totally parallel with one another. When a fine line stylus is not aligned with the groove wall in terms of matching the SRA to the record walls groove angle as cut by the cutting stylus, then the footprint of the stylus will be riding over more than a single HF groove wiggle at a time. This results in a loss of HF's, and a blurring in time of the recovered signal, just like on a tape deck. If that was all that occurred, then incorrect SRA would be rather benign.

However, the situation for the groove wall is not like that of the tape deck, the groove wall and stylus are a mechanical interface whereby the groove wall modulations can torque on the stylus edge as it passes over the modulations at a rake angle that is not the same. This tends to generate spurious signals that are not harmonically related to the original signal, and the torquing tends to cause the intrisnic cartridge cantilever/moving system resonances to be excited and stimulated. The result: hash and HF frazzle that reaches surprisingly low in the audio band due to intermodulation with the signals being recovered from the record groove."
Glad to hear it is all working out. This is a finicky cartridge, to be sure, but it is well worth the effort to get it right.

Merry Christmas.
If you are using thread you will not be getting the "traction" that the old rubber belt provides. I know I need to give my platter a push start to get it moving.

With a separate flywheel the problem is exacerbated I would imaging, requiring a push on the flywheel and a push on the platter if there are strings all-round. I just run the string from the motor flywheel to the platter, and put a brass weight against the string where it comes off the motor pullet before it connects with the platter to adjust tension.
<
I have 6 tonearms here and employ anti-skating on only one.>>

OK, I stand corrected. Anti-skate seems to make a nice improvement on my tonearm without any loss of detail. In fact, it seems to bring out more detail and clarity. We all know all things are not equal in the audio world and all ears hear and prioritize things differently. I should know better than to make any absolute statements after all this time :)
Well, I've got a Moerch DP6 arm, and I find that some amount of anti-skate is necessary for me and when adjusted properly it improves the sound of my finicky MC cartridge. Maybe it's just a matter of whether a cartridge is susceptable to this adjustment or not.

The DP6 also has a progressive anti skate, so the amount of anti skate is varied as it approaches the center of the record. That is the right way to implement it since the forces to be countered vary with the distance to the center and the circumferance of the groove.
I am extremely interested in the comparison between the two, especially if you can actually trade between them for an accurate compare. The Temper is indeed getting a bit long in the tooth, being 10+ years old (but still sounding great). Not sure of the difference in design between the Phoenix and the Temper and what the "improvements" might be.
Comparisons to your old Temper ... ?

or has it just been too long ago to remember