emt 950, technics sp10 - direct drive sound

I spoke to Benjamin who now holds the reins at Dutsch Studiotechnik and he said he'd do a mini interview with me.He is very insistent on keeping the original EMT chain ie - TSD 15 - 929 arm - the in-built phono stage.

@dkarmeli whose opinion I highly value very much concurs with the EMT chain save the phono stage - I am led to believe that quite a few people aren't huge fans on the inbuilt phono stage. I'm going to ask for two options:

1. the option to plug in my own phono cable in order to bypass the stage

2. changing the Leno plugs to standard balanced plugs.

I must say i am dreading how much this is gonna cost me. In fact I think I am going to sell my spare QL10

Why not focus the expenditure on the TT itself. Get it up to as new. buy a couple of arm boards.

You can use any arm/phono with it, you can always get the EMT arm/phono later.

Do you have the wide body 950 ( controls to the side )  or standard 950 ?

@lohanimal I have been instrumental in having a rethink attended to for the TTS 8000 Spindle Bearing Bushes.

I have donated a TTS 8000 to support the investigations undertaken and enable dimensions to be taken for New Bush Sleeves to be used within the Bearing Housing.

These New Parts are made from Torlon.

A New Sump Plug is also produced for the Base of the Housing/Pressed Metal Bowl, that has a machining that enables a selection of Thrust Pads to be used, in my case Torlon again.

Another TTS 8000 Owner who has adopted these same methods, as well as extend on them, has also discovered a simple method to retain lubricant in the Pressed Metal Bowl. This has been in constant use with an oil lubricant since the method was discovered with no leaching of a thin lubricant occurring.

I have a selection of Bushes at hand, produced to suit one of my owned TTS 800's Bearing Housing Inner Wall and Spindle Diameters.

The Bushes when seated in the housing will require a Final Hand Ream with a Reamer Tool. 

If you would like to try this out let me know, I have a demonstration Instructional on fitting the Bushes from the Engineer who produced the Bushes, this can be sent to your email.

If satisfied with the info' on fitting and the interest still remains, I can send on a few Bushes to yourself.

What has been learnt through individual taking on this modification, is that in one case the Interference Fit Ball at the base of the Spindle had been discovered with a noticeable scribing to the surface. It is a reasonable easy fix and is worth checking for when the part is in hand. I have seen this condition reported on over the years on bearings being serviced on Long-Term usage TT's, it is aways worth a check, or request for a check, when a Bearing is being stripped down.    

I use EMT948 which has the same built in phonosatge.

The internal phonostage is guts OK. It sound very neutral but rough and flat. Any decent external phonostage will be better. EMT DD turntable have much more potential that their built in phonostages.  

I use the EMT 929 tonearm and TSD15 SFL and SPH carriages. I don't have experience with adapting not EMT tonearms.  

Regards,

Alex.

@pindac 

I need to check out how this is all done. How do you press the bearing - is it a high pressure fit?

Have you done before and after Sn measurements? I recall having a very good conversation with the late great Max Townshend last year about bearings and he said that people wrongly get fixated with the hardness of bearings - that's why, when signals excite them (as per a record player) they can/do cause high frequency sibilance. As such tungsten carbide and steel balls can/do sound better than ceramic balls.

@alexberger thanks - you are yet another person to say the original phono stage is a bit meh. I have two very good phono stages - as such i think i will get the plug option. No doubt the engineer will say it's heresy but there again EMT themselves make a very high end phono stage.