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sjg
contributor
Joined: 16 Apr 2004
Posts: 71
Location: Boston area, Massachusetts
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 Posted: Tue Sep 18, 2007 9:26 am Post subject: Fitting a new tonearm to an AR XA subchassis |
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I saw this and thought folks here might like to see it as well -- no affiliation with the seller --
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISA.....:RTQ:US:11
Intrigued, I sent an inquiry asking about performance and the power supply and arm mount.
The seller had the work done for him by Stefan Frosten of Edison , N.J. who specializes in rebuilding AR tt. I don't remember reading about him before.
I also was surprised that a Linn power supply which he bought in a kit off ebay uk, worked with the Hurst 3 Watt motor.
The picture does not show it clearly but the seller confirmed that the tonearm is mounted to subchasis via an acrylic tonearm board.
Sure is a pretty rebuild -- wonder how it sounds.
Stephanie |
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Ernie L
lost in space
Joined: 11 Jul 2006
Posts: 791
Location: lost
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| Posted: Tue Sep 18, 2007 1:35 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks Stephanie..it's always nice to see different and hopefully successful AR mods..This would be a real time saver for someone with a Rega type arm.
ps
east or western MA. ? |
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danieldust
vinyl addict
Joined: 18 Mar 2005
Posts: 667
Location: Northeast Florida
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| Posted: Wed Sep 19, 2007 8:16 pm Post subject: |
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Shazaam! I was just about to post this auction here myself!
What a cool thing to see, especially since someone here recently mentioned how they'd like to see how a Rega arm mounted to an XA. Well, there it is!
Who is this Stefan Frosten person? Does anyone know anything about his work? I'd be real tempted to have him modify my extra T-bar for a Rega arm.
Also, I wonder how the substantially enlarged hole in the metal top plate (is that what we're calling them now?) affects its rigidity. |
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BaMorin
vinyl addict
Joined: 14 Jun 2007
Posts: 2315
Location: Columbus, Ohio
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| Posted: Wed Sep 19, 2007 10:09 pm Post subject: |
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| danieldust wrote: | Shazaam! I was just about to post this auction here myself!
What a cool thing to see, especially since someone here recently mentioned how they'd like to see how a Rega arm mounted to an XA. Well, there it is!
Who is this Stefan Frosten person? Does anyone know anything about his work? I'd be real tempted to have him modify my extra T-bar for a Rega arm.
Also, I wonder how the substantially enlarged hole in the metal top plate (is that what we're calling them now?) affects its rigidity. |
Does the top plate (now that we're calling it that  ) need to be rigid? Besides holding the suspension studs, and keeping the box square, what else does it really do? good place as any for an on/off switch I guess 
From what is viewable in the pictures, it doesn't look that difficult to square off the end of the Tbar and bolt up an arm board
Come on Daniel....take the plunge. Then get back to us and show the results. |
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danieldust
vinyl addict
Joined: 18 Mar 2005
Posts: 667
Location: Northeast Florida
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| Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2007 12:37 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | Does the top plate (now that we're calling it that ) need to be rigid? |
I kind of think so. The motor is attached to the top plate too, you know. I only ask the question though, because it was mentioned in the LA Audio File article available on Dave's site. I imagine the size of the hole as seen in the Ebay auction is probably safe, but I certainly don't know for sure.
I am probably going to "take the plunge," but I only have one turntable, and I have already invested a fair amount of money into it (by my standards anyway) and I don't want to screw it up. The other thing is that I am not real good with tools and have a very dim understanding of all the esoteric stuff like arm geometry and such, so I want to gather as much information as possible before I just blindly go into this mod. |
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BaMorin
vinyl addict
Joined: 14 Jun 2007
Posts: 2315
Location: Columbus, Ohio
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| Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2007 12:57 am Post subject: |
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| danieldust wrote: | | Quote: | | Does the top plate (now that we're calling it that ) need to be rigid? |
I kind of think so. The motor is attached to the top plate too, you know. I only ask the question though, because it was mentioned in the LA Audio File article available on Dave's site. I imagine the size of the hole as seen in the Ebay auction is probably safe, but I certainly don't know for sure.
I am probably going to "take the plunge," but I only have one turntable, and I have already invested a fair amount of money into it (by my standards anyway) and I don't want to screw it up. The other thing is that I am not real good with tools and have a very dim understanding of all the esoteric stuff like arm geometry and such, so I want to gather as much information as possible before I just blindly go into this mod. |
Tool Definitions...
Subject: FW: TOOL DEFINITIONSSee below. Sounds familiar. I think I have most of these tools and theywork as described. TOOL DEFINITIONS 1. DRILL PRESS: A tall upright machine useful for suddenly snatching flatmetal bar stock out of your hands so that it smacks you in the chest and flings your beer across the room, splattering it against that freshly painted part you were drying. 2. WIRE WHEEL: Cleans paint off bolts and then throws them somewhere under the workbench with the speed of light. Also removes fingerprint whorls and hard-earned guitar calluses in about the time it takes you to say, "S--T!!!" 3. ELECTRIC HAND DRILL: Normally used for spinning pop rivets in their holes until you die of old age 4. PLIERS: Used to round off hexagonal bolt heads. 5. HACKSAW: One of a family of cutting tools built on the Ouija board principle: It transforms human energy into a crooked, unpredictable motion,and the more you attempt to influence its course, the more dismal your future becomes. 6. VISE GRIP PLIERS: Used to round off bolt heads. If nothing else is available, they can also be used to transfer intense welding heat to the palm of your hand. 7. OXYACETYLENE TORCH: Used almost entirely for setting various flammable objects in your shop on fire. Also handy for igniting the grease inside awheel hub you're trying to get the bearing race out of. 8. WHITWORTH SOCKETS: Once used for working on older British cars and motorcycles, they are now used mainly for impersonating that 9/16 or 1/2inch socket you've been searching for, for the last 15 minutes. 9. HYDRAULIC FLOOR JACK: Used for lowering an automobile to the ground after you have installed your new disk brake pads, trapping the jack handle firmly under the bumper. 10. EIGHT-FOOT LONG DOUGLAS FIR 4X4: Used to attempt to lever an automobile upward off a hydraulic jack handle. 11. TWEEZERS: A tool for removing splinters of wood, especially Douglas fir. 12. TELEPHONE: Tool for calling your neighbor to see if he has another hydraulic floor jack. 13. SNAP-ON GASKET SCRAPER: Theoretically useful as a sandwich tool for spreading mayonnaise; used mainly for removing dog feces from your boots. 14. E-Z OUT BOLT AND STUD EXTRACTOR: A tool that snaps off in bolt holes andis ten times harder than any known drill bit. 15. TWO-TON HYDRAULIC ENGINE HOIST: A handy tool for testing the tensilestrength of bolts and fuel lines you forgot to disconnect. 16. CRAFTSMAN 1/2 x 16-INCH SCREWDRIVER: A large motor mount prying tool that inexplicably has an accurately machined screwdriver tip on the end with out the handle. 17 AVIATION METAL SNIPS: See hacksaw. 18. TROUBLE LIGHT: The home builder's own tanning booth. Sometimes called drop light, it is a good source of vitamin D, "the sunshine vitamin," which is not otherwise found under cars at night. Health benefits aside, its main purpose is to consume 40-watt light bulbs at about the same rate that 105-mm Howitzer shells might be used during, say, the first few hours of the Battle of the Bulge. More often dark than light, its name is somewhat misleading. 19. PHILLIPS SCREWDRIVER: Normally used to stab the lids of old-style paper-and-tin oil cans and squirt oil on your shirt; can also be used, as the name implies, to round off the interiors of Phillips screw heads. 20. AIR COMPRESSOR: A machine that takes energy produced in a coal-burning power plant 200 miles away and transforms it into compressed air that travels by hose to an Pneumatic impact wrench that grips rusty bolts last tightened 70 years ago by someone at GM, and rounds them or twists them off. 21. PRY BAR: A tool used to crumple the metal surrounding that clip or bracket you needed to remove in order to replace a 50 cent part. 22. HOSE CUTTER: A tool used to cut hoses 1/2 inch too short. 23. HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays isused as a kind of divining rod to locate expensive parts not far from the object we are trying to hit. 24. MECHANIC'S KNIFE: Used to open and slice through the contents of cardboard cartons delivered to your front door; works particularly well on boxes containing upholstered items, chrome-plated metal, plastic parts and the other hand not holding the knife. So there you have it: a complete description of the tools all men need, and occasionally use correctly.
HOPE YOU ALL ENJOY THIS
marc |
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bauzace50
vinyl addict
Joined: 11 Jun 2005
Posts: 5879
Location: Guayama, Puerto Rico
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| Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2007 1:30 am Post subject: |
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Holy Moley BaMorin,
that's one accurate collection of tool descriptions! Wonder if you would be available to work for a newly forming electonics kit manufacturer, to write the introduction, and the assembly instructions?
bauzace50
_________________
Benign is what you will be after you be eight. |
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BaMorin
vinyl addict
Joined: 14 Jun 2007
Posts: 2315
Location: Columbus, Ohio
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| Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2007 2:58 am Post subject: |
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| bauzace50 wrote: | Holy Moley BaMorin,
that's one accurate collection of tool descriptions! Wonder if you would be available to work for a newly forming electonics kit manufacturer, to write the introduction, and the assembly instructions?
bauzace50 |
I might be able to work something up  Some years ago I had a trouble-shooting flow chart for auto mechanics. I'll leave it at it wasn't suitable for a family viewing. And every mechanic who read it nodded and giggled. |
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danieldust
vinyl addict
Joined: 18 Mar 2005
Posts: 667
Location: Northeast Florida
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| Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2007 3:00 am Post subject: |
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Wow, I had no idea I was going to need all these tools to work on my turntable!
Forget it, I'm buying a Rega P1! |
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snfrosten
senior member
Joined: 23 Sep 2007
Posts: 261
Location: NJ - USA
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| Posted: Sun Sep 23, 2007 7:54 pm Post subject: |
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The hole for the armboard is not that large so it doesn't take away from the rigidity of the top plate, its also close to the corner of the table plinth and uses that for support.
These ARs are so easy to work on theres no reason to buy a Rega other then to take the Rega arm off and mount it on the AR.
You do need some tools, jigsaw-bandsaw- drillpress-grinder-sander and other odds and ends to complete these modds.
I've been building XAs since the early 80's and own at least 10 at this point, including the infamous ETL-1 in piano black-a very beautiful table.
Steve
ps-Thanks for the compliments everyone.  |
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ddarch
moderator
Joined: 17 Dec 2002
Posts: 496
Location: Seacoast, NH
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| Posted: Sun Sep 23, 2007 10:47 pm Post subject: |
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Hey Steve,
Welcome aboard! Glad to have you and your expertise with modding XAs here at VE.
Dave
_________________
David Archambault, Exeter, NH
www.vinylnirvana.com |
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danieldust
vinyl addict
Joined: 18 Mar 2005
Posts: 667
Location: Northeast Florida
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| Posted: Mon Sep 24, 2007 12:36 pm Post subject: |
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Hello Steve! Very happy to see you here.
I have a bunch of questions, but I'll try to keep it short.
How does the arm board mount to the T-bar? I can't see it in the picture in the auction very well.
Dose the suspension have to be adjusted subtantially for this mod? Are different springs used? If so, how does it affect performance?
What is your experience with the sound of Rega arms on the AR XA?
Thanks for your time. |
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danieldust
vinyl addict
Joined: 18 Mar 2005
Posts: 667
Location: Northeast Florida
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| Posted: Mon Sep 24, 2007 12:43 pm Post subject: |
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| And congratulations on winning this beauty, Dave! |
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snfrosten
senior member
Joined: 23 Sep 2007
Posts: 261
Location: NJ - USA
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| Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2007 12:21 am Post subject: |
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Yes Dave, Congrats on your win, very good purchase. The table cost more to make then you paid so an excellent buy and a nice new toy to play with. Let me know how you like it and if you think a different design would work better. I've been thinking today that maybe the armboard and armboard cutout would work out better if it were round, leaving the top plate more ridged. I like the look of the EB101 and AR1 board so I copied that but it could be any shape.
I've mounted the armboard to the subchassis with two screws, you could also add a little glue once you have set everything up and ar finished tweeking.
This armboard is really two boards sandwiched( glued) together, the bottom one protruding further out to catch a meat part of the subchassis. The board is made from a high quality acrylic and the thickness is 5/8 of an inch.
I didn't take any pictures of the table when I built it since it was presold to a customer in CA. But now Dave can give you a peek -I'm sure- when he receives it. Lets call this table the XA101jr.
Since the subchassis is heavier from the weight of the armboard, the tone arm and the dampening I use either Linn or Ariston turntable springs with longer studs-2 1/2 stainless screws and wingnuts are the bests to give you more adjustment.
The dampening on the subchassis is important to balance the weight so its not all at the tonearm end. Also the subchassis rings like a tuning fork so I add Dynomat to the top, cutting pieces to fit inside the walls. The Dynomat is easy to work with and works great to deaden any vibration.
Better springs--better performance. Every thing you add or do to the table changes the sound performance, I find springs seem to add focus not unlike adding spikes to the base of the table.
I love Rega arms, especially with moving coils, the only cartridge other then a MC that I would use is a Grado. The Regas have a rich, full sound like many higher end arms but at a reasonable price. A good match in the AR tables.
Hope that answers a few, thanks for the hello Daniel.
Steve. |
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danieldust
vinyl addict
Joined: 18 Mar 2005
Posts: 667
Location: Northeast Florida
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| Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2007 2:33 am Post subject: |
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Excellent, excellent post, Steve. Thank you so much for the info. I really hope you will stick around. Where have you been?
I am hoping to replace the arm on my AR XA in the next few months. What arm I use will largely be dictated by cost, availability and ease of installation. I have been looking at/for Grace 707s and Mayware Formula 4s since they have been documented as successful replacements in the past. I love the idea of using a newer and more widely available arm like one of the Regas, but again, price and ease of installation may dictate that I do otherwise. Any thoughts advice or comments you (or anyone else) can offer as I go through the process are most welcome. There's plenty of time though, as I have to scrape up the money before I can do anything.
Meanwhile, my wife is spending almost as much of our money per month on her new horse as it would take for me to buy a tonearm, but that is another story.  |
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