Show off your AR XA tables

by **MuZak** » 05 Oct 2010 02:55

Wow.... Another beauty!

Simple, clean, purdy!

Well done!

How's she sound?

by **snfrosten** » 05 Oct 2010 03:53

Yes, nicely done and a Grado to boot. Bet it sounds real nice

by **drjjpdc** » 09 Oct 2010 02:48

Wow, jwillis, that is a beautiful plinth. It looks like a birds eye maple or birch type finish. I think a lighter color really shows off the TT.

John

by **tubes4life** » 20 Oct 2010 02:33

My XA may not be as beautiful as the others, but I'm absolutely thrilled with it. The sound from it is so clean and tuneful that few other tables can match. The arm is a Decca International Mk II with a plastic headshell and a light and short pillar. The cartridge is Decca vdH with a van den Hul type I stylus.

The arm has been rewired with Cardas 33 gauge tonearm wires. The wires run directly from the cartridge pins to the RCA outputs on the back of the chasis without break. Counterweight has been reseated and the screw hole on the arm tube has been elongated to allow rotation of headshell for azimuth adjustment.

Sonically speaking, the combination is quite satisfactory, although Decca cartridge can certainly use a little more mass than the arm can provide. My next project will be to replace the current light arm tube with a heavier S shape tube with an SME type connectors to make it more universal.

by **despotic931** » 21 Oct 2010 01:39

I really like the way the Decca looks on the XA!

- Justin (still jealous of wood pliniths)

by **snfrosten** » 10 Jan 2011 01:47

XA modifided with a Micro trak arm and Sonus gold blue cartridge. Had to alter the suspension to except the shorter arm. Heavier springs, plinth mounted gold plated RCAs and 3/4'' bottom cover are some of the other upgrades. Very vintage look and sounds very nice too.

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by **Alec124c41** » 10 Jan 2011 03:33

snfrosten wrote:XA modifided with a Micro trak arm and Sonus gold blue cartridge. Had to alter the suspension to except the shorter arm. Heavier springs, plinth mounted gold plated RCAs and 3/4'' bottom cover are some of the other upgrades. Very vintage look and sounds very nice too.

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That looks like the plant coaster mat. Try it plastic side up, too.

Cheers,
Alec

by **drjjpdc** » 10 Jan 2011 04:08

Boy if you were not an AR junkie like us, that Micro Trak arm would look like it came with the TT. It looks right at home.

by **drjjpdc** » 23 Jan 2011 05:29

OK guys I finally came up with some pictures of my AR-XA that I picked up. They are not great quality (cell phone) but at least I finally had time to take them.

John

by **snfrosten** » 07 Mar 2011 03:31

Latest table made for a member here. Rega RB250 with brass weight and Cardas rewire on a solid walnut armboard.

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by **Tone-NY** » 13 Mar 2011 03:24

Thanks for taking on my project! I'm looking forward to setting it up, once I clear a place for it .

by **kenwood61** » 17 Mar 2011 08:14

snfrosten wrote:

Really nice job! What type of mat is on their?

by **snfrosten** » 20 Mar 2011 17:35

Its a sorb-othane mat from the 80's, blue in color. The cork mat sounds better, doesn't deaden the record as much, the sorb-othane
subtracts to much from the music.