Garrard 301/401 owners club!
- Thread starter jeremyjustic
- Start date
AtticRat
New Member
Glad you got a 301 back on your system...I am still in search of a tone arm I can afford for my $3 301.This beauty is finally up and spinning.
AtticRat
New Member
Thanks for the info on the rotating armboard! I am going to make a plinth for my $3 301 out of centuries old lumber from the depths of Lake Superior! I love the rotating armboard, I will incorporate into my new plinth. I think this project will be my winter basement project this year, you all will be seeing pics late winter, I hope!? Still in search of a tonearm I can afford, yet not a piece of crap. My budjet is ~$300-500 or just a bit more, but my taste is $800-1500. If anyone out here has a quality tonearm for a steal, I am in the market, eh?Thank you! That wood riser is actually an armboard. The plinth itself has a 4" hole in it, and the armboard rotates on/within that hole. The tonearm mounting hole is drilled off center of the armboard, and by rotating the armboard that eccentricity changes the spindle to pivot distance. The plinth is pretty versatile as a result -- easy enough to fashion a new armboard for he next tonearm, even if its effective length is different.
jeremyjustic
Analog
Really stunning Nate! That slate plinth is beautiful and the hammer tone grey of the 301 really looks nice, awesome set up!
This beauty is finally up and spinning.
Thanks Jeremy!
kozzmo99
Member
Here are my twins, fraternal.....The cream 301 is a grease bearing...I sold the exact table 10 years ago and recently found another to replace it, should never have sold it!!
The 401 is not stock, It has a large aluminum platter an oversized bearing that someone on the Audio Asylum made back in 2008..
Interestingly enough I find the stock 301 in the cheap ply plinth more engaging and fun to listen than the 401 in a slate plinth with the aftermarket platter and bearing.
Unfortunately I foolishly sold the original platter and bearing for the 401 so I can't swap out the platter/bearing to figure out what is going on with that combo..
Is it the slate or the new platter/bearing that suck the life out of the music??
The 401 is not stock, It has a large aluminum platter an oversized bearing that someone on the Audio Asylum made back in 2008..
Interestingly enough I find the stock 301 in the cheap ply plinth more engaging and fun to listen than the 401 in a slate plinth with the aftermarket platter and bearing.
Unfortunately I foolishly sold the original platter and bearing for the 401 so I can't swap out the platter/bearing to figure out what is going on with that combo..
Is it the slate or the new platter/bearing that suck the life out of the music??
kozzmo99
Member
The platter is made from solid aluminum and weighs consideralbly more than the original.
The bearing I believe is stainless steel and the bearing housing I think is brass. I tried contacting the gentlemen who had is made a few months ago and his wife told me he passed away. So I'm guessing it's brass. He supplied the bearing with a steel ball and that rode on a brass thrust plate.
I just turned a piece of delrin for a thrust pad and am now using a silicon nitride ball.
The table is super quiet. Things are very precise sounding, imaging, very audiophile like. Just super jet black quiet very eerie backgrounds. Instruments tend to appear out of no where. It's hard to explain it a very startling transient kind of thing.
The low end is less bloated and the highs are way more precise. This however will make lesser recordings, lesser!!
I need to get the platter into the 301 to see if it's the platter/bearing or the slate deadening the music. As it stands now it is very noticeable, the lack of life to the music.
Sounds over damped..the 301 has life!!
The bearing I believe is stainless steel and the bearing housing I think is brass. I tried contacting the gentlemen who had is made a few months ago and his wife told me he passed away. So I'm guessing it's brass. He supplied the bearing with a steel ball and that rode on a brass thrust plate.
I just turned a piece of delrin for a thrust pad and am now using a silicon nitride ball.
The table is super quiet. Things are very precise sounding, imaging, very audiophile like. Just super jet black quiet very eerie backgrounds. Instruments tend to appear out of no where. It's hard to explain it a very startling transient kind of thing.
The low end is less bloated and the highs are way more precise. This however will make lesser recordings, lesser!!
I need to get the platter into the 301 to see if it's the platter/bearing or the slate deadening the music. As it stands now it is very noticeable, the lack of life to the music.
Sounds over damped..the 301 has life!!
kozzmo99
Member
I put a new Idler wheel on today...Audiosilente from italy on ebay.....makes a considerable difference. It adds more to the idler dynamic slam and it's not subtle.
I have 2 decks. A completely stock 301 and completely modified 401.
If I had to do it over the only thing I would do is add this idler wheel and be done with it.
I have 2 decks. A completely stock 301 and completely modified 401.
If I had to do it over the only thing I would do is add this idler wheel and be done with it.
kozzmo99
Member
honestly I don't what there is to be gained between Audiosilente's at $120 shipped vs $365 from Artisan Fidelity.
The workmanship is impeccable from the Audiosilente, comes with new bushings if needed and the whole assembly feels very solidly made.
I'm sure the Artisan Fidelity offering is a fine piece too but I do not know if there is more to be gained sonically...
The workmanship is impeccable from the Audiosilente, comes with new bushings if needed and the whole assembly feels very solidly made.
I'm sure the Artisan Fidelity offering is a fine piece too but I do not know if there is more to be gained sonically...
UncleBingo
Super Member
I would surmise that it's the 1/4 plywood tonearm board...
UncleBingo
Super Member
Nice! Hear a difference?
kozzmo99
Member
with the new idler of the armboards??
UncleBingo
Super Member
Armboard on the 401 (straight to slate, I mean).
kozzmo99
Member
There is something wrong with the 401...it sounds dull and lifeless no matter what I do to it...plus I get some strange noise with the idler engaged. it's either the slate or something with the contact of the idler, pulley, platter....I have some springs on order....
The Corian on the plywood plinth made a substantial difference to the sound. Really tightened up the sound and put things into focus. It is really dense stuff and the plywood plinth I'm using is only 2 pieces thick. So I'm guessing I killed some vibration getting to the tonearm...
David
The Corian on the plywood plinth made a substantial difference to the sound. Really tightened up the sound and put things into focus. It is really dense stuff and the plywood plinth I'm using is only 2 pieces thick. So I'm guessing I killed some vibration getting to the tonearm...
David
Hi Kozzmo99,
Did you install the new bearings as well? I've read that some people had problems in aligning the two bearings.
Regrds,
David
kozzmo99
Member
I did not touch the bearings.
The directions suggest just swapping out the top if needed and strongly urges caution in touching the bottom bush.
I can’t tell if I need the new bush or not.
