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JVC QL-Y5F with shure M81MC, worth upgrade the Cartridge?

S

sixthday

Super Member
Just got a JVC QL-Y5F with shure M81MC cartridge and a non-JVC noname headshell. Everything works fine. However, I know that M81MC is a low end cart usually used in cheap TT. Although the Y5f is not a top TT, it is not a low end TT either.

So my question is that: is it worth to upgrade the cartridge as well as the headshell. I am thinking of spend 50-100 for both. Is this too much? or too little?

Thanks for your advice.:scratch2:
 
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The QL-Y5F is easily capable of handling megabuck cartridges!

it will get the best out of almost any cartridge, but its sweet spot is mid-compliance.

I have run a very wide variety of catridges on mine and they all sound great!

The major flaw that the Y5F has is the resonant plint - I fixed this by:

1) Filling with 3kg of plasticine
2) adding a 5th foot in the middle of the bottom so the baseboard would not wobble
3) substantially increasing isolation for the platform of the TT

The difference in performance once these vibration control measures were in place was dramatic - took it from a reasonable midrange performer - to a top end performer.

The arm and drive both have the potential, but on this TT the plinth lets it down.... but like I said, it can be resolved very economically!

Some carts that I have found to be exceptional on it:
Dynavector Karat
Shure M97 with SAS
ADC SuperXLM
Ortofon OM30

I have a Decca London cartridge which I plan to try on it in the near future too....

Once the plinth vibrations are fixed this beastie really does well with almost anything with a needle on it!

Your existing Shure cartridge could also be massively upgraded with a SAS, or you could look at any of a very wide range of other cartridges!

The arm mass can be easily adjusted downwards by choosing low mass headshells (eg: ADC, AKG, or Technics SL1200mk2 OEM) - and if necessary, using a lower mass counterweight - standard SL1200mk2 Technics counterweights fit just fine - the armtube end is the same diameter, and the Technics CW's are lower mass - you can shave around 6 to 10g from the effective mass of the arm that way.

The Ortofon OM30 with the optional weight removed weighs 2.5g, fitted to a 6g AKG headshell was not balancable on the arm as standard - it was too light! - fitting the Technics CW allowed it all to work quickly and easily.

Hope this helps

bye for now

David
 
sixthday said:
Just got a JVC QL-Y5F with shure M81MC cartridge and a non-JVC noname headshell. Everything works fine. However, I know that M81MC is a low end cart usually used in cheap TT. Although the Y5f is not a top TT, it is not a low end TT either.

So my question is that: is it worth to upgrade the cartridge as well as the headshell. I am thinking of spend 50-100 for both. Is this too much? or too little?

Thanks for your advice.:scratch2:
Click to expand...

Yes, and you can go a lot further than 100 rupees.
 
Dlaloum, could you please elaborate on how to dampen the plinth? Is it arduous?

I have a line on this fine table, but the auto feature doesn't work. Guy's wanting a c-note, and I wonder how hard it is to open her up and dampen that plinth.

Thanks.
 
It is about 3:00 AM in Australia, David is probably asleep. :music:

One method of dampening the plinth is to pack the inside with oil base modeling clay.
 
Whoops, failed to notice that, nice save.

I've read about that, but I didn't know if it was a chore to get the base off.

Simple as unscrewing and doing?? I've got an MCS tt 6605 that is really nice, but I know it'd benefit from some dampening.
 
Sounds easy enough. Might let the MCS be my fledgling attempt.

I once removed the base on my Sony PS-X60 to fix a ground hum. Actually found the problem, soldered, and repaired.

Oh, to be a good tech (which I most certainly am not).
 
Hi onwardjames,

yes it is relatively simple...

Start by removing the platter, locking the arm down, (perhaps taping it down for safety, - then put a couple of large books (dictionaries,encyclopaedias, coffee table art books....) flat on the table, and turn the TT upside down on top of them - the arm is then safely hanging in the air next to the books, and the TT is sitting on the books quite stable.

The soft ply baseboard simply comes off when you unscrew the screws around the edges.

I documented the modding process with lots of pics here:
http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=89320.20

Went to Audiocircle due to the community of JVC QL-Y users there - there are also other examples there of mods to this family of TT's.

One of the key things I did, was to use toilet roll cores (high tech expensive stuff here!) to constrain the plasticine laterally, and cut them to the height between plinth and baseboard - then overfilled them slightly with plasticine, so when I put the baseboard back on, the baseboard would be putting pressure on the plasticine - creating a constrained layer damping setup.

The other key thing I did was to remove the standard feet and use 5 rubber puck/stoppers/feet instead - 4 of them in the usual corners and the 5th right in the middle - the 5th is critically important as it immobilises the baseboard, and puts a bit of pressure on it, which then pressurises the plasticine underneath....

Other things:
the JVC's are unsuspended designs, and once modded with the filled plinth it is heavily damped, much like the SL1200mkII...

Damping is good (very good) - but it then requires isolation - the rubber feet/pucks I use help, but I then placed them on a platform (Ikea Lack Table) - which in turn was placed on Sorbothane Domes, then sitting on a rack, on top of a concrete paver (36kg), the concrete paver sitting on sorbothane pucks.

My old house with wooden suspended floors had serious footfall issues - the floors would resonate, and it would go straight up the rack into the TT and wreak havoc with the sound.

With the combination of mods, the setup became impervious to footfall, and the sound improved across the board, bass, highs, seperation you name it!

I later replaced the Sorbothane Domes with mag-lev footers - it did improve it marginally... but was not worth the (expensive) price.
All the other mods were dirt cheap.... the concrete paver at $10 was among my most expensive purchases...

Hope this helps

bye for now

David
 
David, hello!

Yes, it not only helped, it inspired! Although this tt spins at speed, apparently the arm is jiggling back and forth, and unable to be used in manual. If I can get the guy to budge on 100 bucks, I may pull the trigger.

Don't want to buy something that cannot be fixed. I had a nice Dual do me that way.

Thanks again for a very nice writeup!
 
I suggest extreme caution - the arms on the QL-Y series are all electro magnetically servo controlled for VTF, anti-skating, and damping as well as normal up/down automation.

If the electronics are shot - the arm is effectively worthless - and there are no spare parts available....

These arms are magic when working - but unless you are an electronics tech, a faulty arm could be the TT's death knell.

(Sorry to put a damper on things... I do love that table!)

Just be careful...

bye for now

David
 
Well, I appreciate your input.

I think I'm going to take a look at it, see if fiddling with the tracking and antiskate does anything. I'll probably pass if it's unobtainium parts. I have a PL-600 Pioneer, a Sony PS-X60, and a Technics Sl1400mk2, so perhaps I'll put money into getting these things tip top. None restored, but all work perfect.

As for that MCS 6601, I am DEFINITELY gonna try the modeling clay/toilet paper roll thing, see if that improves it. It's actually a pretty nice sounding table, and has the slowest drop I've ever seen. Far underrated.
 
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