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CUSTOMER FEEDBACK
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| BOOSTER OIL KIT Can something as simple as the spindle lubrication make a difference to the sound?Yes it can.I must confess that I was slightly sceptical of whether this modification would work. That said, I wanted to give it the best chance to prove itself. Some of you may know of my recent turntable saga, which started with trashing my Roksan Shiraz cart and ultimately led to a Cardas tone arm rewire (a splendid job by Audio Origami on that and the cardas plug), converting to 3.5mtr balanced inputs from the tonearm to my World Audio Design Valve Phonostage so I could accommodate wall mounting my turntable on an adjacent wall. I’ve waited a few weeks to let everything settle and allow myself to get accustomed to the sound before getting round to doing the oil. Ideal opportunity tonight as Wife and baby are away for a couple of days.What can I say?Subtle it is not, at least not on my system. I reckon I’ve got a pretty good system buy most people’s standards, gives me plenty of detail. and before tonight I thought I was getting lots of detail from my vinyl – lots more since I wall-mounted the Orbe’d Gyrodec. and that’s taking into account running nearly 3 metres more tone arm cable than before.So what does the oil do?In a nutshell it lowers the noise floor to the point that there is so much more detail coming through. so what happens in effect is that the dynamic range increases. substantially. I’m listening louder than before – because I can. the background surface noise is so much less intrusive. so I’m finding that I’m compensating by turning it up a bit to hear the familiar vinyl surface noise, which is barely audible. Analogue recordings are obvious, even modern ones. I’m currently spinning Emilana Torrini’s fisherman’s Woman LP. it’s a 45 RPM as well and the tape hiss is audible behind the music (just) even without headphones.The Gyrodec/Orbe’s strengths lie in it’s bass, IMO, and also its weakness – the bass ‘bloom’. the way round it is well documented on the web – to decouple the arm board from the Mickey-mouse ears with sausage-shaped loops of blutac on the top and bottom of each armboard spacer or get the Gert Pedersen Arm board mod which does the same thing (it was renewing the blutac that caused the demise of my shiraz). The Audio Origami oil tightens up the bass even further, by orders of magnitude. more focus as well as bass detail, but never overpowering. Treble is sharper too. closer to the crystal clarity normally associated with CD but still unmistakably vinyl.One obvious side effect is that any scratches are accentuated a bit more, as are pressing defects.It’s just as well that the belt drive and motor slow the platter down when the motor is powered off, otherwise I think I’d still be waiting for it to stop spinning next week.If you haven’t already got some Audio Origami Oil in your turntable’s spindle, you’re not hearing the full potential of your turntable and vinyl. it’s that simple. it takes a few minutes to do. but be warned, you’ll be up all night with vinyl strewn everywhere…kennyK (booster oil) |
| Hi johnWell it’s a month or two since I last had the chance to hear my Garrard but been listening to it all day – it sounds fantastic with your arm mods. Really very VERY happy with it. It’s really opened the sound out, sharpened it up, and firmed up the bass! It’s a Garrard on steroids now – haha! I found the earthing lead was mandatory on my 301 – I attached one end to the underside of the chassis and the other to the earth terminal on my Creek phono stage.Thank you again for the transformation to my RB250 – it’s still looking great as well of course!John Mays (Hi-Fi reviewer)RB-250 strip and polish and rewire with cardas |
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Dear Johnnie, |
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Hi John,Early indications on the sound: BRILLIANT…!!!I had no idea any arm could sound so good. In the past I have used an Incognito rewired RB300 which I thought was quite good: but this arm leaves it dead in the water.I haven’t listened to it a great deal yet, but I have heard enough to realise just how good it is.Every aspect of the sound is improved dramatically, from the bass all the way though the mid-band to high treble. I have genuinely heard things on records I have NEVER heard before.What is really amazing is that the difference is noticeable as soon as the stylus hits the groove, even before the music starts. It is difficult to describe why this is the case, but it most definitely is. I think there is an inky blackness and a solidity of nothingness that was never there before. When it starts the music just comes from nothing. There is no vinyl roar or swooshing… just nothing…and then the music starts.I have been using my Benz Micro Ace cartridge and I had no idea it could be so good.Previously it was OK, but a bit on the ‘warm’ side with a ‘full’, and I think slightly bloated bass; it also seemed to lack some sparkle at the top end.In this arm, however, it is totally transformed. The bass is amazing (people who think a Sugden A21 doesn’t do proper bass, should hear this), the mid-band is still warm, but now with tons of detail and the treble is really smooth, but also with levels of detail hitherto lost to me. Some records sound surprisingly different with all these levels of added detail.What have I been missing all these years? So far I have only tried the arm with the ‘decoupled’ weight. I will try it with the others to see what difference(s) they make. So these are my first impressions. I shall listen further and let you know how my listening experiences progress: and I’ll then send you the photos of the arm mounted on the Spacedeck. ‘bye for now, and thank you so much, Roger |
| (Booster oil kit)Yes, I got an Oil and everything else as you promised. I have to admit that your oil does wonders!! I just completed Lenco 75 modification project, building the plinth, changing the Tonearm, silver wiring… etc.Big part of it was to be able to clean the old oil and replace with quality one. Let me quickly update you on results of my small experiment. I done simple test measuring the time or how long it would take for platter to stop spinning, after I switch the tt off. Results are: On the 78 rpm, before oil change tt kept going for 34 sec.After I changed the oil, using the same settings, tt kept going for over two minutes. This is almost 5 times better. Use them as you wish, also feedback.Keep me posted. Regards, Mik
(mayware tone arm repair) Cheers, Paul Bloody hell your good!
Johnny da man Double to the 0 Seven…
Tested the arm out with a lovely 180g copy of ‘closing time’ by Tom Waits. My sincere thanks for helping me out – I look forward to many years of listening. I will sing your praises from the rooftops to anyone that will listen! From your email last night it is clear to see that you have a passion for this kind of work – lucky you! Few people get to do something they really enjoy. A nice insight into your training too. Anyway, perhaps I will require your services in future – I hope to get hold of an LP12 at some point and will no doubt have a long list of questions and associated problems. In the meantime take care and the best of luck with your new Tone arm design. (SYRINX PU3 rewire)
(pu7 tone arm build) |
I am attaching a photo of the repaired deck which is working perfectly.
It used to have a switch which gave a choice of 33 or 45 rpm but I was perfectly happy to do a repair which gave me only 33 rpm.
It’s your fault that I bought this!
What am I supposed to do now with all the so-called “studio masters” or CD quality downloads ?
With my new Linn LP12 (+ Sole VII, Audio Origami PU7, and vdH Condor) as they would say in France “il n’y a pas de photo” !
And the funniest thing is that the MC phono stage of my DarTZeel amplifier is, by far, not burned-in yet and the same applies to the PU7 I guess.
Just a few examples:
1. Brahms third symphony (Reiner, Chicago, RCA) on LP (original pressing, bought second hand) is just in another sonic dimension compared to the download. It is simply pointless to tell why. I go to a live concert every other week if you see what I mean.
2. Shostakovich 5th Symphony (Bernstein, New York, CBS) sounds as great as the download but much more “real” and with no congestion.
3. Things don’t improve when playing high resolution files. With my upgraded Linn I can listen at a much higher volume with no fatigue, no congestions, nothing but music.
When I just compare records before and after my upgrade I have to rely on my emotions more than on my memory. Well, in Eric Clapton’s Just one night, I have never heard the guitars sounding so “liquid”. In Genesis “Seconds out” (not the best recording I possess) the drums at the end of the concert are precise, fast and deep as ever. And I could continue endless with similar descriptions.
The other side of the coin is that I am rediscovering my LP’s collection and it is a lot of fun.
John & J7, thank you for your great support and after-sale service. I am just counting down the minutes to come back one day to Wales to have my Linn serviced again. And, who knows, maybe I should find some time to come to Scotland as well …. ?
Cheers, Stefano
HI J, I’m just now listening the Linn Ekos tonearm you fixed. It’s really true that sometimes bad things happen for good things. I bought from ebay a defective ekos and now I have a wonderful tonearm fixed by you. An always favourite of mine, “The Fat Old Sun”, was never so fat and warm! Just a word…..thanks! Thanks for your wonderful job. Regards from Italy. Francesco
happy to help 🙂
Rega Planar 3 / RB300 rewire. Hi Johnnie I’ve spent the weekend listening to my rewired TTand I can honestly say I am stunned by the results. The difference is incredible. The standard of workmanship and results are first class. I would reccomend anyone who has an issue with a TT to place it in your very knowledgable hands. They will not be dissapointed. Thanks again for all your help and advice. I now need to save for a new cartridge LOL
let me know if i can help again
Hi John,
I was told to contact you in regards to my looking for a counterweight to fit my Profile tonearm from a original Systemdek IIX. The kind people at audio note told me that you might have some ties with the manufacturer or that you would know where I could possibly have a weight made, or find a compatible one.
http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?26097-Profile-I-Tonearm-branded-SYSTEMDEK-no-known-specification
The above thread contains a bunch of pictures of my exact arm, and what the counterweight should look like.
Let me know if you have one that will fit, or if you know where I can order one.
Thanks!!
i may have one in stock
can u send me the arm or mesure the rear stub diameter ?
Hi Johnnie,
Just a huge thank you for the fantastic customer service I received when you came to the flat to set up my Avid Acutus SME v . I learned more about turntables, arms ,setup and vinyl than I have in the last twenty years. Fantastic value and so very,very helpful . System sounding so much better now . Thanks again.
JK.
Hi Johnnie
I should say from the outset, it is very unusual for me to give feedback but you have given me such good service, I feel an obligation to tell others!
It all started over a year ago when I acquired an elderly Linn LP12 and decided to restore it. The turntable was in a bad way and there were some serious issues such as a seized bearing and missing parts so I started by doing some research on the internet.
Almost immediately it became clear that there was plenty of good and bad advice along with an extraordinary amount of “mythology” and nonsense. I have a background in engineering and I’m happy to accept this turntable needs care in its set up but it is, by no means, impossible. With time, care and common sense a quality set-up can be achieved by “amateurs”.
Having ordered the most of the parts I needed from you (at very reasonable prices) I started the job but had to put the whole thing to one side due to a family crisis. Picking up again where I left off, we recently had a couple of Skype conversations. The job is now complete and the turntable is working well. I am grateful for your help and advice and I hope you continue to provide the same excellent service to future customers.
Steve (Solihull, West Mids)
thank you for taking the time to tell others…and let me know if i can help again
Hi Johnnie
Thank you for the internal rewire of my Linn Basik LV X Tone arm, it now sounds great, you did say it would benefit from a internal rewire and it certainly does, also thank you for all the useful information that you gave me.
I would highly recommend anybody who has one of these tone arms to get in touch with you to arrange a rewire.
Regards
Martin(Eynesbury, Cambs)
let me know if i can help again
Hi John,
thanks for the brilliant work on the Ittok require & new cable. The result is brilliant.
Also, many thanks for all your help & advice plus the hospitality, brew & ‘tunes’.
Cheers Phil
let me know if i can help again
Hi John,
What a great service you had provided in rewiring and upgrading my SME MK V tone arm internal wiring, also the telephone conversations we had which were very informative
on the process that is used to carry out the work.
While I appreciate you are running a business, your great enthusiasum and achievement
to have so many submissions from a customer base is amazing.
If there was an Oscar in the HIFI industry for customer performance I am confident you would have been the first recipient of the award
Thank you
Raymond
Hi J,
Just leaving feedback about the great work you did on my Manticore Musician arm. Thanks for putting up with all my questions! .It is really good to find someone who listens and the level of service is incredible. The arm sounds so much smoother than the rb250.Will be ordering the external cable asap!
Cheers
Darren
Johnnie you are the man…
He was recommended to me from John Roberts at Midland AudioXchange when I asked about a Rega tone arm re -wire, I got in touch and spoke on the phone about possibilities. within a few day’s he started the job and recommend a ikeda(silver) internal re wire with the cardas gold cartridge tags( this will work with the cartridge with gold mail connectors that I had ) The external cable I asked Johnnie to have Swiss Lemo XLR on the Phono end as this was going to connect a Gryphon Legato Phono stage he said “No Problem !” He also recommended the Van Dam cable for to use OFC silver plated ! He also included the vertical bearing GODLIKE ADJUSTMENT for free !! All this done in a matter of 3 days and that includes delivery FANTASTIC HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
I will post again when set up over the next week (awaiting speaker cable !) to comment on the sound……..
Cheers Johnnie
Dave.
Sear Sir I am going to fit my trusty pu3 to an Oracle Delfi turntable would like to know the total weight of the pu3 to be able to choose the right feathers for the Oracle. Kind regards NWP
hi Niels i don’t have a pub here to test …but i would take a guess at 800-900 grams
hope that helps
TYPO should read PU3 not pub….just my wishful thinking 🙂
OK Thaysen fine I will measure my own soon and share my results.
Sear Sir I just had the pu3 on the scale 523 g
One day I took an old LP12 to Johnnie, i wanted to gradually upgrade with new and used parts which would eventually match Linn’s SE model. I went to j7 because he is a perfectionist with every job, big or small. Well four visits to j7 later almost every part has been replaced and its actually better imo than the SE as it has a PU7 on top. Forever indebted to you for your helpfulness, advice and patience 😉 I can say without a doubt I would never have reached this level of enjoyment without your assistance (or a second mortgage hehe) Thanks M8.
Just got my Ittok back from j7. Silver wired and new tags. First impressions. Notes hang on longer, vocals have more emotion and nuance and the music is added to in a not insubstantial way.
I’ll be doing more listening later today and I’ll comment further.
Meantime, chalk up another success to the magician, J7
Thanks also to the guys at Loud and Clear for their unique take on customer service.( sic ).
Andy Gorman
I found out about Audioorigami through a trusted friend who is a co-founder of Vertex AQ, and who used to work for Roksan some time ago. I have an early Roksan Xerxes T/T fitted with an Artemiz tonearm and Koetsu Black M/C cartridge with a Michell M/C Step-up/Power supply. The Artemiz arm was sent to Johnnie (Nilsen) at Audioorigami and over a short course of time, we built up an excellent relationship during which he shared many tricks of the Trade. Nothing was too much trouble for him, and we had a few gentle chuckles (at my expense) along the way. The analogue set-up now sounds wonderful and is a tribute to Johnnie’s expertise. One word of warning: Johnnie is a professional! One should not attempt (as I did, and failed) to re-wire/solder tonearms yourself. The Cardas wires used for the re-wiring are expensive and very fiddly to handle as well as solder to the (Cardas) DNIM plug used in the Artemiz. Leave it to Johnnie. He has the correct kit and knows EXACTLY what he is doing. Hats off to him!
Albie Santos here again (See earlier post of January 26, 2016 at 5:44 pm). Sorry, but I should have said that the re-wiring was carried out with Ikeda silver wire (NOT Cardas wire) and Cardas Gold cartridge tags (with sleeving). My mistake!
I first met Johnnie a couple of years back when he sorted out my systemdek III 900 for me after i managed to totally bugger up the suspension, trying to play an ep for my daughter (she thought it was an lp when she bought it). A few twiddles and tweaks later, while he chatted away over his shoulder about all things analogue, and the job was done.
When I got home: my deck had never sounded better.
I was using an RB300 with tungsten counterweight at the time and shortly thereafter had j7 do a full inner and outer Cardas rewire. Great job and big improvement.
This was the first change in my set up for almost 20 years and I was getting itchy again.
My first purchase was a Linn LP12 (mid 80s, Valhalla), which j7 set up and installed a gold Valhalla upgrade. This was followed by a used Ittok with full AO wiring, the Systemdek having been moved on to a friend.
I was still using the same 10×5 I had on the Systemdek.
Recently I found a lovely old Source which I got back from j7 last night. (Trusty RB300 and 10×5 fitted), all set up and balanced and sounding lovely.
I now have the enviable task of choosing which kit to keep:
Source/RB300/10×5/Croft Micro Phono/Leak Stereo 20/Yamaha NS-690
LP-12/Ittok/10×5/Kairn/Klout/NS-690s
Decided I am now one music room short!
Rock room with Source and acoustic/vocal room for Linn…
As my Source has many gold plated parts, a nice gold arm would finish it off nicely…if only I knew where to find one…
Johnnie has been very helpful and an all round great guy during my upgrade process and reintroduction to hifi, never pushing me to spend more than I need and doing great work for an even better price.
I can’t recommend j7 highly enough and should have posted this long before now but I have been too busy spinning vinyl 🙂
When I first started looking for hifi answers and kept coming across ‘j7’ wherever I went, I thought: “he sounds like a handy bloke to know”. He could have been anywhere in the world-turns out we live in the same town!
Cheers for everything mate.
Can’t figure out how-so no pics 🙁
Haven’t used vinyl for decades but recently needed to renovate some long-idle equipment (LP12 + TD/124 + SME arms).
I was rather lucky to find Johnnie; my technical ignorance didn’t impede a friendly but professional experience, at very reasonable cost.
Unequivocally recommended, whatever your expertise or budget.
Thanks j7.
Thanks Johnny for helping me sort out what do with the damaged Datum arm on my Logic Tempo turntable. Sorted me out with an RB202 as a replacement and some bearing oil and alignment protractor and so renovate everything. Thanks for you patience, detailed helped all working within my budget.. Having a fantastic time playing my vinyl now!
Bought the oil kit weeks ago to give me something to look forward to once I could get mobile after surgery.
Finally got round to replacing it in my LP12 tonight. Well overdue it was too. After an hour of meticulous cleaning, refilling and settling I sat back to check it was all ok.
Got to say I wasn’t expecting the improvement in pace and mid range that I could hear.
So the oil kit is a great purchase, particularly when there’s enough for the next refill as well.
I contacted johnny, honestly not sure where i got his details, but i was end of my tether. My Planar 3 from the early 90’s had been serviced, 24v motor, new cart, and I was in love with vinyl again. However i was subjected to very annoying hum, making it virtually impossible to listen through headphones. i tried everything, having read lots and lots. Isolated that it wasn’t a ground loop, mains conditioner, positioning, everything written everywhere! But still the hum remained, in my head i was convinced it was the rca cable breaking down as the hum changed tone when i touched the cable. I decided a re-wire and seperate earth was the solution but heard mixed reports. Although fairly savvy I also didn’t fancy my chances of completing the job from a kit without causing damage. An email conversation with Johnny confirmed my suspicions. Never pushy, never ‘salesy’ he just gave me good helpful advice, and like mentioned elsewhere no question was too stupid. So I decided on an internal and external rewire of my trusty RB300. He even lets you book in advance so you are not without music for too long. His excellent customer serice continued, he rang me whilst working on my arm to query my request and again could easily have ‘sold’ me a new arm cue but just explained to me how to raise and lower. With that confirmed he told me it would be in the post the same day. Sure enough it arrived 2 days later (even though I’m on the isle of man). I had visitors over TT so spent a week just staring at this thing of beauty that had returned. Tonight I fitted it back on and wow………………… that was 3 hours ago, I have been spinning my favourite vinyl and marvelling at the sound quality. Even with a brand new cart in, that will need running in it is already miles and miles better. Detail, depth, soundstage, clarity. Cannot wait for the cart to bed in. But even as it is now – the best i have heard my RP3 sing. And of course the hum completely gone. I have to say as well when Johnny provided the price list I was convinced it was kit price but they are fitted prices and the workmanship is top notch a proper craftsman. I will use Johnny again if i ever upgrade, but due to his work and how my RP3 sounds I fear that will be a long time away – sorry! Fully recommended thanks for your work, service and advice.
Purchased the oil kit a while ago to replace the oil that I used for my SME 10A and the difference was amazing, freer rotation and even quieter than originally. Have also used the oil on my Micro Seiki DQX-1000 and what a difference, great stuff.
Really excellent service from Johnny in cleaning up my Linn Karma cartridge and taking some micro photographs to show the before and after effects of his clean. Anyone looking to upgrade, rebuild, rewire, or clean up their tone arm should call Johnny as their first port of call. Any advice of how to make your deck or arm sound or perform better should be taken as Johnny is to be fully trusted and can not be recommended enough.
Many thanks, Paul
I have recently received my Linn Ekos back after Johnnie repaired and serviced it. The results are superb and I’m delighted with it, also a quick turnaround and extremely reasonable price, highly recommended to all!
Just had a Tangerine Audio Stiletto in fluted black and Plateau fitted by Johnnie.
Listening results are excellent. My reaction to John was ” This thing is nuts”.
Music just pours out of it. Notes are longer,sharper attack and longer sustain. Vocals are pin sharp,tuneful and emotional.
I couldn’t be happier.
Big thanks,again,to Johnnie and to the guys at Tangerine Audio for all their help.
Maybe Santa’ll bring me a PU7 to make me really happy. Black please Ajax if you’re reading this.
Thanks for the mods and advise you done for me regards rb300 stripped, polished, filled rewired with cardas from cartridge to rca’s and new tags, this has now all taken my already modded technics 1200 to a new level the rb300 was always a giant killer but now it’s more like a dragon slayer, it’s stunning, the best tonearm I’ve owed to date and that includes sme 4, haddock and various linn arms to name a few, by the way I’ve now fitter a hana sl cartridge which suit very well. The only problem I have now is if you can do this to a rega how good is the PU 7 going to guess ill have start saving to find out,
Regards Phil from Brighton
Hi Johnnie
Just to say cant remember if I ever left any feedback when you sorted the bearings in my Linn Akito mk 1 arm and upgraded the wiring.
well it plays and sounds bloody great .
Pierre
Hi Johnnie
Big thanks for the lovely work you did for me on my Syrinx PU2, tracks well and sounds absolutely gorgeous .Many thanks so being patient and helping me , anyway thank you so much and will be coming back again soon .
Regards
Stephen
RE BOOSTER OIL KIT
I have just changed from Linn black oil dating back to a Cirkus upgrade many years ago. The bearing was not dry but the oil was low. I listened to the three tracks listed at the end before the change then in reverse order after the change. In spite of reading the reviews I really wasn’t expecting to hear a noticeable difference even knowing that my kit is capable of showing small changes. Within 3 seconds of hearing the Ricky Lee Jones track I realised that this was a definite upgrade, better defined soundstage with more space between instruments, smoother more detailed voice and more musical. This was also true for the Cream track, but it was the Bach track that truly astonished me. I had been looking forward to hearing this double LP and was so disappointed that I just couldn’t get into it. After the change I could relate to it totally and marvel at how beautiful it is. These results are absolutely beyond all expectation even knowing that the main bearing is perhaps the most critical interface in the deck.
Thank you John, I am truly astonished
System: LP12/Cirkus/Sole/Lingo/Ekos/Troika/Jensen SUT/Audio Note M1 Phono/ modified Mr Liang 845 SET/Naim NACA5 cable/Living Voice OBX-R2
Tracks: Ricky Lee Jones ‘Danny’s all star joint’ [WB56628] Cream Wheels of Fire’ ‘Crossroads’ [SPDLP2] & Yo-Yo Ma/Chris Tile/ Edgar Meyer ‘Bach Trios’ BVW530 [Nonesuch 558933-1]
I sent my rega RB300 for a complete upgrade internal and external rewiring , polishing of the tonearm.. The sounds is great and wonderful!! I never heard sound my vinyl’s so good. Johnnie is a great and professional artist. In the next future I would like buy a Rega RB250 for another wonderful upgrade.
This is the state of the art in a tonearm for my opinion from Italy.
Thanks you very very much!! I will be coming back again soon .
THE BEST!!
Renzo from ITALY
Very impressed with the product ,the service and the customer care provided by Jonnie.The external re wire is just what I have been looking for. I had spoken to many other providers whoes indifference was staggering. Jonnie stood out as an entheusiastic professional so he got the business and I would not hesitate to use his services again and to recommend him.
Hi John.
Just to let everyone know what a great job you did for my LP12.
Lingo 4 and Skorpion baseplate fitted and the deck sounding fantastic.
Thanks a million,
Andy