The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Really fascinating that others' experiences differ widely from my own. It just goes to show how subjective and variable it all is!

The 202 has circular steel 'buttons' in the base of each leg. Because of the weight and the fact that I use it on a suspended timber floor I have added foam floor protector pads to each metal button. This has effectively isolated the machine from the floor to the extent that it can effectively 'float' on the surface and be pushed around with one hand! I think it might sound better on carpeted floor though. I can't do A/B comparison as my carpeted floors are now exclusively at first floor level!

I like acoustic reflection. If you point your EMG / Expert horn into a corner of the room diagonally opposite from the corner it is placed in, it is possibly to hear the sound coming from the 'dead' corner! It's a bit like creating a giant Decca Dulciflex within your listening space. Try it!

Chunny and Steve - what you say about isolating the re-entrant from the floor is intriguing. I'll have to get round to trying that when I get some spare time.

Orchorsol, perhaps you might be interested in a photo of that automatic brake that you enquired about. Here it is, if I manage the exercise properly.
Unfortunately I don't have a mechanical or technical mind so can't explain much, but I remember between two and three weeks of intense research, creativity, experiment and labour going into the building of this mechanism. It involved a redundant Collaro top plate. The "spike" and - I think - the arm itself had to be cut and altered to bring the angle degree of contact with the tone arm close to ninety degrees.
All I know is that it's a first class asset!

Steve wrote:I like acoustic reflection. If you point your EMG / Expert horn into a corner of the room diagonally opposite from the corner it is placed in, it is possibly to hear the sound coming from the 'dead' corner! It's a bit like creating a giant Decca Dulciflex within your listening space. Try it!

When I first got my EMG, I had it set up exactly like that and it was really cool listening that way in my small 12 foot square living room. Unfortunately, it wasn't very practical in that spot and the volume was almost unbearably loud! I now have it on top of my 10-50 and the horn basically points toward the far corner of my living room, so even at about a 24 foot distacne between the two, you still get that effect. The top of the horn is very close to the ceiling and (since it still sags a bit), points slightly downward into the middle of the space. With area rugs around and hardwood floors surrounding them, it's very pleasing to listen to.

Sean

OrthoSean wrote:

Steve wrote:I like acoustic reflection. If you point your EMG / Expert horn into a corner of the room diagonally opposite from the corner it is placed in, it is possibly to hear the sound coming from the 'dead' corner! It's a bit like creating a giant Decca Dulciflex within your listening space. Try it!

When I first got my EMG, I had it set up exactly like that and it was really cool listening that way in my small 12 foot square living room. Unfortunately, it wasn't very practical in that spot and the volume was almost unbearably loud! I now have it on top of my 10-50 and the horn basically points toward the far corner of my living room, so even at about a 24 foot distacne between the two, you still get that effect. The top of the horn is very close to the ceiling and (since it still sags a bit), points slightly downward into the middle of the space. With area rugs around and hardwood floors surrounding them, it's very pleasing to listen to.

Sean

My Expert and EMG are in about a 12' x 12' room, each facing obliquely away from either side of the much widened doorway (which the back of the EMG horn sticks out through) - a wonderful reflected sound can be had sitting on the staircase a few feet from the doorway. Agreed, some records are extremely loud in the room and there's ocasionally a shrillness at some frequencies but I love the powerful effect.

Frankia wrote:

P1000488.JPG

Orchorsol, perhaps you might be interested in a photo of that automatic brake that you enquired about. Here it is, if I manage the exercise properly.
Unfortunately I don't have a mechanical or technical mind so can't explain much, but I remember between two and three weeks of intense research, creativity, experiment and labour going into the building of this mechanism. It involved a redundant Collaro top plate. The "spike" and - I think - the arm itself had to be cut and altered to bring the angle degree of contact with the tone arm close to ninety degrees.
All I know is that it's a first class asset!

What a fantastic creation - there's a lot of thought and ingenuity gone into that. Obviously the standard auto-stop on those motors wouldn't have done the job, AND it's a very clever design in providing a much-needed safety device to prevent soundbox damage... I'm learning fast and am starting to get quite good at fine miniature panel-beating, correcting damaged diaphragms, but damage is to be avoided at all costs! I've been corresponding with someone studying 20s and 30s electrical drivers and for some of those with certain metallic components the problem is the same - modern re-creations are possible, but nobody precisely understands the metallurgy of the old ones and they can't be matched for performance.

Orchorsol, perhaps you might be interested in a photo of that automatic brake that you enquired about. Here it is, if I manage the exercise properly.
Unfortunately I don't have a mechanical or technical mind so can't explain much, but I remember between two and three weeks of intense research, creativity, experiment and labour going into the building of this mechanism. It involved a redundant Collaro top plate. The "spike" and - I think - the arm itself had to be cut and altered to bring the angle degree of contact with the tone arm close to ninety degrees.
All I know is that it's a first class asset!

My electric induction Collaro motors have this device which triggers a power switch. Interesting to see it added to a Garrard mount. The Garrard Super motors are just that, SUPER.

Orchorsol, perhaps you might be interested in a photo of that automatic brake that you enquired about. Here it is, if I manage the exercise properly.
Unfortunately I don't have a mechanical or technical mind so can't explain much, but I remember between two and three weeks of intense research, creativity, experiment and labour going into the building of this mechanism. It involved a redundant Collaro top plate. The "spike" and - I think - the arm itself had to be cut and altered to bring the angle degree of contact with the tone arm close to ninety degrees.
All I know is that it's a first class asset!

My electric induction Collaro motors have this device which triggers a power switch. Interesting to see it added to a Garrard mount. The Garrard Super motors are just that, SUPER.