[78-L] SHURES & 78s, etc. (was Turning the tables)

[Michael Biel]

From: "JD" <jackson1932 at cfl.rr.com>
> My Shure cartridge experience goes back to their Stereo Dynetic 
> arm/cartridge combo (1962). It used a dedicated cartridge (a
> physical body variation of their first stereo cartridge, I
> believe) and plugged into the end of the arm.

I remember that one.  Looked like a long black wand.

> The arm moved in the lateral plane only and vertical motion was
> restricted. Only the cartridge moved vertically via a cueing
> button on the arm just behind the cartridge. 

That I didn't remember, but I do have catalog sheets on it.

> A similar arm concept had been utilized in older Pickering
> straight type broadcast arms but they were far more massive
> and may or may not have required dedicated cartridges.

I always thought those were ugly arms, but then Dennis Rooney did a
presentation about it at ARSC and I was VERY impressed with it.  Because
practically no mass was moved, it could track almost anything, even on
board a bounding ship, which is what it was originally designed for.  I
think he said it was worth killing for.

> The restricted vertical movement was a problem with my original Empire 208 

I have one of these tables, but didn't it come with the Empire arm? 

> which had a platter mat with ridges for 12", 10" and 7" records,
> each ridge at a lower level from the others which made playing
> discs smaller than 12" (the highest ridge)

As we now know, this is not an ideal shape for a turntable mat because
the record should be fully supported.  

> a problem as once set up properly the cartridge & stylus couldn't extend
> low enough due to the restricted vertical movement of the arm. All in all, 
> somewhat Rube Goldbergish although a great looking arm, all black and slnder 
> similar in style to Infinity's later Black Widow arm which also was a 
> problem for me with the Shures.

Yeah, but how about the Zenith Cobra with the EYES!!!!

> The Shure reps kept replacing the cartridges when
> I'd show up at the now long lamented audio shows in NYC 

Oh God how I LOVED those NYC audio shows!!!!!!!  I would come home with
bags FULL of literature -- which I still have in several file cabinets. 
Remember the year that Sydney Frey of Audio Fidelity brought that HUGE
Belgian Band Organ up to something like the 4th floor of the hotel?!!! 
It was so LOUD that he could only play it for five minutes an hour that
he had to pre-arrange with the exhibitors not only on that floor but the
ones below and above!  The NY Times would have a whole newspaper section
devoted to the show.

> but nothing changed, it often sounded as if it mistracked and
> Shure's big thing then was their super tracking capability.
> It seemingly never occured to me to reverse the Empire mat
> to gain a flat surface.

Despite the trackability thing, I was not that crazy about Shure's
sound, so I bought the Audio Empire and then a Grado Lab.  

> Eventually, whatever the problem was abated when I moved on to the II,
> III and IV. I wound up with two of each of them all of which I still
> have and use occasionally except for the IV (no more LP stylus) which
> is by far the best of them all.

> I do use the IV for 78 recording to CDR. With a Dyna PAS 2 or 3 preamp 
> (with the 78 curve wired in) or a Marantz 7T with its various curve and 
> filter options I'm in business. BTW, my original Dyna PAS 2 stereo preamp
> (I built it fron the kit around 1959 or '60) still met specs a few years
> ago on uts last bench test and has NEVER been a problem. A remarkable
> record. Wouldst only that David Hafler and Dyna gear were still with us!!!

AMEN!  And they were so affordable!  But once the selenium rectifier
went out on me.  Have you ever SMELLED a burnt Selenium
Rectifier????!!!!!  I can STILL smell it and this was thirty years ago! 
Was told by Dyna to replace it with a little silicone rectifier.  

> The Dyna tube preamps tested and sounded as good as the the 
> state of the art competition of its time and more than likely
> still do. I have several and you'd have to kill me to get them.

I will likewise defend my PAS-2.  About 20 years ago I decided to
re-tube it.  I went into Lexington to a wholesale supply house and got a
set of Amperex tubes.  When I put them in, the noise level was MUCH
higher.  Then I looked at the tubes.  JAPAN.  What happened to
Holland???????  Wrote Amperex a letter and got a set of Dutch-made tubes
in the mail.  But I think I still have mostly Dynaco marked tubes in it.
 Where the HELL would you get GOOD tubes for it now???  I've been
needing some KT-88s for my Harmon-Kardon Citation II (which is out of
service for a number of years now till I get around to putting in some
new biasing resisters) but I think all I can get now are Russian
Svetlana's.  

> Micro Acoustics made at least two great products in their short 
> reign, , the 2000e cartridge and a tweeter array for bookshelf
> speakers (which resembled the old Janzen electrostatic tweeter) 

Ever overpower a Janzen?  PURPLE SPARKS FLYING!!!!

> like the ARs or KLHs. I had one for a short time and didn't keep it.
> HUGE mistake!! It opened up the sound of some boolshelfs to a
> remarkable degree without pain.

I never was much of a fan of the ARs, nor the Janzen's because the
latter were much too directional.  I always preferred bass reflex and
horns.  Would love to have a pair of Altec A7s. but would have to build
a new house.  I do have a pair of tweeter horns for the A7 which came
out of one of the university's auditoriums.  I missed getting the
woofers at the auction.  No cabinets.  I used the tweeters as a display
in my recording class.

> For the 78 collectors who always seem to be searching for a 78 capable 
> preamp I would suggest a Dynaco Pas 2, 3 or 3x. They're tubed and probably 
> no longer command high prices. The mic input can be modified (VERY simply, 
> a Dynaco option) to a 78 friendly curve. That along with the tone controls, 
> mono swittch & rumble filter of a PAS preamp and/or an outboard equalizer 
> does wonders for 78s. I've been doing it this way for years with my Shre 
> V-IV and V-II for my mid thirties & later collection and wouldn't have it 
> any other way. Caveat: Of course the Dyanas are only available as used 
> (experienced is a preferable term) today and unfortunately, there have been 
> all too many fools who thought they could "modify" them and other Dyna tube 
> gear to make them sound better. Arghh!! This was a travesty and an 
> impossible task.   Happy trails,  Jack

I never fell for having it rebuilt, but the magazine catalogs he
published were very convincing.

Mike Biel  mbiel at mbiel.com




> From: "Michael Biel" <mbiel at mbiel.com>
>
> I was about to mention the stabilizer brush on your V15 cartridge
> because stopping vertical oscillations is exactly what it really is
> there for, not cleaning records. That was a major problem with the I
> and II, and I remember when they added it, I think to the III. The
> bouncing is seen on other long cantilever cartridges, and is more of a
> problem, ironically, when the arm resonance is brought down to the very
> very low frequency range, but also when too good a cartridge is put in
> an ordinary arm. When the I and II were introduced, not too many people
> had the really good arms these are designed for.
>
> Mike Biel mbiel at mbiel.com