calling uncle ants - Focus One

Discussion in 'Hi-Fi and General Audio' started by dominicT, Feb 1, 2004.

  1. dominicT

    dominicT former member

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    Hi Uncle, just seem your kit list and see you have a Focus One. I have a Focus S and Michel told me that a Rega arm would not fit my deck, which has the same plinth as yours. Could you enlighten me please as I am stuck with a Linn Basic arm! Thanks

    dominicT
     
    dominicT, Feb 1, 2004
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  2. dominicT

    Goomer

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    Hi DominicT

    I'm sure Uncle Ants'll be along as soon as he sees your post but, in the meantime, I can pass on what I know about it. I had a Focus One S, too(they're lovely things, aren't they?), and had enquired with Michell about the fitting of an RB250 - the reason they gave for not fitting one was to do with VTA problems IIRC, with the arm base sitting too low in relation to the platter.

    Uncle Ants got around this, I believe, by fitting the platter and/or central spindle housing in a different to normal fashion(- upsidedown something or other?) and has had no problems as far as I know.

    An alternative arm change solution, and this may not be to everyone's taste I admit, would be to fit an SME 3009 SII improved, ideally with the fixed headshell. They look absolutely fantastic together, IMHO, and sound pretty lovely too. I had mine fitted - in true retro style - with the Shure V15III as well. Maybe not the be all and end all in today's analogue terms but a very easy t/t to live with.

    Hope that helps and good luck,

    Goomer
     
    Goomer, Feb 2, 2004
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  3. dominicT

    Snoo

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    I have a Focus with the SME 3009 Series 3 (can't find much info on this arm).

    They work very well together, although I'm stuck with a Grado Black cart at the mo...

    HAve you searched the Zerogain archive?
     
    Snoo, Feb 2, 2004
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  4. dominicT

    Snoo

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    I found this:


     
    Snoo, Feb 2, 2004
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  5. dominicT

    Goomer

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    Temporary thread hijack warning

    Hi Snoo - don't know if this is of interest to you but I think SME no longer provide support for this arm. It might be worth asking about the series III over in the Vinyl Asylum as I believe there's a fair few people using it there to good effect, including a gentleman called John Elison, a very knowledgeable vinyl man who'd no doubt be able to give advice about your arm if you need any. He'd probably also be happy to dispell the myth that the series III doesn't work properly with moving coils.

    Hope that's of use.

    Terrorist threat has been removed, people, the hijackers are safely behind bars(without trial and/or evidence ;) )

    Goomer.
     
    Goomer, Feb 2, 2004
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  6. dominicT

    Uncle Ants In Recordeo Speramus

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    Hi DominicT,

    Snoo kindly found what I said about this previously. That's the short answer. If you are seriously looking at doing this (and it really is worthwhile - a rega rb250, especially of the modded variety will kick Linn Basic Ass :MILD: ) then there is a longer answer.

    Snowed under right now, but will be back with more details, probably tomorrow.

    Cheers

    Tony

    PS. Michell are I think being a little misleading on this one as if you look at their own site, in the gallery section you will clearly see a Focus One "S" with an RB250 fitted.

    PPS. Goomer's right about the non support of the SME 3009 series III. Could be an issue. Good arm, but probably not a big improvement on the Linn - much prettier though :)
     
    Uncle Ants, Feb 2, 2004
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  7. dominicT

    dominicT former member

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    Re: Re: calling uncle ants - Focus One

    Thanks eveyone! I did not check the archive because I did not think that anyone here would have one. I've have to give this some careful thought. I also have a PT Too with off-board p/s/Kuzma arm and Dynavextor VX20 cartridge so will not go too overboard on an upgrade. I'm keeping the Fosuc because I've had it from new (18th birthday present), it looks so cool and is great for sampling records in my studio! I have it fitted with a purple Rega cartridge but do not know what it is called, I think that it cost c£100 new. Will this work well with the RB250?

    Thanks again.

    dominicT
     
    dominicT, Feb 2, 2004
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  8. dominicT

    Uncle Ants In Recordeo Speramus

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    Re: Re: Re: calling uncle ants - Focus One

    Hello again,

    The RB250 should work fine with the Rega cart - its pretty much designed for it after all.

    Herr Goomer has it mostly right. There is a potential VTA problem with the Rega arm on the Focus One - the arm base of the RGB250 is too high; or the Focus platter is too low depends which way you look at it - but it isn't insurmountable and there is a workaround.

    If it were the other way round and the arm base was too low then it'd be an easy fix. The standard fix for all decks where this is the problem is to use spacers under the armbase to raise its base. This works and is applied to umpteen decks using rega arms.

    Unfortunately as mentioned previously, the problem is the other way round, the arm base is too high. How much of a problem it really is will vary as its also dependent on the height of whatever cart you have and its sensitivity to VTA.

    The first problem you will have is getting an arm board to fit the rega - I'd love to be able to tell you where to get one, but I don't know as my Focus One came with an armboard for the Rega and the Rega fitted when I bought it but I did still have the VTA problem.

    If you badger Michell and tell them you don't care about the VTA problem they may supply a board anyway. Alternatively if I can find the address of the guy I bought it from, I can ask him where he got my armboard from - likely he had it made for him - oughtn't to be too difficult. The armboard may be the hardest problem to crack here.

    Having got an armboard, the second problem is a lot easier to fix - we can't lower the armbase, so our options are to

    a) place spacers between the cart and the the headshell (fiddly and probably likely to introduce lots of nasty resonances).

    b) use a thick mat of some sort on the platter, thus raising the vinyl higher.

    c) place a spacer between the bearing and the plinth thus raising the platter - this is the option I went for - remove the platter, then remove the bearing (it screws off from underneath)and place a spacer between the bearing and the plinth (about 2 to 3 mm should do it).

    Rather handily, the guy who sold me the deck also gave me the Linn armboard that he used to have fitted before he fitted the Rega - luckily its the perfect size to act as a spacer - its the right thickness and the armhole in it is just a tad wider than the Michell bearing.

    The problem is really down to the fact that rega arms lack VTA adjustment - Roy Gandy's view is apparently that VTA isn't an issue anyway - my view is that on the one hand this is a cop out, but on the other its one of the shortcuts which makes this excellent arm so affordable.

    Having rambled all the way through that. If its your second deck, it may just not be worth the hassle. They are lovely though aren't they :)
     
    Uncle Ants, Feb 3, 2004
    #8
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