Hi all, up here I've been having continuing Adventures in Idler-ing, of course, AND human nature, which is to say, the blindness of prejudice. But first, back to the roots. Recently I re-fixed up an Elac Miracord 40 MKII, a lovely Art Deco beauty with round buttons and a Magic Stacker ;-), built to the exacting - and simple and durable - Elac standards, which is why they are my favourite record changers).
I've often recommended it and I recommend it again: those who are sitting on the fence wondering if there is something after all to the whole Idler thing should find an Elac record changer (Listener magazine once ran an article on just such a restoration), or if a bit more ambitious, a Dual or Garrard SP-25 (MKIII or higher), which are more complex and less durable machines. When one is sitting with no large experience of record players hearing a Giant 80-pound Beast/Idler, then one can ascribe what one is hearing to all sorts of things (like, for instance, that a $30K belt-drive would be even better, and so both miss the point, AND make a likely erroneous assumption) and so remain unconvinced. But, if a confirmed Belt-Driver hears a little, humble Elac, Garrard SP-25, or Dual idler, properly restored, tweaked and tuned, THEN to what can one ascribe what one is hearing: something well beyond the abilities of a rather expensive and well-known belt-drive? One can't point to mass, or to some sort of Super Bearing, or any of a host of other possibilities.
In effect, one of these little spuds is exactly what prompted my own "religious" conversion to the Idler Faith, Brothers and Sisters. Had I first heard instead a Garrard 301 in a birch-ply plinth, would the conversion have been so total and absolute? I don't know. I likely would have gone idler (as already I valued PRaT and dynamics above all else), but I would also perhaps not have drawn the conclusion that the idler-wheel system was superior to the belt, at least not immediately. But, faced with a little itty-bitty Garrard SP25 MKIII (these have superb motors btw), which I had restored, and set against a background of highly-regarded belt-drives (Maplenoll, Audiomeca), I KNEW I was hearing something superior to both, and considering the engineering and build quality, the ONLY thing which could be responsible was the drive system. And the fellow who picked up the Elac today, and heard it for a few moments, had a similar reaction.
Which is a roundabout way to say, yet again, to those sitting on the fence seeking Musical Knowledge, dig up one of these old, cheap, common idlers, lovingly restore it, put a decent cartridge on it (give it a fair shake, today's Elac was mounted with an NOS Grado 8MZ, a VERY serious MM), and plug'er in and let'er rip. And prepare for Enlightenment.
Getting back into the Ultra-High-End, I just finished the restoration from junk of a butchered Lenco G88, which was not only spray-painted black with the irremovable paint from Hell (I finally had to have it bead-blasted), but also had a toasted speed control and on-off switch. The plastic trim cover was also spray-painted and, being plastic, couldn't be bead-blasted, so I had to fabricate a substitute from MDF, devise new switches, and have the extra pieces, along with the Lenco and platter proper, re-coated in cream polyurethane paint. The plinth, a two-armed affair for an OL Silver and a JMW Signature, is finished in blue lacquer, finished to a mirror finish (called "polishing the polish"), very expensive,m good thing I wasn't paying for it all! But nevertheless, a prototype for the Cypriot seafoam-green-and-cream Review Lenco, based on an L75. It'll be under my "system," and, of course, it sounds astounding (the recipient currently uses a Wilson Benesch Circle, which has caused him aural pain ever since he first heard the Lenco in the Wyetech Labs system). The fellow's system consists of top-of-the-line Wyetech electronics and Coincident Victory speakers. I thought I'd NEVER finish this project!! Tomorrow night I go over with the Lenco for a few hours of listening and, of course, a bout of Crush the Belt-Drive yippee!!!
Speaking of Crush the Belt-Drive (and Direct Drive), I still receive occasional e-mails from the erstwhile PLatine Verdier owner (and Cain & Cain 301 owner) that the Giant single-plinth Diect Coupled Garrard 301 blows him away, and the owner of the EMT signs himself The Lenco Man. Those looking for that Final Turntable are foolish to ignore the Mighty Idler, and time will prove me right (as it already is as I climb and conquer the Ladder of Belt-Drive - and Direct Drive - being).
In other news, my distributor of, among other things, high-end belt-drives, has just received his second Lenco (the first for his home, the second to help demonstrate his other wares). HERE's a fellow who can rise above his prejudices!: though he distributes high-end belt-drives, he is totally enthusiastic about the Lencos. Meanwhile, another fellow who came to audition the Maplenoll is precisely the opposite (and relatively destitute): upon entering my listening room, he saw the Lenco and said "Oh, an idler, it's OK if that's your thing". I didn't want to play the Lenco, as I knew he would come to the erroneous conclusion the Maplenoll sucked (instead of the correct one that the Lenco/Idler is Mighty).
A friend of mine was in the room, in fact the erstwhile owner of the Maplenoll, who was still wondering if the Lenco was really that much better (he had never compared them in an A/B, and the Maplenoll truly is an excellent belt-drive), and heard the Maplenoll and was impressed. Meanwhile, the fellow was going on about idlers rumbling and being only "for certain tastes", and seeing that he wasn't serious about the Maplenoll and it was a waste of time (the Hell with it), I turned on the Lenco, played the same record (some Art of Noise), and said "Here's your rumble". The background was silent, but more than that, the increase in bass, dynamics, detail, imaging, in fact everything everywhere, was shocking. My friend was sitting there in shock. As to the fellow, water off a duck's back, he was deaf to the whole thing, or decided the Maplenoll was crap, and walked out as if nothing had happened. Invincible prejudice/stupidity. This type of prejudice only ensures limitations: such a person will always miss the possibilities and wallow in mediocrity and mistaken assumptions. So be it.
Meanwhile, my friend, who was luke-warm before, is now clamoring for a Giant Direct Coupled Lenco, and is utterly converted. The moral of the story is: Prejudice leads to deafness in audio and aural unhappiness.
Enjoy your Idlers all, May the Wheel Be With You!! Time to get back to the shop and do my final run: the Cypriot Lenco.
