Thanks for all the support. 4yanx, all of this stuff is new so my friend really doesn't know what to think of the Illustrious and neither do I. It came without the correct amount of fluid in the lift and cueing by hand isn't something I really want to do with such expensive bits and pieces. I doubt I can pick up any silicone locally and have never done that proceedure before. Anyone wishing to chime in with instructions would be my hero. The Origin Live instructions refer to diagrams that don't exist and don't cover such things at all. I'm not impressed with the installation manual. I do believe Shelter should be applauded for making the cartridge mountable with the stylus gaurd in place. Plus, the gaurd is of a very funtional design.
The Teres table is a jewel but the armboard proved to be a problem. It was drilled for an arm without a VTA adustment so I had to carefully die grind clearance for the Illustrious. Also, the armboard on this table is the same thickness along its length and with the VTA in place the bigger, bottom hole was not deep enough to allow fitting the nut. I bought a Forstner bit and made the hole 1/4" deeper. No big deal if this would have been my table but since it belongs to someone else I was sweating bullets. It looks factory and now allows the nut to be secured. I left that mammoth washer off. Do the rest of you guys use it? I could drill a little deeper if you think its necessary. In all honesty I think the armboard should have been stepped, thickness wise so that the nut is more accessable with the fingers. From what I've read in previous posts regarding the armboard this continuous thickness along its length is a new feature. It does make for killer good looks but isn't quite as functional as I'd like.
I'll be living with this table for a couple of months and have serious concerns about my happiness once its at its new home. Here's what I think will happen and I'm sure you guys will see how this is going to affect me. Linn claims that a 501 will work fine through my preamp. With the additional output of the 901, then it should work well. I don't think so. I predict that my friend will need to place his new tube preamp with the killer phono stage into the system too. So, the short term upgrade will probably be so big that I'll be destroyed. Maybe this whole thing will motivate me to get a new cartridge and preamp but I try to be pragmatic about these things and would have waited at least til the time my current cartridge gave up the ghost.
If anyone that has this same arm/cartridge combination would be nice enough to give me a ball park measurement for the "ball and chain" anti-skate it would save me time and sweat.
David99, I think I will take you up on your offer. I'll drop you a line when I think everything else is working as it should.
