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The Cartridge
It is not uncommon for anyone who has an interest in the classic combination of the Garrard 301 and SME tone arms to look at vintage style cartridges. The SME instruction booklet shows an SME SPU mounted on the arm and it is widely favored to use the arm with an Ortofon SPU or low-output MC cartridge. The world of MC cartridges is a mind field and brought about a whole host of additional considerations. I shan't go into these in detail but matching arm with cartridge was important. After much research I opted for the classic Denon DL103. A safe choice perhaps and again widely recognized for use with this tone arm. The Denon is a relatively affordable cartridge compared to say the vintage Neumanns, Ortofons or London Deccas; it suits the high-mass characteristics of the tone arm and fits the SME style head shells (though I think the squeeze, making fine adjustments, are tricky). The cartridge is a conical stylus and rides high in the groove. If brave, re-tip with an elliptical stylus, dig deeper and have a different kind of fun.

Pre
Many but not all MC cartridges are thought best served by or requiring a step up transformer to amplify the low output signal of the cartridge adequately enough to line level input. These are passive devices (with no power supply) that "transform" the current from the moving coil cartridge into voltage, which can then be amplified (and equalized) by the phono stage of the preamplifier. After much research I decided to try the Rothwell MC stage and give myself some flexibility with a variety of both low output and high output MCs as well as some MM cartridges when used in conjunction with a separate phono stage. Throughout pulling together this project, I found this component to be the most difficult to pin down. I had looked at preamps and phono stages which had selectable MC inputs and how these might suit. I stumbled across the cult of the step up whilst researching valve amps and about what people were doing to monoblocks that had no phono stage. The transformer is no new idea of course, although many MC cartridges back in the day carried a transformer built into the head shell of the cartridge e.g. Ortofon GT.


I may not have satisfied my ambitions for a 'vintage only' system by buying 'new' but the step up is something of a renaissance component which harks back to a bygone era when the technology was not so progressive as it is now. I did however remain true to my interest in British audio and was happy 'buying local' (Rothwell are just up the road from me). I also chose to introduce the Cambridge Audio 640P secondary phono stage, which is switchable between MM and MC for more flexibility.

Amplifier
J.E. Sugden is again a well known British audio company and has all the pedigree of the great names synonymous with British audio classics like London Decca, SME, Garrard, Mitchell, Quad, Rogers, Tannoy etc - a small firm with dedication in the pursuit of fine audio and handmade in Yorkshire, England the place where I was born. The Sugden A21 class A Amplifier was conceived in the 1960s by J.E. Sugden and was the world's first commercial solid-state class A amplifier. It is a wonderfully open amplifier with remarkable results for
its modest 12wpc rating. It did of course have all the aesthetic of the period I liked and looked a fitting choice for an early testing of my Garrard.


The Speakers
Classic British High-Fidelity - what more can I say? There is already a wealth of information available on Rogers Speakers, some of which can be found here and here. All I can say is I just love everything about these speakers, notwithstanding the glorious vintage nostalgia of their looks but they are just so laid back, open and airy without losing their clarity and control.

The System
  • Turntable: Garrard 301 - oil-bearing (Schedule 51400/2 : Serial 5902)
  • Tone arm: SME 3012 A/Denon DL103
  • Pre: Rothwell/CA640P
  • Amplifier: Sugden A21
  • Speakers: Rogers LS7t /Castle Richmond 3i
  • Room dimensions: 20' (L) x 16' (W) x 10' (H). Rogers' normal placement in use at 24" from front wall bay to front baffle and placed 2' clear from side walls to outer side of cabinet' resulting in L/R speaker measuring approx 10'1" apart.
  • Auditioning: All records are cleaned free of dust with antistatic brush. Cleaned carefully on VPI using VPI solution. Motor unit is started thirty minutes before play to warm up as is amplifier. System checks are made before each audition, with particular attention to motor deck and arm setup. Each record is played through once and all characteristics are noted. A second audition is made on a NAD 533 / RB250 / Elektra / Denon 2805 / Castle Richmond 3i system when grading borderline discs. System two is cruder than system one but I believe helps gain a more balanced view for grading. This is done to gauge the existence or extent of wear, especially where it may not be clear whether a distortion is of system or disc origin.

It is my intention to continue tweaking this system. I see it as an organic and evolving thing. There are plinth variations which I would like to try, a number of cartridges and various other tweaks. I am also looking into valve amplification. I am currently researching ideas for an all-mono setup using a completely different deck which I will build alongside and have interchangeable components. Whilst I continue in my pursuit of reproducing a faithful sound and refining the system, this remains the primary system for play grading and auditioning.


Audio Alchemists, Apothecaries & Scholars
Pioneers & revolutionaries who dreamed the dream, mixed their potions, spun their magic and showed a way. The tree of knowledge has many branches and goes deep, too deep to travel here but follow a branch and see where you end up.
Alchemists
No 6435
The Analog Dept
6moons
Vinyl Engine
Pink Fish
Audio Asylum
Analogue Classics		 Apothecaries
Shindo Review
Hi-Fi World Review

 Scholars
Stefano Passini
Green Willow
Vintage Vanguard
The Cartridge Database