G301 has a partner

99.99 Oxygen Free Copper Audiophile Grade Speaker Cable
B

bhaskarcan

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 7, 2011
Messages
515
Points
93
Location
Kolkata, India
Hi All,

Here is my Garrard 301 with SME3009 on a modified wooden plinth

3011pc.jpg


3012by.jpg



AND Yesterday brought home THIS ONE to partner my lonely 301:yahoo:
4011i.jpg


4012c.jpg


4013e.jpg


4014lw.jpg


4015ey.jpg


4016f.jpg


4017m.jpg


Motor is silent and strobe locks perfectly on all speeds. Needs a thorough cleaning & oiling. Also a new MM cartridge to match the arm. The arm is 'Acos Lustre GST-1'.

Best regards,

Bhaskar
 
Lucky Man :)
I think plinth looks like half inch ply which is very good but upgrading will also benefit. Only guessing though. Enjoy.
Regards.
 
reubensm said:
Congrats...owning 1 is a dream for many, owning 2 is something un-imaginable :-)

How do they compare?
Click to expand...
First need to put a decent cartridge on the Acos GST-1 arm. Secondly the 301 with SME3009 arm is modded, so comparison in present stage is not fare.


iaudio said:
God... Garrard 301 and now a 401! So how soon are you adding other rockstar TTs like LP12 and TD124? :)
Click to expand...

Always on hunt buddy...........:)
 
damn...if only I was not burdened with constructing my house...can't wait to finish...a 301 or 401 or EMT938 is hot on the list, if not a SL1200. My SL3200 sounds good and has dead-accurate speed, but I've been taking pills to supress upgraditis for a long time now :)
 
reubensm said:
damn...if only I was not burdened with constructing my house...can't wait to finish...a 301 or 401 or EMT938 is hot on the list, if not a SL1200. My SL3200 sounds good and has dead-accurate speed, but I've been taking pills to supress upgraditis for a long time now :)
Click to expand...

For day to day listening I normally play a SL1200 MKII beside the 301, to get the taste of both ID & DD. And absolutely no doubt about it's(1200's) quality. But the big idler gives some obvious magic feeling when compared to the 1200. It may be the effect of 301+SME+M97e(with JICO SAS). Jico SAS by itself is a huge improvement over the stock M97e stylus.

BTW nowadays the 1200's also vanished frm the market. I've been looking for another one for one of our fellow members, but without success till now.

Brgds
 
I m happy to know you got a 401 to pair a 301. You must seriously think of plinth modification for the 401 to get better results. What plinth do you have for your 301?. You could transform them into Super deck status with modification .I am sure they are already good sounding. I have the original SL 1200 with original TPA arm. Though it is good, it cannot be compared with Garrard 301 which really brings out magic feeling you have experienced. All the best. It's nice to know when such players come to the right hands
 
kuruvilajacob said:
I m happy to know you got a 401 to pair a 301. You must seriously think of plinth modification for the 401 to get better results. What plinth do you have for your 301?. You could transform them into Super deck status with modification .I am sure they are already good sounding. I have the original SL 1200 with original TPA arm. Though it is good, it cannot be compared with Garrard 301 which really brings out magic feeling you have experienced. All the best. It's nice to know when such players come to the right hands
Click to expand...

@kuruvilajacob thanks for your suggestion. The 301 is sitting on a 18mm MDF motor board which is floating on a very heavy Mehegony base(idea stolen from Loricraft). For better isolation steel spikes are used below the feet.

Sometime back I planned to change the motorboard to a half inch slate slab which I collected from one of my friend but the plan was shelved since I couldn't get a proper mounting diagram for 301 AWA SME3009. Now having a 2nd idler standby I can go ahead with the plinth modification as time permits.
 
I tried a slate plinth on mine. I found the reproduction very dull and lifeless. Maybe due to the slate I chose or the difficulty in fixing the arm board on the slate plinth. I felt the marine ply is the ideal material as it is easier to manage. I have two 301 tables , one of them very similar to your 301 suspended on squash balls (Loricraft model). The other is a plinth of 5 nos 18 mm ply , The latter is a better performing table right now but I am seriously considering similar mod for my former Table also with separate arm pod if possible
 
kuruvilajacob said:
I tried a slate plinth on mine. I found the reproduction very dull and lifeless. Maybe due to the slate I chose or the difficulty in fixing the arm board on the slate plinth. I felt the marine ply is the ideal material as it is easier to manage. I have two 301 tables , one of them very similar to your 301 suspended on squash balls (Loricraft model). The other is a plinth of 5 nos 18 mm ply , The latter is a better performing table right now but I am seriously considering similar mod for my former Table also with separate arm pod if possible
Click to expand...

Actually I've read lots of conflicting opinions on the type of plinths for 301/401. As in all the aspects of so called 'audiophile' world this one is also a much debated topic and it's very difficult to come to a fixed conclusion. All of these ideas are well tested & used by some of the very well known names of audio industry. Still there is not a single idea that's accepted by all. Hence I've stopped thinking of mods. I generally look for a compromise between material/craftsmanship/expense, and settle for the best combination. The biggest drawback of all these modding/upgrading ideas is that the main reason of doing all these things is lost i.e. listening & enjoying Music takes the secondary place. So better to concentrate on music and modifications will take place on it's own time.
 
Audio Technica AT-LP60X Fully Automatic Belt-Drive Turntable
Buy from India's official online dealer!

Similar threads

jls001
Garrard 301 Oil Bearing - for restoration
2
Replies
39
Views
10K
mpw
M
V
Stereophile's Recommended List for 2010.
Replies
6
Views
65K
raj
R
Back
Top