From Stephen D., Ottawa, Ontario
The 75-pound Classic Lenco:
Jean,
It turns out that the tonearm wiring wasn’t damaged, it was my left 300B tube amp that was falling apart. I was finally able to give your table a preliminary listening session using my backup Sonic Impact II integrated T-amp. I have a delightful George Wright WPP200C phono preamp, a real gem of a tube preamp, going into crossoverless fullrange speakers, so it was a minimalist setup.
In short, your basic Lenco and RS-A1 tonearm was substantially superior to my old VPI Scoutmaster / JMW-9 tonearm combo in every aspect, just as you predicted. What I heard was:
– greater information retrieval;
– much more body to the sound;
– greater separation of instruments / performers, against a quieter (blacker) background;
– a more articulate sound – notes and sounds were definitely better defined;
– exceptional speed stability. The PRaT stuff was there in spades. This is something that one has to experience to really appreciate.
Cheers,
Stephen