Post by rocl on Mar 2, 2017 20:40:28 GMT 12
the 301 is almost as old as me, and we were both born in very different times. big valve radios and radiograms dominated what would later be referred to as entertainment systems. in those days chairs were oriented around the fireplace in winter and the windows in summer. a big space was left in the middle of rooms for the children to play, until they got in the way of an adult and were sent over to a corner.
music was also very different. mostly simple undemanding singalong type stuff. on 78's made from shellac that within 10yrs would be worthless. in the billboard top 30 songs of '54 there aren't many memorable songs. shake, rattle and roll is there at no.26. but things were going to change enormously in every aspect of music making.
well, both the 301 and i are still around, and i have just purchased one. why i would even contemplate such a thing when i already have a modern, innovative, highly regarded tt already is a bit of a mystery, even to me. the WTA performs more than adequately, cost me a heap new, and has very nice design implementation which appeals to me as much as the table itself. and the 301 with arm and plinth and shipping didn't cost a lot less.
and anyway, how much difference can a tt make? a bit, it can make a bit of a difference. not a lot of logic involved in my decision though. a love of old things. an appreciation of excellent design and implementation. the thought that it is a classic that will still be sought after and wanted when i'm gone. and the possibility that in my system i might just like it better than what i already have.
tonyd is well known for his meticulous work on the garrards. he advertised this one on SNA late last year. all finished and done beautifully and accompanied by the threat that it would be the last he would do for sale. mum had died earlier in the year so the money wasn't an issue. thanks mum. i waited a week or 2 and it was still there so i sent a tentative enquiry and got a polite response. i resisted and waited for someone else to buy it. i didn't even have an arm. but then there was an arm on t/me. bloody hell!
so another email off to tony and he still has the 301. the arm on t/me would be a good match says tony. well of course he would say that. so i buy the arm and the 301. easy. now for a plinth. look at designs, read heaps of opinions - high mass, sketon, slate, birch ply, solid wood. all of them were better than the others! and they all looked like you had to be really accurate. now i can do a lot of stuff to an ok kind of standard, but i was growing less and less sure that ok would be good enough.
and then tony tells me he has too many plinths and arms and 301's and some have to go, eventually, later in the year. and he has 12" arms and i kinda wanted one of those. well, i've never had one before and, well, they are 12" long and we all know that bigger is better! and he could sell it now, and it has these footers that cost almost what he wants for everything, and if i didn't want the MM cart it would cost me even less. well i love a bargain. even if i am spending $10,000 if is get something extra then that will do me! yep - i can do that it tell him.
but how is it all going to sound? will it be better, different or even not as good. i mean it's english designed and made. i knew about english manufacture. i'd owned 2 austins! appalling vehicles. the english had managed to botch almost every aspect of manufacturing over my lifetime. BSA bikes, landrovers, morris 1100, P76. all gone, thankfully but the 301 is different i say to myself. the exception! why else would so many ppl want them and be prepared to pay so much for so little?
it arrives at last. on my doorstep are 2 packages. neat, well wrapped in tape. computer printout of my name and address. moment of truth!
but tony had to dismantle everything to pack and send it safely. everything! the box with the arm had a million different pieces and none of them labelled. the instructions were there so how hard could it be? not too hard actually. so several hours later it's together and in place and the moment arrives. the big moment. the moment of truth. this was it and now i would know. no more dreaming, romanticising, or self delusion.
first thought was - it sounds just the same. well it would. same cart, same phono and amp, same speakers.
but then - that's a bit different. and so's that. is it more bass? is it a "firmer" sound? and so on for the past few days. different - yes. better - yes. i like it. it produces more presence, push. energy. hang on i think. there's too much difference. it sounds faster and i have read what rega do. make their tt's go a little bit faster to give a better feel. so out with the incandescent lamp from the spare room. plug it in and turn it on and look at the lovingly renewed platter. that's ok. bang on actually. wow! it is the tt after all.
so, back to where i began this story. why is it that a tt designed to play records by perry como, rosemary clooney et al, is so good at cowboy junkies, doors, lou reed et al? i don't know. but every now and again there are things produced that do their job better than they have any right to. and the 301 is one of those products. and i'm really glad that now i have one too.
music was also very different. mostly simple undemanding singalong type stuff. on 78's made from shellac that within 10yrs would be worthless. in the billboard top 30 songs of '54 there aren't many memorable songs. shake, rattle and roll is there at no.26. but things were going to change enormously in every aspect of music making.
well, both the 301 and i are still around, and i have just purchased one. why i would even contemplate such a thing when i already have a modern, innovative, highly regarded tt already is a bit of a mystery, even to me. the WTA performs more than adequately, cost me a heap new, and has very nice design implementation which appeals to me as much as the table itself. and the 301 with arm and plinth and shipping didn't cost a lot less.
and anyway, how much difference can a tt make? a bit, it can make a bit of a difference. not a lot of logic involved in my decision though. a love of old things. an appreciation of excellent design and implementation. the thought that it is a classic that will still be sought after and wanted when i'm gone. and the possibility that in my system i might just like it better than what i already have.
tonyd is well known for his meticulous work on the garrards. he advertised this one on SNA late last year. all finished and done beautifully and accompanied by the threat that it would be the last he would do for sale. mum had died earlier in the year so the money wasn't an issue. thanks mum. i waited a week or 2 and it was still there so i sent a tentative enquiry and got a polite response. i resisted and waited for someone else to buy it. i didn't even have an arm. but then there was an arm on t/me. bloody hell!
so another email off to tony and he still has the 301. the arm on t/me would be a good match says tony. well of course he would say that. so i buy the arm and the 301. easy. now for a plinth. look at designs, read heaps of opinions - high mass, sketon, slate, birch ply, solid wood. all of them were better than the others! and they all looked like you had to be really accurate. now i can do a lot of stuff to an ok kind of standard, but i was growing less and less sure that ok would be good enough.
and then tony tells me he has too many plinths and arms and 301's and some have to go, eventually, later in the year. and he has 12" arms and i kinda wanted one of those. well, i've never had one before and, well, they are 12" long and we all know that bigger is better! and he could sell it now, and it has these footers that cost almost what he wants for everything, and if i didn't want the MM cart it would cost me even less. well i love a bargain. even if i am spending $10,000 if is get something extra then that will do me! yep - i can do that it tell him.
but how is it all going to sound? will it be better, different or even not as good. i mean it's english designed and made. i knew about english manufacture. i'd owned 2 austins! appalling vehicles. the english had managed to botch almost every aspect of manufacturing over my lifetime. BSA bikes, landrovers, morris 1100, P76. all gone, thankfully but the 301 is different i say to myself. the exception! why else would so many ppl want them and be prepared to pay so much for so little?
it arrives at last. on my doorstep are 2 packages. neat, well wrapped in tape. computer printout of my name and address. moment of truth!
but tony had to dismantle everything to pack and send it safely. everything! the box with the arm had a million different pieces and none of them labelled. the instructions were there so how hard could it be? not too hard actually. so several hours later it's together and in place and the moment arrives. the big moment. the moment of truth. this was it and now i would know. no more dreaming, romanticising, or self delusion.
first thought was - it sounds just the same. well it would. same cart, same phono and amp, same speakers.
but then - that's a bit different. and so's that. is it more bass? is it a "firmer" sound? and so on for the past few days. different - yes. better - yes. i like it. it produces more presence, push. energy. hang on i think. there's too much difference. it sounds faster and i have read what rega do. make their tt's go a little bit faster to give a better feel. so out with the incandescent lamp from the spare room. plug it in and turn it on and look at the lovingly renewed platter. that's ok. bang on actually. wow! it is the tt after all.
so, back to where i began this story. why is it that a tt designed to play records by perry como, rosemary clooney et al, is so good at cowboy junkies, doors, lou reed et al? i don't know. but every now and again there are things produced that do their job better than they have any right to. and the 301 is one of those products. and i'm really glad that now i have one too.
