VAS Audio: SPU GME II and Supex SD900 IV retip + Stax UA-3NL and Tokyo Sound ST900 repair

 

VAS Audio Workshop

Before lockdown, Ding promised that he'd introduce me to his friend, Steve Leung, of VAS Audio. He's had his Denon DL103S, Ortofon SL15, Supex SD900, and other classic cartridges re-tipped and repaired by Steve. As the pandemic wound down, I finally got to meet Steve and brought the following MC cartridges for new tips, as well as tonearms for repair at his shop.

Ortofon SPU GME MKII

SPU GME MKII - BEFORE

My Ortofon SPU GME MKII has had a hard life ever since it was gifted to me by my SETUP buddies in the 90s. It's been on semi-retirement since I acquired an SPU#1s + a late 60s or 70s(?) SPU-G (below) with a low mileage nude mounted conical stylus.

SPU-G

This SPU-G portrays a wider and airier sonic landscape with perhaps a bit more detail compared to my more recent SPU#1s. It also sounds more organic than the GME MKII. 

SPU GM(E) MKII - AFTER

I attribute the SPU-G's sonic superiority to the better polished nude mounted conical stylus vs. the bonded conical stylus of the SPU#1s. So I asked Steve to fit his finest nude mounted conical stylus on my GME MKII.  

Ortofon SPU GM(E) MKII

Agreeing to my downgrade idea,😉 Steve may have turned the GME MKII into an SPU-G equivalent of the SPU-A wood. All I know is, it can stand up to my cousin's SPU Synergy!😊

Supex SD900 MKIV

BEFORE

The Koetsu Black and Supex SD900 were my dream cartridges back in the 80s. When I finally found an SD900 I could afford, it sported a ruby cantilever + complex stylus profile upgrade.😏 Although traces of the classic Supex tonality were still there, it sounded compressed and swamped by dry analytical detail.😞

AFTER

I asked Steve to work the same magic on my Supex as he did on Ding's, albeit with a twist. We agreed upon an aluminum cantilever just like the original and I requested for another nude mounted spherical stylus.

SD900 MK IVs (s = spherical)

Steve remarkably transformed the Supex! The harmonic richness and dynamics this classic MC cartridge is known for was restored. To my ears, the SD900's edge over my SPUs and DL103s is its ability to focus and retrieve detail without inducing tinnitus. Because of Steve's phenomenal restomod job, I'm no longer yearning for a Koetsu! 😊

Stax UA-3NL

Being an ardent fan and committed user of the Gray 108 viscous damped tonearm and its Japanese clones for monaural hifi applications, I needed to experience a modern iteration of a uni-pivot. This design actually dates back to the late 60s. Scroll down to page 1413 for the review in the Hi-Fi News November 1969 issue. The UA-70 seems to be essentially the same tonearm updated in the 70s with an anti-skate mechanism.

More Stax info at vinylengine.com

I added the UA-3NL to my collection in early 2018 and paired it with my Thorens TD124 and Sony TTS 2500, respectively. I was going to include this tonearm in my Alfred Bokrand AB309 write-up but one channel dropped out. 

When I finally accessed the internal hair-like strands of enameled wire, I realized that repairing it was beyond my DIY abilities.

Similar to the knife-edge bearing'd SME 3012, the Stax presents a mid to back row concert hall perspective, which is an atmospheric experience without any loss of detail. Although I've used it satisfactorily with the SPU#1S, it brings out the best from cartridges that track in the 1.5 > 2.5 gram range. Just like the SME 3012, the UA-3NL may not appeal to listeners who favor a front row seat/kick drum on your chest presentation.

Thanks to Steve's skill and nimble hands, I'm enjoying my UA-3NL again!

Tokyo Sound ST900

This 9" tonearm from the early 60s has an NHK broadcasting heritage. Comprehensive information about the ST900 is available at audio-heritage.jp. Surprisingly, the spindle to pivot mounting distance wasn't specified. 

So I took out my ancient Cart-Align protractor, did some measurements with my Ortofon SPU#1s cartridge attached and got a pivot to spindle distance of 223mm. I haven't had any problems with cartridges I installed conforming to the SPU's overhang.

Claus Volke and this Japanese audio blog have more to say about this tonearm.

It's equipped with a non-standard 4-pin connector in which the negative phase of the right channel is internally grounded. This limits its use to the stock plastic head shell. In an effort to make it compatible with modern metal head shells, I successfully detached the 4 pin connector at the base of the tonearm pillar. It turns out the ground connection was near the head shell collet, which I couldn't remove. Instead of risking damage, I relied on Steve's expertise.

The design may have been inspired by the Ortofon SMG212 and SKG212 with added Japanese innovations. It is quite massive and can easily balance a 30+ gram SPU. So far the lightest cartridge/head shell combo I used successfully was 19.5 grams. Given its high tolerance bearings, it's an ideal partner to the Denon DL103, Ortofon SPU, and similar low compliance cartridges. Consider this as an excellent alternative to the classic Ortofon AS/RM/SK/SMG 212 series tonearms especially if you prefer the svelte proportions of a compact plinth!

iPhone video clips of the MC cartridges and tonearms in action

"Fire" from The Elements

Joe Henderson + Alice Coltrane

Supex SD900 MKIVs + Stax UA-3NL 

Turntable: Thorens TD124

MC step up: Altec 15095A

Preamp: JE Labs Loctal

Amp: morrison micro 2A3 reimagined

Speakers: Altec 755C in Silbatone cabs

"All Or Nothing At All" 

from 

Freddie Hubbard's Open Sesame

Ortofon SPU GM(E) MKII + Tokyo Sound ST900

Turntable: Thorens TD124

MC step up: Altec 4722

Preamp: JE Labs Loctal

Amp: morrison micro 2A3 reimagined

Speakers: Altec 755C in Silbatone cabs

Steve, the master craftsman, and Ding

Looking forward to Steve's visit to the man cave!🍻

Denon Aluminum Body Cap

I've been a Denon DL103 user for more than two decades but never considered risking my $250 investment to modifications which involved removing the old and installing another body. 

To circumvent the risk of damaging the stylus/cantilever assembly, Steve Bedard came up with the Denon Aluminum Body Cap.   

The finely machined aluminum cap slips over the Denon DL103 body. I noticed a slightly tighter fit on the DL103R and DL103C1, due to the different housing material used for these higher end models.

Two longer metric bolts are supplied to fit the original Denon nuts to compensate for the added thickness when mounting the cartridge/cap combo to a head shell. 

It has been my experience in this hobby that every time the frequency extremes are improved, something gives and usually, it is the midrange that suffers. 

The classic DL103 is a case in point. It has a wonderful midrange but it has a tendency to congest in the high frequencies during complex musical passages. Brighter recordings can also sound sibilant while the lower frequencies can gain more definition. 

Through the years, Denon has addressed these issues with "upgraded" DL103 versions by revising the coil with finer quality wire and by using more inert materials for the housing. I have two of them - the current DL103R and its predecessor, the DL103C1. Both models refine the frequency extremes but at the expense of a drier and "less colorful" midrange.

Thankfully the "capped DL103" retains and focuses that midrange warmth, almost mimicking an SPU, while the frequency extremes are tidied up. There's just a hint of sibilance and congestion left with the "capped DL103."

Even if there was improvement across the audio band with the aluminum cap installed on either DL103R or DL103C, what was most apparent was better definition in the lower frequencies. 

Could it be that the upgraded DL103 models benefit less from the cap? Perhaps the distinction might be system dependent and/or merely a matter of taste? Just remember, I'm not a mainstream audiophile. 😉 

What I like most about the Denon Aluminum Body Cap is, it doesn't dampen the virtues of the DL103/103R/103C1. It highlights and improves upon what's already there. 

In the big scheme of things, it's hard to find this level of sonic upgrade for under $100. My DL103 is "capped" for good, highly recommended! 👍

Ortofon SPU #1S and the Enigmatic Spherical Stylus

Garrard 301 + Ortofon RMG309 + SPU Classic GME

It seems like yesterday when my SETUP friends Joel, Nonong and William gifted me with an Ortofon SPU Classic GME cartridge for helping them get rid of the upgrade syndrome afflicting their high-end audio sensibilities back in the mid 90s. Within the same time frame, I was frequently talking shop with Sound Practices editor and publisher, Joe Roberts, regarding my Homebrewer article. At some point, the conversation segued to the virtues of the spherical or conical stylus based on the research done by Reto Luigi Andreoli (published in German by Christian Rintelen in Hi-Fi Scene Schweiz). Looking back, and at the risk of sounding ungrateful to my friends, would the humbler Classic GM have been a more appropriate gift? 😇

In the process of hunting for an original SPU with conical stylus, I instead landed three Denon classics - a ca. late 80s DL103, DL103S and DL103C1- for the price of a then brand new DL103R. Compared to a regular DL103, the DL103S is sweet and most extended in the high frequencies but least dynamic, the DL103R most detailed. The DL103C1 emerged as my favorite for combining all the virtues of the aforementioned models. These are very competent MC cartridges, which, along with the SPU GME, have been invaluable tools in voicing my audio system through the years. However, none of them could match the vivid midrange presence of the SPU.

Meanwhile, my spherical SPU hunting got sidetracked by Monaural playback and Retro Cool Tonearms and Cartridges.

Ortofon SPU Classic GME

In the intervening years, I had been fortunate to listen to higher-end Ortofon SPU models in familiar systems. Inasmuch as the SPU Royal, 85th Anniversary, Meister and Synergy offered better detail retrieval and extension in the frequency extremes to satisfy contemporary audiophile standards, I was never convinced that they were presenting a tonally more accurate sound overall.

Ortofon SPU#1S

After over 20 years, the idea of owning a spherical stylus-equipped SPU still haunted me. Fortunately, Ortofon introduced two entry level SPUs in 2016. I bit the bullet and ordered the cheaper SPU#1S with a bonded spherical stylus last year and couldn't be happier. Even if the #1S has slightly less top end extension than the Classic GME, the midrange is even more organic and soulful because the harmonic overtones are more akin to what I hear in a live music-making environment.

It's been known for decades that a conical/spherical stylus is kinder/gentler to the grooves. Thus records in less than perfect condition become more listenable traced by this type of stylus. Granted its technical inadequacies can be measured, which in turn has pre-conditioned audiophile beliefs for several generations, what matters most to me is still the enjoyment of music, and a measuring tool for that has yet to be invented.

While perusing various audio forums these past couple of years, I noticed that compared to 20 years ago there are a lot more vinyl aficionados who recognize and appreciate the musical merits of the humble round profile stylus. In hindsight, if the Retro Cool Tonearms and Cartridges article I wrote before my hair turned gray contributed to this trend, my efforts have not been in vain.