Sapphire Cantilever and Paratrace - the Expert Way !

[sp10]

The first time I heard the Decca was in a shop in Kensington, London back in the 1970s.  The shop was owned by Bob Yates and was called 'HiFiFoFum'.  It was a Garrot modified London. The TT was a massive Melco with aMission low mass arm.  It was playing through an early Pass amp system, a Threshold I think, into the old stacked SAE speakers which had been heavily modded..  The volume was set to very high indeed.   Then - after a short time the stylus came off from its mounting.  Although I do not like ear-bleed volume, the sound was absolutely brilliant until it fell apart.

I do not know who makes the modern Deccas but I do know that those of the 70s-80s were always a gamble.   QC was minimal and getting a good Decca was a matter of luck.  A bad one - or a badly installed one - was not only ugly in sound, but could very quickly destroy your records.  Dynamic and impressive though they were they were no match for the SPUs of the times in terms of giving sheer musical enjoyment.   I gave up using them when I realizes that they made all music tiring on the ears.   Naturally those being made today may well be adequately improved to rise above this problem.  I hope that they are because their natural strengths were great and unbeatable back in those days....the weaknesses were (just) unforgivable in the longer term.

[anderss]

Manufacturers of Decca London today http://www.presenceaudio.co.uk/

Anders

[Graeme]

Manufacturers of Decca London today http://www.presenceaudio.co.uk/

Anders

Worlds worst website?

[willbewill]

Worlds worst website?

No the world's worst WEBPAGE

[anderss]

I say nothing 

But I will try to find myself an Decca London on different flelmarkets and secondhand shops I will visit this year, there should turn up a suitable object I can buy.

Anders

[rfgumby]

No the world's worst WEBPAGE

Wow.  I could have built that "site", and I don't build websites. 

[daiwok]

They don't even make those carts themselves or that tonearm 

[GP49]

Presence Audio is the marketing representative and distributor for the actual builder of the cartridges.  Since 1989 the manufacturing was done under the auspices of John Wright, the Decca engineer who took the cartridge line (but not the "Decca" name) to J. Wright Audio Services when Decca's then-owners wanted to shut down its Decca Special Products division. 

The last new model introduced under Decca was the Super Gold; the London Jubilee and London Reference were designed and introduced by John Wright, while the rest of the line continued with refinements and improvements in quality control under their new brand name, "London."

[daiwok]

Gene, your knowledge in this field just keeps on amazing me !!

The supplier of the stylus for these cartridges has not changed for the last 40 years, Decca London or London as they are known now.

I recently heard the London Reference, very smooth and refine - yet it still has that Decca characteristic - amazing  

[sp10]

....................................................
The last new model introduced under Decca was the Super Gold; the London Jubilee and London Reference were designed and introduced by John Wright, while the rest of the line continued with refinements and improvements in quality control under their new brand name, "London."

That is a bit of good news!

[krenzler]

Just the stylus retip is GBP 65 which is very reasonable.

I just got a quote for my Ortofon Jubilee saying:

"As a guide our charge for overhauling and re-tipping the Ortofon Jublilee are GBP£285.00 providing the coils, suspension and boron cantilever are in good condition. We would not recommend changing the boron cantilever unless it was badly damaged."

So that's 285£ for only the tip? Where does the 65£ come from?

[daiwok]

Overhall means like a full service. You can talk to Expert Stylus and ask them to examine first - they are a honest company - What's wrong with your Jubilee ?

Just re-tip alone is GBP65 which means no need for servicing or overhalling. You can ask Expert Stylus about this.

[krenzler]

Overhall means like a full service. You can talk to Expert Stylus and ask them to examine first - they are a honest company - What's wrong with your Jubilee ?

Just re-tip alone is GBP65 which means no need for servicing or overhalling. You can ask Expert Stylus about this.

Thanks David. Not necessarily anything wrong with my Jubilee. I do feel the stylus looks a bit "funny" in my 45x microscope but I can't be sure. Ain't to keen on the amount of glue that has been used. I'd like a general inspection just to feel safe. On top of that I guess the Paratrace would be a upgrade on the Shibata? Cantilever is not entirely parallel in the body - Maybe something can be done about that too?

[richard]

"...unrivalled dynamics...the best phono cartridge I've tried. The dynamic expression was revelatory, even state-of-the-art...spine-tingling excitement...textbook reading of pace, rhythym and timing...sets an example to all."
Jubilee, Stereophile, June 1995"

And exactly which textbook definition of 'pace, rhythm and timing" would this be?


Option #2:
Define "pace."
Define "rhythm."
Define "timing."

Now, let us know how these facts/impressions can be delivered by a piece of audio equipment such as a turntable or cartridge.

Gotcha!

[willbewill]

And exactly which textbook definition of 'pace, rhythm and timing" would this be?

Possibly this one

http://www.hificritic.com/downloads/Archive_A7.pdf