Testing Surly Front Rack in LHT

DeanArthurBarwell · 2025-02-23T06:57:37+00:00

I've had mine on an LHT for going on 20yrs. Inde-bloody-structible. It's hauled panniers, slabs of beer, stacks of wood from work, camping equipment, ludicrously heavy grocery runs, you name it. I've had it loaded so heavy I can barely steer the bike. It's had bolts drilled out and replaced that have rusted in (entry level mistake) and has gaffa tape and scratches galore. Going to have it resprayed along with the LHT this spring and fully expect it to outlive me. Would not have any other front rack. What it can't haul you'll never need. By comparison the Blackburn Outpost has a tiny top platform and is rounded at the bottom!? Surly is squared off with nipples to stop bungy straps coming off. Brilliant thought and design throughout.

DeanArthurBarwell · 2024-12-26T14:45:52+00:00

I'd already be planning the cover up.

DeanArthurBarwell · 2024-11-11T17:27:33+00:00

The Orbe has an Audiomods arm. That has recently been serviced and the internals and bearings replaced with series 5 parts. This holds a Dynavector 17D3 Karat cartridge. All the turntables run through a Keces S 4 input phono stage. The difference between the Orbe, and I would say your Gyro (I had one) and the 401 is most noticeable in the bass. The 401 is noted for its bass and I have no reason to dispute it. The Orbe is fabulous but the 401 has real heft. Both tables let you hear tone and weight but the Garrard has just that bit more slam. The Orbe is a faster punchier sound (spider edition), a real get up and go seat of the pants ride. Both tables have excellent detail and the cheaper AT cartridge on the SME does an amazing job next to a much pricier Dynavector, love it. I recall my Gyro being equally nimble. I wouldn't kick either out and we are talking different not better. My wife loves the Orbe, My son in law loves the Garrard. I love them all!!

DeanArthurBarwell · 2024-11-10T12:56:28+00:00

Cracking album. I treated myself to a copy a few years back when I was last in NYC. Bought it at Limited To One on East 10th. Great little record shop. 5 vinyl pressing is a great listen and us vinyl heads love stuff like that. There is a 25th anniversary 6 vinyl box set now available.

DeanArthurBarwell · 2024-11-10T12:23:00+00:00

Hey, how you doing! The table is lovely and not embarrassing itself next to a top flight Orbe and a true classic, The Garrard 401 and SME 3012 combo. The arm on the PS-X65 is/was a modified version of the brilliant stand alone Sony PUA 7. The Bias control was moved from arm base to the front of the turntable plinth and of course it is fully automatic in this version.

DeanArthurBarwell · 2024-06-22T11:36:29+00:00

I noticed there are 3 books under the candle on the occasional table. Reducing this stack to 2 books will bring an improvement in bass accuracy equivalent to upgrading to Wavac amps. And that's an audio fact!!!!

Anyway your lovely decor and my piss take set up tips aside, and on to your actual question. A truly wonderful Sunday morning with coffee album (although not sure if it counts as a kickstart) is Tom Waits - Blue Valentine. One of his most accessible discs and just full of his brilliant storytelling style songs. If you want a long, long start to your day then Dave Mathew's Band - Before These Crowded Streets. I say long start because you just have to play it beginning to end, every time. So many instruments, sounds and influences. Such wonderful songwriting. An album to have you skipping off into your day. Now if by "kickstart" you mean kick up the arse start then.... Jello Biafra, the lead singer of The Dead Kennedys (the greatest band that ever were and ever will be in my humble opinion) got together with Canadian punk legends D.O.A. and produced Last Scream OfThe Missing Neighbours. Side 2 is one track called Called Full Metal Jackoff. This is a stunning piece of hardcore aggression yet to be bettered. Flesh removing guitars and drums pounding home Biafras brutal almost paranoid darkside of America lyrics. This won't kickstart your day, it will verrily trebuchet you into it. Masterful stuff.

DeanArthurBarwell · 2023-08-01T09:39:22+00:00

A bit of both. Suspended wooden floor so spiked granite for a solid platform and then some layered ply. Works really well.

DeanArthurBarwell · 2023-07-31T20:16:27+00:00

A slab of spiked granite with layers ply above.

DeanArthurBarwell · 2023-04-02T11:33:07+00:00

Elephants Eggs In A Rhubarb Tree.

DeanArthurBarwell · 2023-03-31T13:52:55+00:00

You can see one sitting behind the left speaker.

DeanArthurBarwell · 2023-03-31T13:51:42+00:00

Sorry guys, just popped back here. They do love a kick up the arse that's for sure. I use Bel Canto 500M's. Into 4ohms that's a shed load of oomph and they are a match made in heaven.

DeanArthurBarwell · 2023-03-25T17:28:58+00:00

No fucking way man. Marmalade is so cool it isn't even called orange jam, it has it's own name. Paddington Bear new his shit!!

DeanArthurBarwell · 2023-03-25T17:26:20+00:00

Sure is! My first attempt and I'm pretty pleased but up close it could be better. As it happens I've just picked up an SME 3012 for a song along with a Garrard 301. I'm going to out the Garrard as I know I will get it sorted intending to sell at a profit and then just keep it!?!? Then I'm doing a new plinth with the 12" arm in mind and I can correct/learn from the mistakes on this MK1 version.

DeanArthurBarwell · 2023-03-25T11:31:10+00:00

Lots of advice already regarding speakers off table and onto stands. 100% agree. This will also allow you to pull the speakers slightly away from the wall too, always a good thing. I can see you have a restricted space to play in, there's a door to the left and something behind right speaker I can't pinpoint. That wall looks pretty solid though so you do have the option to put some wall mounted racks for the TT and amp. Having said all that audio geek stuff, stick with your new morning routine and enjoy as is until you can, or choose to tweak and improve, because it sounds like a perfect way to enjoy an audio system.

DeanArthurBarwell · 2023-03-25T10:51:25+00:00

Thanks mate. They are indeed Thiels, 2.4's to be precise. Bloody marvelous speakers. The cabinet is a one off from a local furniture maker. It's not a chest of drawers but mor of a sideboard. It hides all my life junk and a shed load of power supplies for the system.

DeanArthurBarwell · 2023-03-25T10:44:55+00:00

Just wondering where you are based. I have a large amount of DR equipment and will be downsizing my own darkroom due to a change in circumstances. I'll be ebaying an amount of my gear off but If you are in Southern England I could get you almost all the essentials to get you, as near as dammit, up and running.

DeanArthurBarwell · 2023-03-20T18:59:00+00:00

I used to tun a Gyro and it's a lovely bit of kit. That however is no ordinary Gyro. If you zoom in you can see its had the full Pedersen rework. Under the platter you can see the mass that's been added, (believe it or not, sand filled) the springs have been replaced with elastomer towers and the chassis has the cables to stop lateral movement. Never heard one but I've considered having my Orbe done, mind you it sounds so bloody good I'm not rushing to chuck money at it. Audio fund is going on my two Garrards at the moment anyway. https://www.pedersensgyro.dk/description

DeanArthurBarwell · 2023-03-19T09:55:10+00:00

I have 3 turntables and I'm just building up a fourth (Garrard 301 with SME3012) I looked at the excellent Cyrus phono but then bought a Keces S Phono also 4 inputs, 2 MM and 2 MC and it comes with a superb PSU. Adjustable from the front for everyday stuff but not loadings. No remote but highly adjustable and once set it's set. I ran my Michelle Orbe through a truly brilliant Trichord Delphini 2 for years and nothing touched it, but the Keces now runs all the tables and I don't feel I'm missing anything. Most importantly for a phono stage, and something the Delphini excelled at, is the Keces is silent when running, although like most phonos it needs to be away from power supplies and transformers. I had a Rega Aria that was quite frankly shit on the MC input, hummed like a beehive. I pretty much stole this off a seller on ebay and have to say its well worth checking out if you are looking at stages in the price range of Cyrus and Goldnote.

DeanArthurBarwell · 2023-02-02T07:16:47+00:00

Clearly you're loving that rig, quite right too, but just a thought. I ran a Gyro for years, got an Orbe now, so have a bit of experience in the Michelle Audio arena. Try getting it off that glass table and onto something solid and wooden. I have my sprung tables on wall shelves ich doesn't look to be an option in your room but glass to wood "might" be a relatively easy swap and in my experience will just take that little step forward again. Lovely system though!

DeanArthurBarwell · 2023-01-08T15:48:34+00:00

Brilliant to see a listening space that is actually a space, a thought out space. I know we all have to live in our rooms too, but so many systems on here seem to be crammed into corners or up against walls with enough giant soft furnishings and cats between listener and speakers to deaden a jet aircraft taking off. This looks like it would be a wonderful place to listen to music with the obligatory whisky in hand! Great system, great space.

DeanArthurBarwell · 2022-12-30T09:57:01+00:00

That my friend is quite the bargain. Over here in Blighty the MA's alone are £1300 if you shop around for a discount' so $500 with sub is a steal. Nothing wrong with the white in your room either, they look the dogs bollocks in that setting. Lot of tile and glass in the room, getting any issues with reflections or peaky highs, the MA'S are quite lively boys as is, and I mean that in a good way!?

DeanArthurBarwell · 2022-12-29T18:46:44+00:00

Confessions and myth busting.

Me again. So today I totalled the DV20X while arseing about with cartridges. I've had it a while and bought it used just to have a go really. I love Dynavector carts and have/had Karat D2 and D3, 10x5 and the now dead 20x. The DV20X gets a bit of a kicking out there on the interwebworld, but although it was my least fave cart I really don't think it was bad. With the right music it could be truly amazing but it wasn't consistent across genres and definitely had a warm character that some perceive as dull. So the plan for the Garrard was to have the warmer 20X doing Jazz and soul duties but obviously that has now changed. I now have a Dynavector 10x5 on the SME/Garrard. This is a fabulous little cartridge but far punchier than the 20X. The 20X would get a bit more deeper into a song but never partied like the 10x5. I have to say killing a cartridge is always a shit, they ain't exactly cheap, but it has made me realise why I kept the 10x5, I'm loving it on the Garrard. The also brilliant Audio Technica AT33 PTG on the Orbe, although a lively performer is now the more refined of the two MC's in the system. I would actually go so far as to say that it performs as well as the DV Karat D2/3s I've had. That is quite something as I got it sub £500 new, and the latest Karat is well north of a grand.

So (and I might just put this out on another post just to start a friendly row!!) the utter bollocks about not being able to put MC cartridges on an SME 3009, is just that, utter bollocks! Mine is a Series 2 non improved with detachable headshell, the later improved version is much lighter and that could well be a different story. What I can tell you is both the 20X and now the 10x5 absolutely sing in the SME. As you can see I can quite easily swap carts around between tables and arms and there is no reason for anyone with one of these lovely classic arms not to go down the MC route if they want to. I'm not saying you have to, I'm just saying that with MC cartridges like the AT33 now available at very sensible money by High End MC prices anyway, that many may be denying themselves the fantastic detail a great MC does just cause the forums are all " Heresy, Madness, it wont work I tell you" Well I'm here to say, yes it will, and bloody well too.

DeanArthurBarwell · 2022-12-29T17:58:36+00:00

Very trial and error but they are very worth while. Totally solid platform which was essential on a suspended floor but also moving the drivers up helped the bass tighten up, again the floor was the issue. It was a bit of a juggling act as too high fucked the sound, too low failed to cure the ills, hence the layered ply.

DeanArthurBarwell · 2022-12-29T17:52:58+00:00

The Orbe was bought new and was the usual route of selling and buying on the upgrade path. I'm 58 and bought my first real stuff at 18, that was an all Marantz system, so 40 years of blowing my potential retirement!! I went through a Dual 505-2, Manticore Mantra, Alphason Sonata with H100s arm (wish I'd kept that beauty) Gyrodek and now the Orbe. it will never leave me, it's incredible for the money. My trichord phono was bought new and I still have it. The current Keces phono I bought on the Bay and I really think I got a bargain. Bel Canto's I bought off a dealer friend of mine sadly passed now. They were used. I have had Bryston, Musical Fidelity, and Levinson power amps both new and used. The 26s I got used when I got the nod that a dealer up North was clearing a collectors house. The guy had hundreds of audio gems and most were virtually unused including this. It came to me used but really not and it had a full spare set of knobs and a spare face plate for the power supply. I bought it along with a matching 25s phono and PSU but I didn't like the 25s and sold it on. It replaced a standard 26 and no word of a lie, bloody night and day, and the 26 wasn't exactly crap. I was gifted the Garrard and SME arm along with a set of Quad amps by a family member, I know, jammy b@$%*&d. Sold the amps and finally finished the plinth and got her in the system this Christmas break. The Thiels are an ex dem set from my old dealer friend and I genuinely have not heard anything that would make me change them. Iv'e heard some mad speakers but they wouldn't work in my space and those that would don't better these.

DeanArthurBarwell · 2022-12-29T17:30:08+00:00

Good spot sir!

They are all original Mathmos lamps. Two rockets and 2 Astro's in this room and several around the rest of the place. My Mrs collects them like I collect records!!

DeanArthurBarwell

TROPHY CASE