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JUN 16, 2010
TECHNICS PRICE INCREASES
First entry at new price. SL1200MK5 Silver now $789.00

Update on Isoplat Mat support. There is controversy over whether a mat should extend over the raised edge of the 1200 platter, or nestle just inside it.
I have always felt that to get maximum affect in reducing ringing, the mat must impress its weight into the outer most edge of the platter IE extend over the raised edge. My Isoplat is one of the larger ones that extends over the edge. I took one of my SpeedStrobe discs, which is a 20 mil PVC disc and placed it beneath the Isoplat. In this way, the weight of the mat now covers most of the platters flat surface and does not touch the raised edge. With this arrangement, the platter begins to show signs of ringing. So I stand by my original belief that it is better to have the mat extend over the edge. As to the small air gap between the mat and the platter, I think it is a fair trade off IE the platter is more stable IE freedom from ringing. In fact it adds a very small amount of flex to the mat which actually helps when clamping a record. Some hi end platters, like the original Well Tempered turntable actually machined the platter to be slightly concave heading in torwards the center. They did this so that when you clamped the record, there was greater assurance that the outer edge of the disc would contact the platter. The air gap is only 13 thousands of one inch!

MAY 15, 2010
TECHNICS PRICE INCREASES
Just received official notice of coming June price increases, so it would appear that there is no immediate plan to stop making these.
Effective June 1st, Panasonic will be revising prices on the following turntable models as noted below:

No one knows how this will affect dealer cost. There was a $100 wholesale increase in Apr 2009, and I am bracing for another one come June. I have seen few discounters these days, and many suppliers are gouging. I will try to keep my prices as fair as possible. But at the same time, I cannot afford to become the cheapest supplier as that will deplete stock to quickly with little return. So pricing is likely to become more volatile as time goes forward.
Recently, I have been criticized for my current pricing. From my check of the web, our prices are still very competitive. There is an old page on Panasonic's website that is being quoted. this is the current page: http://www2.panasonic.com/consumer-electronics/shop/Audio/Technics-DJ/Technics-Analog-Turntables.list.75042_11002_7000000000000005702 Even with the added inspections and addons, KAB prices remain well below MSRP.

APR 28, 2010

Technics Feb / March Production. Just wanted to report that I have received inventory of Silver SL-1200 MK2's with date codes for February and March 2010. This confirms monthly factory production. This too is a good sign of demand.

APR 22, 2010

Technics March Production. Just wanted to report that I have received inventory M5G's with date codes for March 2010. This would seem to be a good sign.

Great Stereophile review on the new Music Hall Headphone/linestage PH25.2's in. Super hybrid tube design including a high quality ALPS level control. If you are looking for a really great 2 input active linestage you should give this a try. I am using it now in the house system and it really sounds nice.www.kabusa.com/process.htm

MAR 31, 2010

Technics January Production. Just wanted to report that I have received inventory MK5's and M5G's with date codes for January 2010. This would seem to be a good sign. KAB Welcomes Grado Laboratories to the lineup. grado

MAR 18, 2010

Technics January Production. Just wanted to report that I have received inventory now with date codes for January 2010. This would seem to be a good sign.

JAN 08, 2010

Help! Stereophile subscribers: I am looking for a copy of Stereophile; Musical Fidelity M1 turntable & SME M2 tonearm ($5600; reviewed by Michael Fremer, Vol.27 No.3, March 2004. Just a copy of the column would be fine. I just need to confirm a few quoted measurments from this column. Thanks.

DEC 14, 2009

The new version of the RC1200 record clamp for Technics turntables is available. It is a push-to-clamp, turn-to-lock style that is very easy to use and effective. It requires no dissasembly, can be used with one hand and is almost half the price of the previous design. Click here for more info.

Oct 24, 2009

New for the '1200 tonearm is our Rresonance Cap. This is a simple device that screws into the back of the arm where the aux weight goes. The metal flange where the aux weight attaches will "ring" if you tap the arm. If you already use the aux weight, then you are covered, if not, then our resonance cap is a light weight solution. www.kabusa.com/m1200.htm

Just got the new Music Hall Headphone/linestage PH25.2's in. If you were looking for the Shanling PH3000, well here it is back -identical in every way- including the high quality ALPS level control, just branded under the Music Hall Brand. If you are looking for a really great 2 input active linestage you should give this a try. I am using it now in the house system and it really sounds nice.www.kabusa.com/process.htm

The New Bellari MT502 Hi End Moving Coil Step Up Transformer is here. Find it on the Phono preamp page in the MC step up section.

Big clearance sale on Shure Professional earphones. Only have a few of each model. Click Here For Shure Earphone Page
With all the talk about spindle bearings I was reminded of a call I got from a DJ who did lots of mobile work and as a result, his equipment did lots of traveling. Rough handling was causing damage to the spindle thrust plate. His request from me was to make a beefier stronger plate. The solution was actually much easier and cheaper. Wax!. There is a stationer's wax called electro stik, out of production now I think, but still available. It is a pliable wax that is just the right firmness for this application. You just insert it in the gap between the thrust plate and the well in the bottom of the table. Press the assembly into the wax and you have a perfect support for the thrust plate. There may be benefits sonically as well. I have listed the wax on the master 1200 page

Oct 2, 2009

I am seeing lots of discussion on platter mats and I wanted to clarify some things. First some observations on the '1200 platter and the raised outer edge. The outer edge is raised only slightly, about 0.008 inch. The purpose of this is to ensure that the rubber mat puts some pressure on the outside edge. If you take the platter off, hold it in by the magnet below and strike it, it will ring. The only way to stop the ringing effectively is to grab the outside edge, touching anywhere inside that perimiter, is not effective. I have never suggested that mats should fit inside this edge, on the contrary, mats should fit over and onto this edge. So far the best system I have seen is the SDS Isoplat Mat 295mm and the thin tecnnics stock mat. these 2 give good overall mat height and stop all ringing. Do not use mats that are under cut, and always remember that you need a fair amount of weight as well to control the resonance in this platter.

Sept 16, 2009

PS-1200GX is a new design for our SL-1200 external power supply. This new design acheives the following:

The new PS-1200GX is just another example of how KAB makes the 1200 performance better while keeping things affordable. There seems to be a subtrend forming promoting very expensive power supplies and tonearms etc. Just saw a new spindle bearing with an estimated cost of $425. Wow! It's nice to see more people showing an interest in the '1200. I wish them well in their endeavors.

The low down on the new PS1200GX is that instead of putting everything in one box, I have separated the AC from the DC. The AC portion now handled by a fully certified internationally approved switching wall mount power supply. The nice thing here is these work on any line voltage and frequency and have all the required approvals. Getting approvals on a custom product can be expensive so this is a good way to handle it. Now you will likely hear all sorts of negative comments about switchers, but the fact is they are everywhere now, required by law to meet certain efficiency standards. You will hear things about switching noise. Well I have used this particular switcher on my top phono stage which also has a choke input filter in it, and the low level noise measured on the MC stage remains 180uV just as it was with the linear power supply. So what that tells me is that with the appropriate DC conditioning, you can use a switcher without any disadvantage.
So I knew that I would need to develop a separate DC power conditioner. I knew it would include a choke input with large capacitor resevoir. That alone gets the residual noise down to < 2 mV. But I wanted to beat that so I kept digging and with the research I found a neat circuit called a bridge shunt noise canceller. This filter removes another 20-30dB of noise and it does it with little power and no voltage drop of it's own. It is very cool!
You see, with this whole efficiency thing going on, there are lots of companies out there doing research and the info is readily available if you take the time to look for it. So now I am seeing residual PS noise of under 200uV. I was floored that this was even possible. I am glad I did not try to stick stubbornly to the more conventional approaches, because by insisting on a different way, and doing the hard work, I found a much better way to do it and you get a better power supply for even less money.

Lastly, The GX is not intended as an upgrade to the previous design. The original PS-1200 remains a great source of clean power for your 1200. But if you do decide to replace an older PS1200 with the GX, the existing cables are fully compatible. PS-1200GX

Aug 23, 2009

Just added 3 new Aphex products. The 124A single ended to balance convertor. This is the ideal device to make the single ended to balanced conversion. I use it to make the conversion and drive a long line across the room to the balanced inputs on a Marchand EQ. The 120A is a single channel distribution amp. Basically a mixer in reverse. Good for when you need to send the same signal to 4 different destinations. And finally, the 454 headpod headphone amp. This very high quality headphone amp with 4 stereo outputs each with their own level control. All 3 on the sound process page.

Also, this is a reminder that there is a fully modded SL-1210 M5G on the specials page at a really good price.
Worth snapping up before the big price increase goes into affect.

Aug 14, 2009

Redesigned our popular USA record grip to a more refined larger footprint record clamp.
Finally got the Stanton HZS and LZS Cartridge bodies and compete cartridges up on the stanton hi fi page in the specials sub section. I only have a few of each of these.
The circuit boards are back for the new PS-1200 and the chassi's should be here in about 4 weeks. It will be nice to have a PS unit with all international certifications that can work anywhere and do the job while dissipating 1/4th as much power as the prior design.

Jun 7, 2009
Trends Audio
With a new look for the home page, hopefully site navigation will be better. As I search for more interesting products I have latched onto the Trends Audio tube/mosfet hybrid headphone/linestage amp and their very popular digital tri-path amplifiers. Click here to go.

Shure Earphones
Shure earphones deliver the incredible sound and performance that ear buds and other headphones can't. Don't go In Ear without them. SCL Sound Isolating™ Earphone models (SCL2, SCL3, SCL4, SCL5) use award-winning earphone technology from Shure and include a variety of fittings and a carrying case. Click here to go.

KAB PS-1200
With the US energy Conservation act of 2007 in full force now, more pressure is coming to bear with respect to power supply design, particularly efficiency. I have completed a redesign of the PS-1200 that will use a very efficient switching power supply. But it doesn't stop there; the real work was designing the storage and filter device. What emerged is a standalone conditioner that features full EMI choke filtering, 4000uf of storage and a very special dynamic shunt noise regulator. What you get is a source of voltage that is substantially quieter than our previous design, in fact quieter than any design using any version of the LM317. Plus, eliminating the toroid transformer, should lower cost and eliminate yet another source of audible EMF. The power switch sensing circuit will be retained. This new supply should be ready in about 6 weeks.

Mar 12, 2009
KAB DiscSweep
The KAB DiscSweep brush is back. Now in a nice antistatic handle. You can use it wet or dry on Vinyl and 78's. The fibres are a mix of Goat hair and Thunderon, an antistatic nylon. Now in stock and listed on the main record cleaner page. Click here to go.

Jan 28, 2009
Vintage Stanton Carts
I just received a few Stanton 981HZS and 981XLZ cartridge bodies. The HZ is a high output MM, the XLZ is a low output MM. I also have 2 complete HSZ cartridges. I need to fully inspect these and will then make them available on the stanton hi fi page specials sub section. the bodies will be paired with our NOS D3000E styli.

Jan 4, 2009
SL-1200 Power Supply Controversy
Just as there was lots of criticism of the '1200 arms before they were rewired and fluid damped, now there seems to be a new focus on the 1200's internal voltage regulator: A textbook 3 transistor slow start circuit that maintains the operating voltage at 21VDC at a runnung current of 259mA. You know, I did all this research years ago, so when I first looked at this UK site's data, I thought they had something, but I have looked closer and can now comment more intelligently.

A UK website is showing 'scope photos suggesting that the load regulation of this circuit is somehow unacceptable. I feel I have to point out a big error with this conclusion. It's so obvious when you study the numbers: Their data is not the showing the motor current at all, it is showing the strobe lamp current! Just look at the repitition rate, it is symetrical 10ms(100hz). Motor currents pulse at a very slow rate(1.65 Hz). If the motor was pulsing at 100 hz, like their 'scope photo shows, the motor would be humming along at some 2,000 rpm(100/3x60)! And it can't be ripple from the main capacitor either for that waveform would not be symetrical like they show. It is so easy to mis read data when you are expecting a certain result in advance. We see this done with tonearm resonance flexure plots as well as harmonic distortion plots. It is always important to actually "run the numbers" to get the true impact. It also helps to know what you are looking at.
Installing an outboard PS after the internal regulator may reduce the strobe artifact, but disabling the strobe itself is a better solution for then, the noise source EMF no longer exists.

The internal regulator responds very well to motor load currents, but is not "fast" enough to completely extinguish the strobe lamp currents. However, note that it is doing quite a good job as the regulation is still only 0.05% of the 21VDC operating voltage. When I saw this in my own research, I saw a much more cost effective solution to it: our SX-1200 Strobe disabler circuit completely removes this artifact and EMF at a very low cost. Because while you may only see 10mV RMS on the 21V main rail, on the other side of an isolation resistor, you have 16VP-P which produces yet another EMF field. The only way to remove it is to disable the current path to the strobe LED's.

I could have designed the PS-1200 to connect after this regulator, but it is well known that 2 regulators are better than one, providing much greater isolation. It is easier to deal with the strobe artifact by disconnecting the strobe itself. And I believe the slow start function of the internal regulator plays a role in reliable start up of the motor. The main issues to solve in the 1200 power supply are to eliminate all sources of AC EMF's and eliminate the large mains ripple current on the main board. Our PS-1200 in concert with the SX-1200 provides a better overall solution than a single regulator IC.

I also felt that a consumer product should be easy to install and be free from causing disaster if installed improperly. Since the PS-1200 is installed ahead of the bridge rectifier, it is polarity insensitive making it easy for anyone to install with confidence. A power supply directly connected to the main board, if connected backwards, would completely wipe out every IC on the board and who knows what else. There is also the issue of overvoltage protection. If the direct connect supply should exceed 25V, the potential for circuit failure is huge. Circuits connected here should have polarity protection and overvoltage protection(crowbar) so as not to reduce the reliability of the turntable.

Our goal was to remove all vestiges of AC currents from the 1200 and to pre regulate the incomming DC for added stability. The PS-1200 does that and more. The SX-1200 strobe disabler will remove that pesky strobe artifact. As always, feel free to contact me if you need more info.

I appreciate all of your support throughout 2008 and look forward to 2009.

2 new products from Rolls are here, the CT1 cable tester and the GCi404 Audio Computer Interface.

KAB ELECTRO ACOUSTICS
P.O.BOX 2922
PLAINFIELD, NJ 07062, USA
PHONE 908-754-1479
FAX 908-222-3442

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