I’m changing bearings in my EPA 100 arms and it makes sense to rewire them at the same time. In the past I used Litz wire terminated with 5pin DIN plug for all tonearms that I ‘ve rewired.
I’m doubt I will get an audible improvement but I’d like to try running arm wires all the way from the cart to the phono stage inputs. I’m not sure what wire to use in this configuration. As EPA 100 arm has very low bearing friction Teflon insulation which is not flexible seems to be not a best choice for this arm. In addition dielectric constant of PTFE is 2 which is not a problem for less than 1ft wire but I’m planning to make 3ft cable so it is not insignificant. Finally as the wires outside the arm need shielding I'm thinking about using metal wire mech but I'm not sure what type of shield is use. Obviously absorption type of shielding material is preferred in the audio frequency range but shielding material with high permeability will attenuate the signal and I use LOMC so it is probably not desirable.
I’m doubt I will get an audible improvement but I’d like to try running arm wires all the way from the cart to the phono stage inputs. I’m not sure what wire to use in this configuration. As EPA 100 arm has very low bearing friction Teflon insulation which is not flexible seems to be not a best choice for this arm. In addition dielectric constant of PTFE is 2 which is not a problem for less than 1ft wire but I’m planning to make 3ft cable so it is not insignificant. Finally as the wires outside the arm need shielding I'm thinking about using metal wire mech but I'm not sure what type of shield is use. Obviously absorption type of shielding material is preferred in the audio frequency range but shielding material with high permeability will attenuate the signal and I use LOMC so it is probably not desirable.
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You need wire like KAB superflex, which will be similar to the OEM Technics wire. The wire goes around the lower pivot and down the post so it needs to be very flexible and dressed correctly or it will bias the tonearm causing the arm to move outwards like antiskate.
I think the problem with KAB wire could be silicone insulation which has higher (3.5) dielectric constant than PTFE.
You cannot use PTFE insulated wire in the EPA100 it's too stiff. The wire exits the arm wand and snakes around the bearing housing. The wire must be flexible enough to add not bias to the arm. It's a different story for tonearms like the SME3009 where the wiring exits the wand at the pivot point and goes down the bearing shaft.
The KAB superflex is almost indistinguishable from the OEM Technics wire.
The KAB superflex is almost indistinguishable from the OEM Technics wire.
I tried 34 awg ofc/pvc wire bought from ebay on epa 100. not great. its quite digital sounding and blur after using for quite sometime
then use cardas tonearm litz + cardas solder . that works very well. both no issue with tonearm movement. However!..epa100 is very sensitive to bearing adjustment and very fragile . proceed with care, and most of the time the sapphire bearing is cracked. No issue using both wires mechanical wise. i had to make a H wrench using a flat screwdriver. its definitely need patience and more advanced capability to rewire and adjust the epa100.
cardas is slightly rolled off so use their solder is better.
and sure .. definitely better than the old wire. better resolution and natural sounding.
then use cardas tonearm litz + cardas solder . that works very well. both no issue with tonearm movement. However!..epa100 is very sensitive to bearing adjustment and very fragile . proceed with care, and most of the time the sapphire bearing is cracked. No issue using both wires mechanical wise. i had to make a H wrench using a flat screwdriver. its definitely need patience and more advanced capability to rewire and adjust the epa100.
cardas is slightly rolled off so use their solder is better.
and sure .. definitely better than the old wire. better resolution and natural sounding.
PVS is harder then PEF. I used Cardas wire with the solder on Thorens and Yamaha arms and I really like it because it was very easy to tin and solder. I will get one for Technics. I actually bought on Amazon a set of H keys and one of them works works for EPA 100. I replaced the balls with SiC balls which is the pain as they have a tendency to fall through the bottom hole in the bearing cap. I plug the hole with the needle but I wander if there is a better trick. Some people use grease to keep balls in place but I think this bearing was designed as a dry one.
The trick is to use a solder wire 0.7mm ish in the hole when you put in the ball bearing
No grease..nothing wet even. And if you want you can use graphite dry lube. And it should be very clean before putting new balls in.
The adjustment have to be as loose as possible without wiggling. Ever so loose. And properly centered left right. Use a flat screwdriver to compare. It's a light tonearm... Slightly off and problem with tracking. Punch the metal casing slowly without jamming up the balls. Check with a sharp tool that it's free without the balls falling out
Make sure the bearing case is punched in properly in the hole... It should not fall out.
Just use cardas for all project . Best price vs sound performance. And if possible use silver plated connectors. Usually better
No grease..nothing wet even. And if you want you can use graphite dry lube. And it should be very clean before putting new balls in.
The adjustment have to be as loose as possible without wiggling. Ever so loose. And properly centered left right. Use a flat screwdriver to compare. It's a light tonearm... Slightly off and problem with tracking. Punch the metal casing slowly without jamming up the balls. Check with a sharp tool that it's free without the balls falling out
Make sure the bearing case is punched in properly in the hole... It should not fall out.
Just use cardas for all project . Best price vs sound performance. And if possible use silver plated connectors. Usually better
When I first opened the arm I checked the movement of ruby balls with a toothpick and I noticed that I can spin all 5 balls around together but individual balls don't spin around their axes. The balls were not damaged.
Use a microscope to inspect to be sure. If it ain't broke don't do anything.. Just give it a good flush using contact cleaner. You can also polish the pin.. And it will be better
I used a set of new retainer pins from SL1200 in the first EPA 100 that I've rebuilt. In the second arm the pins need some work. I was reading on vinyl engine that somebody was using a lathe and wet stone for the job. I have an access to wet polish set up in the lab at work I can use 2000 grid sending paper. I wander if it is fine enough?
The pins in an EPA-100 are polished to a very high luster looks to me to be 1.0microns. If they need polishing I have some round aluminum stock threaded for the pin and I screw the pin into the rod in a hand drill even though I have a lathe. I have a piece of hardwood that I run the pin in to make a divot the shape of the pin then I add diamond paste into the divot and spin the pin in the drill against the diamond paste.
The best wire you can use is no wire. We had very good results by moving the phono preamp inside the chassis, it's input directly under the tone arm. The pre amplified signal is much more robust than the micro volts from the cardridge, does not pick up that much dirt and is less sensitive for the cable you use.
May be an option, if your phono amp is modular.
May be an option, if your phono amp is modular.
I’ve tried something similar. I used Dremel drill press, Dremel and a drill. The pin is installed in Dremel and the press allows to set the proper angle of the pin to the polishing cylinder . I used second drill wit the Dremel rubber cylinder and polishing paste. It would work if the rubber cylinder had much larger diameter. What type of material did you use to which you applied diamond paste?