From Paul Mott (pmott@macconnect.com) -
Hi Mark--
There may be others, but one sure place to turn to for AR turntable mods
is UNDERGROUND SOUND, 2125 Central Avenue, Memphis, TN, 38104. Phone number: (901) 272-1275. George Merrill is the owner, and his shop has been responsible for thousands of AR 'table mods over the years to AR
XAs, XBs, XEs, ES1s, and late-style EB101s. (The early EB101, made in
England, cannot be modified.) The basic modifications are a replacement
acrylic subchassis (~$160) and a replacement stainless steel spindle for
the inner platter (~$50). (Merrill suggests installing new springs
(~$11) with the subchassis, and replacing the subchassis on the XA or XB
also means buying a new tonearm--see below.) Once these mods are done, the table can be upgraded further--in steps--by replacing the original outer platter w/ an acrylic/lead outer platter (~$150), adding a
periphery clamping ring (~$190), an acrylic pulley (~$50), and replacing
the original motor w/ a heavier-duty one that has its own outboard,
phase error controlled/spike suppressed power supply (~$220).
In order to replace the spindle, the inner platter must be sent to
Underground Sound. The subchassis for the later model tables "drops in",
but replacing the subchassis on the XA or XB requires cutting an
'L'-shaped 2.5" x 3.75" hole in their plinths; Merrill will do this for
a fee, but also provides a template for DIYers. The reason for the hole
is to allow the new subchassis' tonearm mounting boss to protrude. This
boss will, of course, need a hole drilled in it to accept a new tonearm,
which is, afterall, one of the main reasons for modifying the AR tables
in the first place. The old ones work, but they're pretty primitive by
today's standards. You definitely _don't_ want to reuse them after all
the time and expense of these mods.
Hope this is useful.
Paul Mott
Thanks to Justin Frohwirth <jtf7856@is4.nyu.edu> for submitting this
updated price information from Underground Sound:
UNDERGROUND SOUND, 2125 Central Avenue, Memphis, TN, 38104. Phone
number: (901) 272-1275
I see on your webpage that someone has given you some info and prices
for the Merrill upgrades to AR Turntables. I recently received a 1998
price list from Underground Sound, and the current cost of the
modifications is somewhat higher. Here's a breakdown of the new prices so
that you may update your page:
acrylic subchassis......................$225
top hole cut for XA or XB.................78
tonearm mounting hole cut in subchassis...45
spindle with installation.................68
acrylic outer platter....................149
periphery clamping ring..................230
spring kit................................16
center weight.............................48
crystaline polymer pulley.................78
motor and power supply with pulley.......218