Acoustic Research AR-XA Turntable: Bach's Toccata in D minor
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- Опубліковано 7 лют 2025
- Here's a music demo of the legendary Acoustic Research AR-XA turntable playing a cut from the same company's demonstration record. Bach's Toccata in D minor is a classic demo of the pipe organ's very DEEP bass, which the XA plays handily, but ALSO listen for the superb 3D imaging and precise placement of the various pipes across the sound stage, thanks to the turntable/cartridge accuracy. I find this easiest to hear with one's eyes closed. Part 2 of this video shows how I took video closeups of the stylus motion in the groove during this cut's heavy modulations.
Be sure to watch in 1080 HD, selected with UA-cam's gear icon in the lower right, because that also provides better sound at UA-cam, although it still has compression. I do not monetize my videos however if there is a copy right claim the owner has the right to place ads on my video, as I understand it. Sorry about any ads; I don't like them either.
I recommend listening to this recording through the best system you can, with very low bass capability to 32Hz or lower, in a quiet room, but full-size headphones can also work.
The AR-XA's immunity to room rumble, acoustic feedback, mis-tracking, warp wow, groove eccentricity, heavily-recorded passage drag (the added friction causes a momentary speed fluctuation in lesser brands), general speed error, etc., all add up to the spectacular sound reproduction, pure tones, and musical realism.
I just bought this record, used, and although it was very dirty the groove wear wasn't too bad. Once the track was cleaned thoroughly, manually, there were only a few ticks and pops left but also some possible groove wall abuse from having been played by a previous owner(s) with a mis-tracking or high mass cartridge/tonearm.
My camera makes an annoying, repetitive ticking noise when the auto focus is searching for a good setting but it is fleeting and only heard faintly during the lead-in groove and after I stopped playing the record, so not a big deal. Also if you briefly hear an airplane flying overhead at one point don't be fooled it is at your house, as happened to me. It is in the recording itself! Reminds me of that Led Zep song. What was it? I forget. They laughed about it and left it in.
The video sequences are shown out of chronological order. I recorded the turntable's electrical signal to my Behringer USB interface UMC204HD after passing through the phono preamp stage of my Yamaha TSR-7810 receiver.
The talented organist is Bruce Prince-Joseph. I do not own the rights but I am reproducing this excerpt here only as an educational tool to assess turntable quality under the fair use doctrine.
LEGAL DISCLAIMER:
The short, incomplete song excerpts are posted for noncommercial, nonprofit, educational/research purposes of audio sound reproduction equipment accuracy assessment under the fair use doctrine of Title 17 U.S. Code § 107 - Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use
"Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 106 and 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright. In determining whether the use made of a work in any particular case is a fair use the factors to be considered shall include-
(1) the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes;"
This video is best watched after watching my long and thorough test video on what technologies make the AR-XA perform so well, how it introduced the world to state-of-the-art, audiophile grade sound reproduction (yet amazingly at a bargain price), and why it is literally a museum piece: • Audiophile Turntable T...
I bought this record based on hearing it here. Great demonstration album.
That was my first turntable. I had it for years. I can never forget it.
You never forget your first.
@@m.zillch3841 LOL; true.
I had an XA back in 1976, but now have an XB. They are awesome turntables and even today a great value. My XB has the ShureM91ED with the SAS-B stylus. Wonderful.
Thanks for commenting. I know the XB has a manual arm lift lever but is that the only difference? Thanks.
I believe so. Except for the lift cable everything else is the same.
Every time I see the old AR I think of my old Grammar School music master Geoffrey Ned Phillips.Whilst the class Trendies were all extolling the Technics direct drives , he and I under his tutelage loved the AR . How amusing to see the same trendies in layer life now extolling the Linn Sondek,in terms of origin and heritage much dependent on the AR design. I love my Linn but acknowledge the AR as being the first of the suspended sub chassis line. If only I could find an AR , I envy you and have much enjoyed your video
Thankyou
Thanks. Mine has some cosmetic flaws but once I restored it I think I have it back to 95% of functionality. You are right though that finding one in good shape these days can be challenging. It is the sort of thing which you might luck out and find at a yard sale for $10 even though it outperforms most current turntables on the market which are $1000.
I an an extra AR XA that I am restoring. No mods!
@@stephencastro1437 Good to hear. Be sure to replace all the organic rubber/felt material which degrades over the decades. Belt, mat, and in my case the rubber grommets at the base of the suspension cone springs, which I feared seemed stiff rather than rubbery. Amazingly my local Ace hardware parts department had them right in stock in the nuts and bolts drawers! [But they also can be found online.]
@@m.zillch3841 I replace mat with a high quality cork one, and replace the felt material where needed. Upgrade/replace caps, lube replace belt, check motor. I also mrewire tonearm if needed. On my first one I upgraded the springs from Dave at Vinyl Nirvana. Good quality kit, but too stiff which pulls suspension against the top plate. It also defeats the ability to absorb shock as you demonstrated. I also found springs at Orchard supply which are identical to original. I don't know why people feel the need to modify the hell out of these, to the point where they are no longer an AR XA'! The only "Mods" I did to my first one wad adding new feet and added sound dampening material to plinth, top plate, and platter, which really helped noise reduction. Also added tone arm cueing and lift.
I am picking one up next week! They are still around!
This was also my first bought it around 1970. Simple but excellent. I got the book from mr. Edgar Villchur about the reproduction of sound and still cherrish it
Didn't Bach compose the Toccata in D minor for the AR-XA TT and AR 3 speakers???
Sounds like the bottom end was EQ'd post production. Back in the mid to late 70's, my good buddy had an Original AR table with a M91ED and a pair of CIZEK Model 1 Speakers. Clean sounding and a great tracker. Happy Listening! -Sandy
No EQ was applied other than the necessary, standard phono preamp in my Yamaha receiver [RIAA]. The cartridge was a Shure M97XE which has a fairly neutral response.
@@m.zillch3841 I'm saying the record was EQ'd with a bass lift in mixing/mastering. You can hear the phase shift. I've listened to and recorded pipe organ in Methuen and Andover, MA. They may have mixed in augmentation mics in the rear corners also. At least that's what I'm getting at this end. Encoding/ compression on youtube may be a contributor, but I haven't heard that before on clean transfers. Thank you for the upload! Aged Boston Audiophile on this end : ) - Sandy
This version played on my AR turntable sounds SO MUCH BETTER THAN THE RIGHTS OWNER'S linked to in "Music in this video" at the bottom of my video's notes!! My AR-XA is night and day better. Check it out. UPDATE: they removed the link, but if you have an Amz Prime account (I don't) you can apparently hear a sample of it there. Search: King of Instruments, Bruce Prince-Joseph, Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, BMV 565
Played it yesterday and the record pulled the stylus off of my cantilever. Using a technics EPS-205 cartridge with aftermarket stylus. LOL
Ha. Yes, it is a classic torture track to test tracking. It's also hard on the amp and speakers/sub too.
I would love to know how to achieve such a quiet and static free groove using manual cleaning.
Abandon any hope you can achieve a low noise floor with cleaning brushes. After an air cleaning with a powerful Airrow Pro Xpower A-2 I bought on Amazon, used on a table far away from the bouncy turntable itself, to dislodge surface dust, I move on to a wet, record submersible cleaning "system". It is absolutely necessary. "Spin Clean" is said by many to be the least expensive effective one (I have no experience with it though) but what I use is just a slow, methodical blast from my kitchen sink faucet, at full strength, using warm but not hot water, inch by inch across the record surface, followed with a final rinse of distilled water I buy in jugs from my local supermarket. The distilled water is used so that when it evaporates away no mineral deposits remain. [I never use ANY other compounds such as cleaners because I fear they'll have surfactants and leave other residues which can cake up the stylus.] Despite efforts to keep the paper label dry during this process I still inevitably get some drops of water on it, but I blot them away quickly with a dry towel before they seem to penetrate into the paper itself and cause wrinkles, but YMMV. Also the ARXA turntable has a critical ground strap wire attached to the floating transport, so the electrically conductive record platter, spindle, and tonearm has a static electricity discharge drain mechanism to suck away any built up static charge during play, (some of the pops/ticks), caused by the friction of the stylus scraping over the vinyl surface (much like the static electricity from rubbing a balloon across a head of hair). Also don't be afraid to play the records while still not fully dry. The remaining water can act as a lubricant and reduce scrape flutter. Needless to say, the use of a quiet turntable, which the AR is known to be, is a prerequisite to enjoying vinyl without noise, including motor noise, platter bearing noise, and room rumble. Room rumble is poorly understood by many and the problem exists from infrasonic noise from many sources, not just feedback from one's speakers.
Thank you for a wonderfully clear and detailed reply. A very prompt, time consuming response. I may abandon my brushes! It is a pity that seeing dust removed doesn’t equate to a quiet groove.
@@smallspendor I find that the powered air blower I use, the Airrrow Pro Xpower A-2, does a commendable job removing VISIBLE dust, but it is deceiving because a microscopic examination with my Andonstar AD407 finds there's still lots of tiny particles clinging to the vinyl. Blasts of water are the only way to shake those free!
Wonder if that's E. Power Biggs playing the Bach Toccata?
The organist is Bruce Prince-Joseph.
I just recently acquired a beautiful restored early production AR XA. After using traditional tone arms for the last 45 years, I am not used to handling a tonearm with no real weight to it and it causes me to be a little awkward with lifting the arm. I noticed you have a pretty good touch with it in this video. Any tips?
Are you sure the tracking force is set properly? Whenever given a suggested range in the cartridge's manual always favor the heaviest setting (or close to it), NOT the lightest.
When raising the arm out of the rest and then moving it to a particular track of play, use two fingers to grab it securely: thumb above and pointing (and/or index) finger below, but then lift your thumb off and convert to letting it rest on just the lower finger as you gently let it descend into the selected groove. I guess it takes some practice.
There are after-market arm lifts if you need one. I've never seen one but research suggests looking for, as examples: 'lyre lift' and a 'decca microlift'.
@@m.zillch3841 Thanks for this helpful information. The tracking force was set by a guy who restores AR XA tables in New Jersey. I did a little bit of practicing lifting the arm using your suggestions and I think I developed the hang of it.
@@johnnytheg Good to hear. The AR had a unique safety feature, they advertised was for people with "butter fingers", which protected the stylus if the user inadvertently dropped the cartridge from a considerable height. Villchur had originally come up with the idea for blind people's turntables but decided to incorporate the technology into his XA design too. It was a nifty damped descent mechanism which would only engaged during large swings of the arm, say if dropped from two or more inches above the disc, but would cleverly disengage during the small, normal swings during actual record play, so as to not impede the need to negotiate (bob up and down) for minor "micro warps". This damped descent relied on a little tiny, felt disc and a precise amount of silicone gel inside the pivot area housing, which usually does not hold up well over the decades. Most restorers, including myself and I'm guessing yours too, find re-establishing its proper operation rather difficult, plus it is nearly impossible to find the proper replacement parts for it, so instead we yank out the arm's side pin which it relies on, in order to fully bypass its functionality, and then instead we rely on careful/sober use. . . . and keeping relatives with butter fingers away from the turntable!
Tracking force can shift from the jostles/vibrations of shipping so it might be a good idea to check it yourself from time to time. The set pin screw on the counter weight slide notoriously can loosen up and shift the weight's position, even just over time without shipping vibrations. AR supplied a free balance to check tracking force but these are usually lost by owners over the years. Luckily modern day electronic scales are pretty inexpensive. Here's a random example, should you want to consider one:
www.amazon.com/Tracking-Turntable-Backlight-Pressure-Cartridge/dp/B09XGWYVMC/ref=sr_1_6?crid=206ELM585TBEE&keywords=cartridge+tracking+force+gauge&qid=1666632562&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIyLjY1IiwicXNhIjoiMi4zOSIsInFzcCI6IjIuMjMifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=cartridge+tracking+force+gauge%2Caps%2C166&sr=8-6
@@m.zillch3841 Thank you! That is actually the tracking force gauge I own already. I was lucky with this table, it came with the original box and all the original tools and 45 adapter. It's interesting to know that the damping was on all tables, I thought they only were included with tables made after a certain year. I am definitely too chicken to try and see if if it is still working, I will take you word for it that it is not. It's amazing to think how Villchur really did think of everything in his designs. Such a brilliant guy.
@@johnnytheg AR's unique "auto damped descent" mechanism was adjustable and when cranked up to max it worked like this:
ua-cam.com/video/2sPE8ujMyB0/v-deo.html
Fine, no sign of mistracking at the beginning of the record but what happens in the inner grooves?
This demo record only has this one pipe organ piece so there's no problematic super deep bass anywhere else to check.
@@m.zillch3841 ok, but if the organ track was at the end of the record? An arm must read perfectly in every groove. And once Upon a Time I had that turntable...
@@cescorosa61 As you probably know, vinyl has a known limitation that the inner grooves are prone to added distortion. This is because of SEVERAL reasons including the path length of vinyl being used is a small linear distance, (because the circle's circumference is smaller), the travel speed through the vinyl (in say "inches/second) is slower, and also the groove is more heavily curved (compared to being a straight line) so the stylus is close to being "pinched" out of the groove. On top of all this there is also the issue that depending on how the (horizontal) tracking angle is set (dictated by the placement of the cartridge in the headshell and the tonearm's overhang setting, done with a set screw many people don't even know exists on the back underside of the AR-XA's arm) there will be some degree of tracking angle error.
It is a controversial topic but AR suggested using an overhang setting that's optimized for the early cuts (songs) at the expense of latter cuts closer to the center. Others prefer or more balanced approach where neither start nor finish are optimal but instead both acceptable, and a third camp thinks overhang should be set for the best inner track playback because those are the grooves with the most other issues such as groove pinch, so they need all the help they can get! More on how the various options of the overhang setting alter distortion and tracking can be found here: www.vinylengine.com/overhang_shift_calculator.php
@@m.zillch3841 thanks, I know too well. I want to know what that turntable does in inner grooves. Theory Is well known but on the field performance Is another universe.
The original AR table taught me the valuable lesson that turntables are audio components, with a sound of their own. The AR is not exactly uncolored, but the midrange is more effortless than most Japanese direct drive tables. Having said this, I once had that LP. Very disappointing, as the selection heard here displays.
Without antskating it works well or not so well
Greetings Patrick
Anti skating is a marketing thing, NOT a turntable performance thing.
The bass sounds HUGELY distorted. Give me digital any day ... even lossy 128k digital can hold DEEP bass better than LP.
Here ya go: ua-cam.com/video/3yefZa3T8ws/v-deo.html
LMAO........suuuuuure...ok
You also can download the digital file and sample 30 seconds of it for free from here: www.amazon.com/Toccata-Fugue-Minor-BWV-565/dp/B0722DMB7M
It has to be from the same performance because we can faintly hear the airplane flying overhead in both my vinyl copy I used to make this video and the digital one.
Lol obviously trolling, 128Kbps? Why not go down to 64 Kbps? That will sound better
@@JoeOrber Right, that's what I said, no way there's any base in a 128kbps mp3.