Durand Tonearms Balancing nature and technology

pdf download of the first generation Talea™ User Guide (updated September 2010):

Talea_User_Guide

Here are the mounting templates for the Talea:
- the first one is for metal armboards/plinths (using two 10-24 socket head cap screws)
- the second one is for wood armboards/plinths (using four #8 screws).
The files can be downloaded in pdf format.

Mounting template for metal armboards:

Durand Tonearms TALEA mounting template metal armboard

Mounting template for wood armboards:

Durand Tonearms TALEA mounting template wood armboard


This gives an idea on the mounting position for the Talea™.
Please get in touch with your dealer if you have any further question about mounting.

Here is the arc protractor that is provided with the Talea™, based on Löfgren A (aka Baerwald) geometry. If you need another one, you can download the file, and print it on card stock or other heavy paper.
Make sure your setting allows for printing at 100%. To ensure that the protractor is printed at the correct scale, there are two lines, one horizontal and one vertical, that are both 200 mm. Check them with a ruler before using the protractor. Any error in printer scaling will result in wrong geometry.

Durand Tonearms Talea Arc protractor Lofgren A

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Löfgren B:
If you prefer to use a Löfgren B geometry, or would like to experiment, you can download the following arc protractor, which is based on that geometry.
Please make sure you measure the pivot-spindle (p2s) distance with a ruler and change it accordingly. Note that this distance is slightly shorter than the one used in the Löfgren A geometry, so the pivot-spindle jig provided with the Talea™ should NOT be used if you decide to experiment with this arc protractor. We do not provide a pivot-spindle jig for Löfgren B geometry at this time.

Durand Tonearms Talea Arc protractor Lofgren B

Mounting templates for the Telos:
The first two drawings indicate two possible mounting positions of the tonearm on the plinth/armboard; the last drawing gives the position of the mounting holes on the base plate itself.
The files can be downloaded in pdf formats.

Tonearm position:
Durand Tonearms Telos on Turntable

Mounting position, other possibility:
Durand Tonearms Telos on turntable 2nd position

Telos base plate:
Durand Tonearms Telos BasePlate mounting holes positions

You can download here the drawing for the arc protractor based on the same geometry as the protractor provided with the Telos™ (Löfgren A geometry).
If you want to print this file, make sure your printer software is set to print without any reduction. Check the 200 mm scales on each side of the protractor after printing.

Arc protractor Durand Tonearms - Telos™ Lofgren A

If you would like to experiment with the Löfgren B geometry,you can download this file, for an arc protractor based on this geometry. Please note that you will need to adjust the pivot-spindle distance accordingly. The pivot-spindle jig provided with the tonearm should NOT be used for this purpose. We do not offer a pivot-spindle tool for this purpose.

Arc protractor Durand Tonearms - Telos™ Lofgren B

In this section, we will provide ideas for getting the best sound from the Talea™.
Feel free to let us know if you found some good ideas and we'll share them with everybody. Thank you!

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Anti-skating

(photo Michael Cole © 2010)

The Talea™ is delivered with two small weights to be used for anti-skating (aka bias) adjustment. Which one to choose depends on your cartridge, so it's impossible to give any general advice. Use your ears to detect any distortion in one channel or the other; if you hear some distortion in the left channel on very dynamic passages, you probably need a bit more anti-skating compensation. If it's in the right channel, you might have too much.

Remember that some records (specially those bought used) can have been previously damaged by excessive force and no amount of anti-skating will improve them.

With some cartridges, you might need very little anti-skating compensation. One solution that has worked well is to use small rubber o-rings instead of a brass weight. You will need o-rings with an inner diameter of 3/32"; they are easy to find (for example at McMaster Carr, part number 9452K317) and you can choose how many you need, depending on your cartridge and your preference. As an example, we have now established that with the Ortofon A90, just one of these o-rings toward the end of the anti-skating rod seems to provide the best results. Fast transients in particular (attacks on drums, and such) are more natural and "free" with that solution.
For reference, the small brass weight provided with the tonearm weighs 2.6 g; one 3/32" o-ring weighs ca. 0.11 g

On the subject of anti-skating, one of our dealers shares his experience with a Dynavector XV-1S:

"The 3/32 o-rings I have are thick and weigh .17 grams each. I'm finding that two o-rings toward the end of the AS shaft, and with the string in the second groove in on the AZ balance shaft gives a very close to 3-D presentation on better recorded LPs. I start to hear a decline in mid-bass definition when I go to the third o-ring."

If you like to tune by ear, you might notice that variations in anti-skating force have an effect on the resulting tone. Sometimes, a higher weight will yield more body, but also a slightly darker color. Going too far in that direction will eventually render the sound dull and slow. In the other direction, little weight can make the sound less substantial. With each cartridge, there is a happy moment where it seems to be better centered in the groove, dynamic and flowing. This will vary somewhat across the record, but not necessarily as much as one would think...