Ortofon stl-732 limiter

[jts]

Hello

does anyone got experience with Ortofon stl-732 limiter (de-esser) I been offered one. ...is it good/useable in DE-essing

[drdub]

go and get it!

[flozki]

my favoorite...if well adjusted and used great

[TotalSonic]

Personally I think a couple currently made high frequency limiters could give more effective results and a cleaner signal path, without the head ache of restoration or possibly even buying unuseable junk. The ones I would look to are either a pair of Empirical Labs EL-DS "DerrEsser's" or the Maselec MDS-2. Of course if you found a bargain price on an Ortofon (or better yet Neumann acceleration limiter) then it would be worth picking it up.

Best regards,
Steve Berson

[flozki]

in case you dont use it or use something different...... i would be happy to get if price is reasonable...need anotherone. too busy to build a clone.
f.

[dietrich10]

I'm taking offers on a neumann bsb74 as well

[drdub]

we have 2 hifreqq limiters from manley which work better on some tracks, but generally the ortofon is a set and forget tool - i like that.

[cohearent]

OK... Gotta give away a neat secret here. The trick to making the 732 really work outside of an Ortofon system is to put inverse RIAA AHEAD of the side chain in the limiter. This is exactly what the 732 sees in the Ortofon system.
If you feed flat program into it, it really doesn't work right. It's either doing too much or too little depending on the settings.
It only takes a couple TLOs and you can build it up on a perf board about 2 inches square, power it from the STL, and off you go.

Best,

Kev

[andybee]

I think, the original idea was, to measure the cutting amperage and put it to the sidechain input, the stl works like a lowpass filter, with variable, sidechain controlled frequency.
I exactly do this (thanks vinylium for the support).
the cutting amperage is measured with a small inductor, is gained with a op-amp, and goes then to the STL-732 sidechain.
So the Ortofon reduces only the critical frequencies.
works very well...
the design of the 732 is a bit old fashoned, lots of old op-amps, but for my ears, it sounds a bit 70ies/80ies

[cohearent]

Hi Andy,

Yes, the opamps were so-so, but they are easily upgraded. As are coupling caps etc. I've still never found a high frequency limiter I prefer, and I've tried 'em all. If you look at how it works it's an incredible design for its time. The main problem with the STL is all the low-pass filtering they do to prevent crap from the side chain getting into the audio. I have upped the frequencies somewhat but if you go too high you get in trouble. I am thinking of designing one from scratch.

[Serif]

What is a fair (or typical?) price for a working (used. obviously) STL-732?


Thanks,
Andrew

[cohearent]

Hi Serif,

They seem to go for around $2500. I haven't seen one pop up for a while.

Best,

Kev

[cohearent]

Andrew...sorry! Only noticed your handle

[Serif]

Andrew...sorry! Only noticed your handle

Thanks, Kevin. No problem. The handle works just fine. (:

You know, I was talking to a prospective CD premastering client about your stellar disk cutting setup, just a few days ago. He said your gear and expertise are tops...

I actually have a lead on an STL-732 that my studio landlord found in his warehouse. He hasn't used it in about 20 years, or so. But it looks good and powers on. We are trying to determine a fair price for both of us. I already use a Maselec MPL-2, but I think the STL could be good protection for the cutter... Could come in handy as I am having Fuller's old LS-76 shipped to me from Galvi Mat, in Netherlands. As you know, it's got an Ortofon drive package and cutterhead, so, in addition to the treble limiter, I'll be looking for a spare stereo head for whenever the blue one blows or gets its rocker crunched... No, I'm not going for Drum & Bass 12" 45's at +6. But, I've been told that even the Boston Pops can cook a DSS. (;

I will recap the treble limiter, as needed. I noticed that you mentioned upgrading the op amps and even modifying the settings for higher valued thresholds. Not sure if I will do that, but I do intend to use the side chain inputs post-inverse RIAA, as you mentioned in this thread. Thanks.

Would like to know of good chips to plop in, unless the circuit needs custom modification.

Cheers,
Andrew

[mossboss]

Hey Serif
Are you getting Fullers Scully than? Putting it back like it was before it got Canbillised?
That was an awsome set-up and most likeley the best Scully I ever seen Must have been one of the very last ever made
Congrats for that
Cheers

[TotalSonic]

Andrew -
Congratulations on repatriating the Fuller Scully!!

Possible other option instead of trying to locate a backup Ortofon head would be to get Len Horowitz at http://www.hrsrecords.com to recondition a Westrex 3D or Haeco SC-2 for you. Probably would be way more robust, less expensive, and easier to maintain (as afaik the folks who really know how to maintain Ortofon systems are all in Europe).

Best regards,
Steve Berson

[dietrich10]

Hmmm...maybe this brown formica scully needs to come live with me two other brown formica beasts. or should i cover the neumann in formica

[Serif]

Thanks, MossBoss, and Steve... I do plan on un-cannibalizing her. Couldn't snag the green head, though. I have talked to Mr. Grundy and found out that an SX head would be able to hang from the overhead without special mount (just like the DSS heads). I have spoken to Mr. Horrowitz and found out that the Westrex 3D would also fit, but at minimum the tail piece would have to be removed to work with the LS lift-drop. I assume that a Haeco SC-2 could also work.

I was almost tempted to purchase the 731 and spare amps that Dylan just sold, but I'm too chicken just now to go whole hog with Ortofon heads and such. Possibly after I check out how it is... The price is so far much better than those Georg Neumann heads. The good news is that even though only Etec (in Denmark) appear to advertise work on Ortofon cutting gear, Mr. Grundy offered to inspect and possibly repair a DSS head, depending on type of issue he encounters with it. (In fact, I initially asked ABG for a VMS66, but, as many of you already know, he is fresh out of ones that haven't already had down payments on them and doesn't know when another might appear. That's when I saw The Lathe.... and I didn't know that it belonged to someone who is separated from me by only 2 degrees, as it were...)

I haven't done any disk cutting yet, although I have appeared on a couple of quite rare (and bad?) 7" 33 1/3 rpm disks that were mastered in my building, before I moved in 10 years ago to start doing CD premastering (my primary focus)... I know tape machines, and I can use a sewing machine (; And I have been reading a lot on the topic for several years. I grasp the general calculus of the art. Fortunately, Ted says the manuals and schematics, as well as spare parts, are included in the crates. Must wait at least a month for the Trans-Atlantic shipping to re-import the LS.

An interesting footnote to this is that Mike Fuller used to cut lacquers in my building, here in Cincinnati. My studio landlord is a real deal E. E. and he told me he taught Mike cutting on their VMS 66 before Mike was hired by Criteria. The landlord knows all aspects of recording, from tracking to packaging - he used to do electroplating, here, as well as pressing and offset color printing, in addition to tracking, mixing, and mastering. He said he'd demonstrate for me how to tune the stylus heat by ear (listening for surface hiss to minimize and no further) as well as setting the feedback. I'm planning on leaning on his knowledge, as well as that of my friend, Dietrich's, and that of MossBoss (hopefully), as well as Steve and this web group's collective wisdom.

Thanks,
Andrew

[Serif]

Hmmm...maybe this brown formica scully needs to come live with me two other brown formica beasts. or should i cover the neumann in formica

Haha. Must be an American lathe issue.. Hey, yeah, no parasitic resonance... But Paul Gold knows how to fill the metal chassis with sand. Better keep the VMS stock (as I think you will).


Andrew

[JayDC]

But Paul Gold knows how to fill the metal chassis with sand.

you should try polyurethane foam