Unleash Ultimate Sound: Audiophile Mods for Your Turntable Revealed! ft. The Funk Firm!

[@scott-b.2161]

I have a lot of the old Command albums and use those to make sure the stereo is doing ok I especially like to listen to Reeds and Percussion. Enoch Light knew what he was doing.

[@mattharwood4413]

Yes indeed he did! Spaced Out is my favorite! He also produced The Free Design. They sing on Spaced Out. I wish producers recorded with that fidelity again (not this awfull compressed mess!)

[@xvdifug]

INSANE PRICING....NO SALE

[@Jammerk40]

Your right very crazy prices!

[@fdski]

I would rather sink that money into a better turntable/cartridge.

[@stanleycostello9610]

Did I read correctly? £300 for Houdini? Really?

[@enricolisk1357]

Money disappearing should have a name like Moudini....

[@nathanevans6277]

I assume that neither the author of this comment or anyone else who replied have actually heard the Acromat or Houdini in action. I have heard both of these products and both of them do make significant differences. If you are using a very cheap turntable you would be better spending the money on a better deck. If you have anything above an entry level deck you will probably find the improvements wrought to be well worth it. These products also work with high end equipment. I have compared a £2k cartridge on a £3k arm with and without the Houdini. The difference was huge, equivalent I would say to upping the total arm/cart budget by £2k. This makes the Houdini an absolute bargain in my books. And before you ask. No I don't have any affiliation with Arthur or the Funk Firm.

[@jimfuller239]

The springs in the feet, I wonder if there's a risk of noise from them ringing. A thing we do with some old typewriters is to thread a short loop of wool up down through a spring to deaden any annoying ring.

[@Ferdikap]

Just ordered Funk firm mat for my Plx1000 👌🏼

You used nearly 500 pounds worth of upgrades for this testing. At that price it's a hard sell for an entry level setup; it's likely that you'll get more improvement by spending that cash elsewhere, such as a better turntable or cartridge.

[@maritzafuentes7834]

Definitely the sound of the Grado gold Prestige is much better/improved when coupled with the Funk Firm Houdini tonearm/cartridge isolation device to boot and from night to day. Would you please make a video of the installation of the Funk Firm Houdini and Grado gold Prestige cartridge? Thank you for all your videos.

[@Recordology]

Thank you! Good idea!

[@ditlefchristianjacobsen5351]

Thank you for this great video. I do hear a big difference. The sound is more clear and more isolated from outside so you hear much more details from the recording. Also I do hear better channel separation. Have a great day.

[@philowen309]

I heard a difference. Even self tested with eye’s closed and correctly identified which was which. Interesting line of products. Thanks so much for bringing this company to our attention. I worked for a guy way back who was a serious audiophile (had nothing to do with the business we were in.) He was not a snob about his hi end listening. He simply loved his music and was in a position where the equipment was easily affordable for him. For those of us who can’t afford the big time stuff, knowing about affordable higher level listening possibilities is fantastic!

[@patientdog1651]

Arthur is such a nice fellow - I've met him a few times at the London hi-fi shows. As you know he designed the Pink Triangle turntables back in the late 70s. He once told me he was working on a remote control tonearm but that never saw the light of day. Great video and a brave effort on your part to introduce a bit of high-end tweakery to an entry level channel.

[@grahamclutterbuck583]

Hi from the uk here. Ive found that sound tests are pointleess. I can never tell any audio difference over you tube.

[@whittiertennyson6297]

Actually you can I have seen many videos comparing cartridges and styluses. It is usually quite easy to make a difference between Shibata and Fineline/Microline styluses when used in a same cartridge body, because Fineline/Microline sounds more sharp and bright. You just need good Headphones like Sennheiser HD600, and enough good quality amplification to drive them.

[@MrDbone75]

A very good firday evening to you all in the USA from Wellington Somerset in the UK 🇬🇧

[@shaunmk]

im 56, was a great vinyl hunter in my teens, never once did i panic about what stylus etc to use...joined a few facebook groups..OMG talk about purists an snobs

[@abc456f]

I recently took out my 20+ year old Technics SL-QD2 turntable out of the closet. After a good bit of fiddling with the tonearm to get it working correctly, I finally got it right. Put on a new stylus from LPgear to match the original Shure cartridge. Bought a new stereo remastered Beatles white album, cued it up and was blown away at how good it sounded. I've bought some other albums and have been equally pleased. I have a nice cd collection but all my old albums are in pretty rough shape. But I'm definitely sold on vinyl now. But wow, is it a deep rabbit hole. I've been researching new turntables and it makes my head spin. Based on my budget, I've settled on the Fluance RT85. I have two systems in my home so I'll continue to use the Technics in one room and the Fluance in another. I had forgotten how cool it was to handle LP's, enjoy the artwork and included goodies, and sitting down and listening to album from start to finish. But as you said, there is a good bit of snobbery going on in this hobby. People spending crazy money.

[@astolatpere11]

I've made similar changes to my Pioneer PL 518 turntable. I replaced the rubber mat with a Way Excellent mat of the same thickness, the stock feet with isolation feet, and set the anti-skate by ear rather than the typical tracking force number. Definitely better. But the most important "tweak" I've made is using an ultrasonic cleaner on my lps. I bought the Vevor us lp cleaning machine and it has improved my listening experience tremendously.

[@LuxmanPD272]

Definitely more dynamic with the Funk Firm mods.

[@TorontoJon]

Thanks, Record-ology, for another fun video and a great demonstration of those Funk Firm products. However, to my ears at least and while listening to your demo with a pair of excellent Sony CS5 speakers, I honestly heard only subtle before-and-after differences at best or hardly any differences at all, so considering the hefty prices of those products, particularly when converting from British pounds to Canadian dollars (as well as to U.S. dollars), the miniscule improvements, if any, are not worth the price tags in my humble opinion, but to each his or her own, of course. It's all a matter of personal taste and choices. I'm sure that any significant sound improvements are more apparent when listening to those products in-person versus hearing via KZbin, sound compression, etc. Thanks though, Record-ology, for always introducing us here to new and interesting products. This was still time well-spent. All the best, my friend. :)

[@EddyTeetree]

Well done. Always enjoy your enthusiasm. The diff is outstanding. The FF really enhanced the sound and channel separation. A winner. By the way when a presenter bothers to record sound properly as you’ve done and not with their phone, KZbin compression is not as big an issue when your listening over a hifi set up. Thats just a lame excuse. There are some excellent musical presentations on YT.

[@davidnelms5726]

Thank you for the great video. I was very intrigued by the Houdini when I saw it in the Music Direct catalog. I know isolation make a huge impact on record playback. I did notice a difference and though not overwhelming on KZbin, it was still there. I know this would have added more work and time but testing without the addition of the Funk products, and then testing them individually to see the impact of each one. Please do not hesitate to test out these ‘more expensive’ modifications. I think it is good to see (and hear) how they impact modest systems and playback. Cheers

[@joemartin6439]

I have been a funk Firm fan for years

[@elgustoesmiochupaki6119]

Fantastic video! I subscribed to the channel but I have a question I will appreciate your answer. Where can I get that raised headshell to accomodate the Houdini cartridge isolator. I know they are called. “Cobra headshell” but I am unable to find who sells it. I need to secure one before I order the houdini. I have a recently acquired new Technics sl1200 GR turntable with an Ortofon bronze cartridge. Please help! Thanks. Luis

[@toanduong]

Since we are listening to the difference in sound, it did preserve even through YT. The sound difference is more noticeable through a pair of headphones. The inner/micro resolution, separation of instruments, blackness of quiet passage, crisp edges of sound, palpable presence, longer transient, stage, rhythm, and pace are all better. To most people the difference would not be worthwhile, especially if their equipment is lower-rez. The difference is not enough to justify the price. However, to an audiophile with a higher-rez system, this would be a worthwhile addition. There is a "wow" factor that made the modded version sound more enjoyable. This makes my brain churn for some quick dirty yet effective DIY isolation schemes!!

[@bearIyy]

What turntable would you recommend for $300 max when including speakers? I've been looking at the 1 by One h005 but are there any others you recommend over it?

[@danielgeiger7739]

At best a tiny bit, but I would argue that this could easily be due to VTA and/or VTF differences due to thicker mat. 0.1 g VTF change in my experience make more of a differences than all those gizmos combined. I also question the logic of head shell isolation, as dampening the cartridge will dampen the stylus excursions, which will muffle the sound. At the head shell, I consider dampening counterproductive. So if that dampening would work, it would muffle sound, but it seems that it does not do that, so is ineffective = pointless "upgrade". Also the flicking that mat with finger should have been compared to the same flicking with rubber mat. I doubt there was much of a difference. In order of sonic improvements I would rank as #1 the cartridge type/quality (good bang for buck, particularly at entry level). #2: VTF adjustment (free!) #3: phono preamp (a bit more subtle, but fun, particularly tube types with additional tube rolling), everything else is minor compared to those three. Did not see anything on price of those gizmos, but going from entry level cart to something a bit better (say Ortofon red to blue) will be a better investment than those gizmos. I run a SoundSmith Zephyr MIMC*, certainly not budget.

[@williamdenton5716]

WOW ! I generally hear no sonic difference in these A-B comparisons, which I attribute to my listening device being a phone. BUT, there was a significant, easily audible, deep, bold, and dynamic improvement, IMO. I haven't yet caught the price of these little jewels. Go Ahead, I'm sitting down !!

[@PerformanceArt19]

Wow it was softer yet livelier. Not sure if it worth the price but a definitely a difference

[@poogy3]

Theme from the Incredables.....one of my favorite movies!

[@Recordology]

Similar for sure!

[@jackallen6261]

WOW! For those prices I could go buy a nice 500$ turntable and be done with it, lol. This sort of thing is always lost on me though, I can't hear a bit of difference, not saying it doesn't help but I have tinnitus in both ears and my hearing tops out at about 12.5 K so it's probably just my hearing. But having said that for subtle increases it's way to pricey for my taste. Thanks for sharing!!

[@joemartin6439]

I love Funk Frim came through strongly

[@speckono1]

awesome bud great content as usual

[@Recordology]

Thanks for the visit

[@Book-Mark]

I've had their 5mm Achromat (no glass) for a year or so. It's fab.

[@Book-Mark]

PS. Great video, thanks, I hear a difference even over YT.

[@Jammerk40]

I did hear the difference between the two. The firm made your cartridge come alive with more detail just more highs! But like others said I wouldn't go for anyone because the prices are very high!

[@davidh5573]

I hear a difference but just upgrading to a MC cartridge from a MM with a modest turntable the sound difference is astounding. I think the money would be better spent going that route with and acrylic platter to get closer to that reel to reel sound.

[@ernestporee3697]

Bicycle inner tube can work also on the headshell and any other place to damp

[@wesleyburks5368]

I could tell the difference even through my computer speakers!

[@ronaldweed6103]

Because i'm listening to the video, i'm using headphones so i will not wake my dear wife. With the Funk on i can hear a Big differance. I really like this product. Yes I would purchase this product. I love perfection!

[@semperfi-1918]

i bought my first turtable set up for 45, more into new needle got cleaning supplies for another 20.00 and had to make a powercord for it. So for around 80-100 so far... i got a 4-500 dollar system.

[@svtk5104]

Thank you for the ideas. Folks, if you are capable of tying your shoes, you can do something like that yourself

[@Recordology]

Absolutely!

[@mattharwood4413]

I got the Acromat for my Rega RP6 and it was the most noticeable change I had made up to that point. I’ll never go back (especially to wool felt). The sound was more open and percussive popped more. I heard it on yours too.

[@earthoid]

What I heard was a subtle increase in clarity or detail. What I can confidently say is that the Funk Firm certainly did no harm to the sound, so that extra bit of detail might make it a worthwhile upgrade.

[@gratmatassa5432]

with the mods it sounded less dynamic with less reverb on the various brass instruments, bass was less defined not being able to adjust vta probably does it no favours along with the new headshell. obviously i'm listening on youtube so it probably sounds much different in room. you have to bear in mind these products are aimed at audiophiles who normally possess turntables (& huge budgets) that do allow for the adjustments to be made more accurately. good video & take on trying the products on a vintage budget turntable, hi from the UK.

[@joemartin6439]

I love my funk firm 3 mm mate

[@matthewtaylor7355]

It escapes me that anyone would pay 300GBP for the Houdini

[@timothyweers8054]

There is a slight difference between the sound on the recording. It isn't enough sound enhancement change to make me buy the system. If it actually corrected the way a record needs to be played, it may be worth the investment. Besides, I am sure that they won't have for my later edition BSR record player. LOL

[@jjcaruso44]

Why haven't you set your turntable to the correct speed for these tests?

[@Recordology]

It was set correctly

[@Recordology]

The lowest band of the strong that looks greyed out is the active one and was set properly

[@nathanevans6277]

These products may seem pricey but they are definitely worth the money on anything above an entry level deck. I've put the Houdini between a £2k cartridge and a £3k arm and I would say the difference was equivalent to upping the combined budget by £2k. At £300 I'd say that makes the Houdini an absolute bargain.

[@ralphalder14]

Do you still use your Zen iFono preamp?

[@jhonwask]

Record rumble and feedback are my biggest problems. I could take the rumble, but the feedback is terrible if I put the volume up a bit. Would the Achromat significantly help?

[@deanwhite4190]

There's no rumble or feedback from AT-LP 120 USB which is located very close to my right speaker. The turntable is supposed to be constructed to keep those issues away from record playback.

[@barryhall7]

Quite a big difference even over KZbin

[@31cify]

Ah yes, Paul Rigby did a video about this a while back. I know Record-ology's will be just as informative and enticing.

[@robertlakay88]

So what I'm getting from this is I should buy a cheap felt mat and place it underneath my rubber mat?

[@gregcarson3444]

Use to have the Grado Gold Prestige II but was not that crazy about it, know it is a matter of personal preference, I prefer the Ortofon 2m Blue.

[@frankgeeraerts6243]

Over decades I used an ried seveal platter mats ..........finaly it is the vintage heavy CU platter from Micro Seiki that is the winner . Combined with the heavy metal cast platter it sounds totaly DEAD......and no the music does not become hard or metallic ......and detail retrieving is superior to all other mats ( most damp and eat up information , not so with the M-S.........) I use copper foil between the cartridge and the shell. And a small short piece of shrink tube on the arm tube to break up resonances. Most turntables are greater performers than one thought ....

[@jro7075]

Want to say after a wacky friday at work there is nothing better than watching a new vid of recordology after a stressful day at work ,now on those items you tried out what I heard was more of the musical intsuments back ground tones like if I were in a studio and they were playing live it sounded more alive compared to the first take I heard it it sounded better the only prob I have is the platter mat which I like very much ,cannot use it on my crosley c-10 vta is non adjustable ,the platter mat on my dual 1009 cannot remove it and on my garrard at-60 probabliy on my dual 1237 it has the same kind of single removable spindle and removable platter mat but I ewpould not be able to stack to many of my albums on stacking spindle cause of the thicker mat ,it could work on my audiotechnica atlp-120 TT please excuse my typing today since you poked me in the eye my eye keeps on tearing ,I like the cartridge headshell but I recently installed a real rosewood headshell on my audio technica T-120 TT which I am slighlty in love with but these are very good things to usev to improve sound I see nothing wrong I would consider this If I had a more modern TT but you can hear the difference !!!!! JRo

[@larryshaver3568]

i bought felt mat for my Akai turntable and the platter "ring" is inaudible

[@bearded_wolverine3503]

What LP are you playing? I need to find this

[@Recordology]

Ah yes this is indeed a fantastic record! Future Sound Shock by Enoch Light.

[@bearded_wolverine3503]

@@Recordology thank you for letting me know! I have to find it

[@bearded_wolverine3503]

@@Recordology I found a 1973 near mint copy for $15. Can't wait to get it

[@whittiertennyson6297]

Yes you cannot hear metallic ring of the platter anymore you can just hear a plasticky clickky sounds now. This just proves resonances are always there, those can only be tuned to other frequency range that is more pleasant to one's ear. You lose some, you win some. Light acrylic and Aluminium are both good because the resonance frequency is high, and so it does not create low rumble. In theory the optimal scenario would be a frequency so high it is outside the human hearing frequency, how it affects to speakers, and other way is another problem then Hahahahah All this damping stuff only makes the turntable compliance higher in every way, adding more rubber makes the cartridge installation more unstable, basicly making everything less accurate, but in the end it seems to be a proven fact human ear likes a very ''faulty'' sound. Even in CD players the one with less correct treble response, has many times sounded better in blind tests.

[@keithnelson9233]

For the price they want for this “affordable “ isolation kit, I can make one for a fraction of the cost and I did and works Fantastic. So no that’s a pass.

[@mplsmark222]

There is a marketplace of all these accessories, some of them costing ridiculous amounts of money. Not to mention that I could spend thousands on just an upgrade cartridge. I appreciate these reviews and demonstrations, but I have yet to see one that addresses the biggest issue I have with listening to vinyl. The inner most track never sounds good to me. I’ve tried a number of different cartridges, turntables amps and phono stages. I know what I’m hearing is an inherent limitation of the format. The lathe that made the master from which my records were pressed was made on a linear tracking machine. So, it would make sense the best way to reproduce the sound off the record would be with a linear tracking device. Unfortunately, the inexpensive LT TT’s are unreliable and not worth the frustration from what I’ve read and heard. I’ll have to keep searching for advice on how to improve the sound on those inner tracks. It really sucks when my favorite tracks are at the end of the side. The ultimate solution can be found with pressings like Orelob, Ravel’s Bolero mastered, cut with the track starting at the “end”, so the record plays from the middle to the outer edge, maybe this is how all records should have worked.

[@TheSquaredM]

The white paper links not working

[@morlandvincent7624]

Ce slimat es vraiment performant pour le coup je vais essayer on peut entendre la différence du pleurage du diamant il est plus stable et surtout on peut entendre que il gratte moins les côtés des sillons du disque le diamant es vraiment stable dans le sillon avec le caoutchouc on peut entendre scric sacrate légèrement dans les speaker mais pour le sujet de la glace en dessous es t'il satisfaisant ou pas ou bien il glisse légèrement avec le tour du plateau j'aimerais bien savoir merci beaucoup

[@bobby666666]

Funk Firm products are great. Too costly for average Joe though

[@plan7a]

Important Notice: From approximately 17.24 to 20.25 minutes in, this video contains strobe effects which could affect those with sensitivity issues related to these. This is not mentioned in the video. Thank you!

[@rockwaterman]

Arrrggghhhh! The seizures! The Seizures! I can't stand it! YOWZA, the pitch control is giving me epileptic fits! Oh, the humanity!!!

[@DANVIIL]

The link doesn’t work.

[@larryshaver3568]

Did you know Collaro has been revived

[@alrightnow1124]

I heard a big difference with the Funk Firm products

[@davidmorgen4558]

Excellient reporting & auditon on the funk Firm ! With that said I would do my own mods .which give me better results susoect?..But no it wasent bad.I can think of one shop in Berkeley ca that might sell it?...(Music Lovers) As said I wasent blown away but wasent Dissapointed either.Very well.... presented & represrnted

[@01chippe]

Audiophile and budget are NEVER used in the same sentence.

[@enricolisk1357]

Houdini or Moudini? Money disappearing should have a name like Moudini....😂

[@dazzfromaus4797]

There is a one percent difference in excess noise reduction.

[@LuxmanPD272]

Running a slow judging by the markings.

[@deanwhite4190]

It was too close to call for me to call. Are you listening to enjoy music or listening fo any insignificant noise induced by the turntable platter and tonearm noise? You're venturing into the mindset of an true audiophile here. You better back away.

[@RomanLothar1986]

Over the top pricing and unfortunately UK products. Living in Ireland, guaranteed to not be able to get orders due to customs not letting pass, or adding another 100 to the price to import it... But at those prices it's not really "at a budget"..

[@garylynncook1560]

Its running a little slow.

[@life5161]

Seems like over kill to me but for those with the golden ears and the money Enjoy.

[@hellomeatrobots]

That seems like a lot of money to spend for marginal improvements in pursuit of an impossible goal.

[@01chippe]

Rigid feet on a turntable would make things worse, not better.

[@elliotthall5543]

I couldn't hear any difference.

[@poogy3]

Listening thru Utube process.....Zero difference.

[@proper90s43]

Sounds like complete BS to me from an egineering standpoint.

[@baronofgreymatter14]

Who plays multiple records stacked anymore....no one