Tonearm Problem

Dear All

Hope you can help. My question may be specific to the Artemiz arm on my Roksan Xerxes, it may not, I just haven't had the problem before.

When wanting to play a track at the end of an LP [ie the track nearest the spindle] my arm stays where it is in the "up" position, but when you lower the cueing lever it swings quite quickly to the right on the way down towards the disc, and by the time the needle touches the groove you're playing track three instead of six. I hope you get what I mean.

Does anyone have any ideas as to why this is happening ??. I've only just noticed the problem but thinking back six weeks or so [I was without a phono stage for that time so it's only just come to light] I noticed that the arm wasn't cueing accuratley.

I can cue the track I want to hear correctly if I hold the arm and lower the cueing lever and put the needle down manually, and don't hear any distortion so I don't think what the arm is doing is causing my cartridge/records any damage, but in your opinion is there any danger of that ??.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Paul Venables

 

Sounds like your anti-skate setting is too light. Either that, or the bearings are knackered (less likely), or the deck isn't level but tilted to the right.

-- Ian

 

The deck's as level as I can get it Ian, and in the years I've had it I haven't caned the deck so wouldn't have thought it could be the bearings. Perhaps I'll play with the anti-skate. Thanks for your reply.

Paul

 

It sounds like either the anti-skating is set too high or the part of the cuing device where the arm rests needs a clean - sometimes if too much dust gets on this part it can cause the arm to slip in the direction the anti-skate is pulling (i.e. right when looking at the deck from the front).

Tony.

 

I had something similar on mine.

What had happened is the metal plate that holds the cueing device to the arm pillar had become loose resulting in the cueing device being able to rotate on its axis.

What this can mean is that the tonearm is much higher above the records surface at the middle than at the edge (or vice versa) and can cause the arm to slip as you describe.

Quick to fix with an allen key.

To check just see if you can rotate the cueing device on its axis.

Hope it helps.


The only other thing as was said before is that your anti skate is set WAY to high...

 

Joolsburger

Thanks for your reply.

If it is the anti-skate how do I adjust it ??.

PV

 

Check the other thing first.. then to check if its the anti skate!! Simply hold the little spring on top of the arm gently so the thread goes slack and cue up a record if it stops the problem then it's the anti skate at which point I'll send you a mail on how to do it, suffice to say it's a pain....

 

Dear Everyone

Thank you all for your suggestions. I sorted out the problem last night. When you lift the cueing arm a little rubber-covered bar actually lifts the arm tube up. The rubber covering was dirty so I cleaned it with a bit of fairy liquid in some warm water. End of problem.

A lot better, and a lot cheaper than taking/sending the deck to Roksan in Wembley from Tunbridge Wells as they suggested. Their customer service really leaves something to be desired IMO. When I can get more help from a forum in an hour or two than the collective "might" of Roksan's techinical support I think that tells it's own story.

Yours

Paul