Turntable Help ?

Decided to take my 1st tottering steps into the world of vinyl and won an EB-101 on Epay http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=5744071688&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT

Turntable arrived this morning. Nicely packed with no apparent damage. Seems to be a well cared for piece of kit.

It's now sitting on my rack, however it isn't making music yet

I'd hoped it would be ready to play "out of the box"

Two slight problems.

1) the platter is out of true. Looking at it from the from the left side is about 2mm above the plinth and the right side 8mm above it.

2) when I put a record on the platter and lower the arm the stylus doesn't quite reach the disc. I assume this will require a simple adjustment of the arm after I've fixed the balance.

The motor is running smoothly and silently.

Looks like I've a long night ahead with the instruction manual!

Any tips ? Which order to proceed in ?



Andrew

 

Regarding problem 1 - the platter -

the advert states ''The belt was replaced last year and I still have the transport bolt for safe shipping''

Was the transport bolt used when the deck was sent to you? Something sounds seriously out of whack there.

Problem 2 could well be caused by problem 1!

First thing I would personally do is contact the seller and let them know you have problems.



Chris

 

Chris, I've done that and he's at a loss & seems quite concerned.

Yes, the transport bolt was used (and _has_ been removed!)

I've had the base off and the platter is now level but I'm having difficulty getting the arm to balance. I've never owned a proper turntable before so it could just be cack handedness!

If I can't sort it out my ex Gyrodec owing friend may be getting an urgent invitation to visit.

Andrew

 

What do you mean 'difficulty getting the arm to balance'?

Paul

 

No matter how far forward I move the counterweight the stylus will not contact vinyl.

After adjusting the suspension earlier I've now got almost exactly 5mm between the bottom edge of the platter and the plinth. This was measured at several points around the platter. This is what the manual recommends.

Whils adjusting it I noticed that the amount of adjustment on one of the springs (rear left) was greater than all the others. Is this normal ?

Have I tightened or loosened the suspension too much ?

Thanks

Andrew

 

Is the lift/lower platform obstructing the arm?

Can you achieve a balance where the arm floats freely?

I think the only way you'll get properly sorted and have confidence in the turntable is to have it looked at by somebody who knows what they're doing. There's no point in a bargain if it sounds crap. And assume you need a new cartridge too. A cheap AT would be appropriate. But it would need fitting and aligning properly. A friendly local expert is required.

Paul

 

Good advice from Paul IMO. A local expert with a microscope could tell you what condition the cartridge is in. If its good you could keep, if its bad the last thing you want is scratched up records.

You could either pay for a setup or cartridge as appropriate - likelihood is if you buy a cart they will set up the deck for free. Thats what I'd ask for.

 

Hi Andrew,

Here's a link to an excellent resource for AR turntables. This chap also does AR restorations, so he could be helpful to you somewhere down the line. Hope you get it all quickly sorted!

Cheers, Dex

 

Hi

It does sound like a arm lift problem like Paul has said. I think there is a screw by the barrel of the arm lift mechanism. By undoing this, you can lower the device so that the cartridge can touch the record. Another reason is that the arm pillar is set too high. This is dealt with in the manual. In fact, I would look at this first.

I would follow Pauls advice and take it to a turntable friendly expert or dealer if possible.

SCIDB

 

Thanks for all the advice. I had another go at levelling the suspension and one of the nuts came off. Springs & washers everywhere!

Now back together & all level again. I think part of the problem is that the adjusting nut supporting the arm is at the limit of it's range, holding on by the last few threads. This may have come loose in transit causing the original problem.

Kind Eric from work came around, raised the tonearm a little, lowered the arm-lift slightly and then pronounced it fit for purpose (he's coming back with a digital balance to do a "proper setup". He wouldn't even accept a bottle of good red for his trouble, so I'm drinking it while listening to "Scherezade" (99p from Oxfam).

What are all these occasional crackles though............?