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Apparently, from a quick Google, there is a speed adjustment potentiometer (variable resistor) in the circuitry of this turntable that can be turned to adjust the speed. It was probably set at the factory for exactly 120 volts or whatever your line voltage is coming out of the wall. Half the time with no load, you get anywhere from 121 to 125 volts depending were you live. The trick will be to figure out where it's set correctly without equipment. Use a stop watch and count rotations. Strobe would be your cheapest bet since the wheels can be printed out free. Getting the light will cost a bit. You can also get a test record with a 400 or 1k test tone and a frequency counter (not something you run into very often). I just thought of something. If you have ever played guitar and own a tuner, those can read frequency to the nearest Hertz. You just need a pure tone that you know the frequency of. Remember that the speed will be a bit different with and without a record being played. The stylus riding the groove of a record will create a slight drag that will slow the rotation ever so slightly.
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Jan 27, 2011 09:56
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Jerry Cotton posted:I'm not sure what you mean by "vintage look" but the Technics SL-1200 is pure 70's design and it's still in production. The bad news is that you likely can't get one for under 200 USD. The good news is that there are a lot of clones out there that look basically the same. I'm almost certain you can get 1200s and 1210 mk2s for under 200 bucks but you'll need to camp some classifieds. The entire DJ industry has been tracking away from vinyl for a good number of years now and on adverts.ie I often see people selling up their decks. Recently someone sold a 1200 and a 1210 mk2 for 150 euros each. Theres a bunch more of people selling their entire rig in one go - 2x 1210 mk2s + needles and some 2 channel vestax mixer for 500 euros or thereabouts. The eBay list prices at the moment are laffo.
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Jan 27, 2011 12:19
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As tough as the 1200s are, they won't stand up to absurd amounts of abuse. If Mix Master Murray has been scratching in his bedroom with a stack of quarters glued to the headshell and leaning on the platter with his body weight, they will be shot for Hi-Fi use. Budding trading post 1200 buyers. Look for any play in the spindle bearing, it should be rock solid. If the counterweight is on backwards it's pretty much a sure sign it used to belong to cut pharmacist and should probably be avoided. Missing or heavily damaged dustcovers and lost 45 rpm adaptors are also indicative of a life of neglect. Not all 1200s were abused, but most are. With the volume of units in the field, they aren't worth repairing. Shop smart.
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Jan 27, 2011 12:35
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I find it difficult to believe that an individual in their own home could possibly subject their turntable to the sort of punishment thats liable to kill a 1210. I've played out a few sets in Southampton and the clubs back then all had mk2s. Most of the ones I used had obviously suffered through years, maybe even decades of heavy handed DJs, cigarette and spliff ash (scratchy pitch sliders ahoy!) and at least one pint spillage. A good number of them were holding up fairly well all things considered. Spinners rag them around because its not their own gear so who gives a gently caress right? The owners don't give a gently caress until they become inoperable, at which point they will spend the barest minimum they possibly can to justify renewing their public music and singing license. The sound techs don't give a gently caress either. They'd probably rather be recording their own band right now anyway. The state of club 1210s is pretty much a result of everyone around them not giving two shits but if you buy them for yourself, I'll be willing to bet you'll ride them a little easier.
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Jan 27, 2011 13:35
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Paperweight posted:Apparently, from a quick Google, there is a speed adjustment potentiometer (variable resistor) in the circuitry of this turntable that can be turned to adjust the speed. It was probably set at the factory for exactly 120 volts or whatever your line voltage is coming out of the wall. Half the time with no load, you get anywhere from 121 to 125 volts depending were you live. Thanks. There were some mentions of adjusting one element that controlled the circuit to the motor, but that was a strictly binary situation (either the circuit is completed or it's not). I'll look the potentiometer. Would it be obnoxious to ask for your search terms? I generally keep getting the same fixya.com search results. EDIT: Oh, okay. I added "potentiometer" to my search and it does look as though you just poke through the fabric to get to the motor directly. I love that the manual's solution for albums playing too fast is to turn off the 45 RPM setting The Modern Leper fucked around with this message at 16:45 on Jan 27, 2011 |
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Jan 27, 2011 16:36
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WanderingKid posted:I'm almost certain you can get 1200s and 1210 mk2s for under 200 bucks but you'll need to camp some classifieds. The entire DJ industry has been tracking away from vinyl for a good number of years now and on adverts.ie I often see people selling up their decks. Recently someone sold a 1200 and a 1210 mk2 for 150 euros each. Theres a bunch more of people selling their entire rig in one go - 2x 1210 mk2s + needles and some 2 channel vestax mixer for 500 euros or thereabouts. I'm not saying it's not possible to get a used SL 1200 in decent condition for under 200 moneys but a lot of the bargain turntables I've actually seen are in poo poo condition. Scratches, dirt, and marker doodles ("DJ QLLIPUQ!!!") are a given, as are missing dust covers and single adapters, but it's quite the norm that either the motor, the platter, the loving tonearm, or any combination of these are also in need of replacing which will usually bring the price to well over 200. Just as a checklist to anyone buying a second-hand SL 1200 (or 1210) for hi-fi use, all of the following cost a little money and are usually missing in the bargain units: 1.) Headshell (not necessary with Concordes so it's been chucked long ago) 2.) Rubber mat (what you'll usually get is a really smegmy and dusty slipmat with an awful custom logo) 3.) Dust cover 4.) Dust cover hinges 5.) Single adapter 6.) Arm rest clamp (broken, of course) [7.) Decent hi-fi cartridge]
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Jan 27, 2011 20:44
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Jerry Cotton posted:I'm not saying it's not possible to get a used SL 1200 in decent condition for under 200 moneys but a lot of the bargain turntables I've actually seen are in poo poo condition. Scratches, dirt, and marker doodles ("DJ QLLIPUQ!!!") are a given, as are missing dust covers and single adapters, but it's quite the norm that either the motor, the platter, the loving tonearm, or any combination of these are also in need of replacing which will usually bring the price to well over 200. This is pretty much why I've passed on every single used 1200 I've come across 
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Jan 27, 2011 22:36
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I picked up my used 1200mk2 for $300 shipped off eBay it had everything original, even the box. Good used 12s do exist they just cost a bit more. Take the time to find a nice used one.
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Jan 27, 2011 23:41
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The Bandit posted:I picked up my used 1200mk2 for $300 shipped off eBay it had everything original, even the box. Good used 12s do exist they just cost a bit more. Take the time to find a nice used one. I got pretty much the same deal about a year ago on eBay. I was shocked when it showed up in the original box with the manual and everything.
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Jan 28, 2011 01:25
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Bah, I'm tempted to buy mine back, but I keep having to remind myself that vinyl is completely dead to me. Over the years its been the records that have bled me and with the VAT increase in the UK, 12" singles from Redeye and Juno are up around £6 with dubplates costing even more than that. I do miss them though.
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Jan 28, 2011 10:50
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quote:for hi-fi use This is what I was getting at, just phrased it wrong I guess. Better to buy NIB if you want a Hi-Fi 1200.
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Jan 28, 2011 11:02
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I've heard Thorens is a good brand -- would you recommend this table for a complete newbie to vinyl? http://raleigh.craigslist.org/ele/2180876367.html This is another possibility: http://raleigh.craigslist.org/ele/2179040970.html
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Jan 28, 2011 14:48
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I've already Googled unsuccesfully for some time so it's time to hit the forums: does anyone have any info on Rigonda turntables? I'm thinking of getting a broken down "Rigonda Corvette Stereo" record player (it's not an integrated unit, just a record player) to repair because it looks very nice and the insides looked like it could be fixed fairly easily, maybe just a clean-up, but I don't really know enough about it. It's apparently a Radiotehnika brand but that's about it. EDIT: I'm looking to gather a sort of vintage set-up and I already have an old Luxor radio and Radiopari speakers I could hook the thing up to. I know I own an old Telefunken turntable already that's just missing the needle but I seem to have misplaced it. As in I have no idea where it could be. Also, I'm an idiot because I didn't use GIS which brought up a picture of the exact same model: 
3D Megadoodoo fucked around with this message at 16:58 on Jan 28, 2011 |
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Jan 28, 2011 16:44
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Are there any easy/cheap ways to minimize rumble on a DD, or is it something inherent in a given turntable? I've got a 70's Technics SL-Q2 with Shure m97xe if it makes a difference. It's only audible between songs, so it's not worth buying a new turntable at the moment, and I can live with it if there's not much I can do.
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Jan 29, 2011 18:36
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Narwhale posted:Are there any easy/cheap ways to minimize rumble on a DD, or is it something inherent in a given turntable? I've got a 70's Technics SL-Q2 with Shure m97xe if it makes a difference. It's only audible between songs, so it's not worth buying a new turntable at the moment, and I can live with it if there's not much I can do. Grease the bearings.
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Jan 29, 2011 19:57
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Got a free TT today, old auto unit I think from Montgomery Ward, looks like a crapper but it runs real well. Will post pictures and how it runs later. Got a 5$ Montgomery Ward Graybar sewing machine recently that's a killer machine so maybe I'll luck out and this is nice.
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Jan 30, 2011 03:46
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"[panic posted:"] If you really want to go retro, pick up one of these: http://www.surplussales.com/Equipment/Audio.html Nothing like a basswood tonearm.
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Jan 31, 2011 07:47
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^^^^I almost forgot about that company. They used to sell some of the modules for vacuum tube era Tektronix oscilloscopes. That Harman Kardon receiver looks like a neat project. They want too much for it though. Fair Radio Sales is another neat site to browse around if you like vintage electronic stuff. Spent about half my tax refund check on vinyl yesterday. There is a small independant record store in Winston-Salem, NC called Earshot. They had a pretty decent selection of new vinyl until I got there. Best Buy also carries vinyl but they don't seem to know how to display it. The wire racks they have it sitting on makes it harder to browse through. What records I didn't find locally, I ordered through Music Direct along with the Speed Box and acrylic platter to upgrade a Pro-Ject Debut III. The Corin Tucker Band sounds awsome on vinyl. It's just so well arranged and recorded. Paperweight fucked around with this message at 22:51 on Feb 2, 2011 |
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Jan 31, 2011 16:40
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Found somebody selling this Sanyo TP-725 for $10. These aren't the pics, but it's the same model and everything. Anyone know anything about these Sanyo TTs? Google doesn't bring up much.  
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Feb 1, 2011 04:54
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iamthejeff posted:Found somebody selling this Sanyo TP-725 for $10. These aren't the pics, but it's the same model and everything. Anyone know anything about these Sanyo TTs? Google doesn't bring up much. Sanyo made a few solid turntables the late 70's. Many were rebadged and sold as as Fisher. Sanyo acquired the Fisher name from Emerson, who bought the company from Avery Fisher in 1969. Unfortunately, a vast majority of Sanyo made "Fisher" equipment was utter poo poo, along the lines of soundesign or LLoyds, and ended soiling the reputation of Sanyo's other audio products, some of which were quite good. From what I know, the Fisher name is still being slapped on cheap garbage. A sad fate for a company that once made stuff on the level of HH Scott, McIntosh, and Marantz. That table looks pretty nice. It may not be a Technics 1200, but it's definitely worth the $10 the seller wants for it. MullardEL34 fucked around with this message at 08:11 on Feb 1, 2011 |
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Feb 1, 2011 08:06
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This is a nice looking set, but it seems overpriced? What would you guys pitch for it? I was thinking 80-100. http://louisville.craigslist.org/ele/2169730543.html Also found an early 70s JVC. This green is different. http://louisville.craigslist.org/ele/2189986822.html
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Feb 2, 2011 06:44
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cheese eats mouse posted:This is a nice looking set, but it seems overpriced? What would you guys pitch for it? I was thinking 80-100. Those speakers have a very interesting history, and, like all Leak stuff, are rare as hen's teeth here in the States. http://www.44bx.com/leak/sandwich.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LEAK_Sandwich The speaker cones are made from aluminized Styrofoam. MullardEL34 fucked around with this message at 07:00 on Feb 2, 2011 |
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Feb 2, 2011 06:58
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Yea I was doing some research and it actually seems like a good deal. Also, I didn't think those had such a cool history. Hopefully it isn't gone. 
cheese eats mouse fucked around with this message at 07:06 on Feb 2, 2011 |
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Feb 2, 2011 07:01
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cheese eats mouse posted:Yea I was doing some research and it actually seems like a good deal. Personally I'd go for it but as a Leak owner I'm probably not the most impartial.   Click here for the full 1280x960 image.
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Feb 2, 2011 07:07
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MullardEL34 posted:Personally I'd go for it but as a Leak owner I'm probably not the most impartial. Haha well I'm a big fan of all things from the UK, and owning a piece of history would cool. Good story for the handful of my audio geek friends. Knowing how slow the market on craigslist can be here in Louisville I have a good chance of nabbing them. I wanted it for the receiver mostly.
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Feb 2, 2011 07:14
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cheese eats mouse posted:Haha well I'm a big fan of all things from the UK, and owning a piece of history would cool. Good story for the handful of my audio geek friends. Knowing how slow the market on craigslist can be here in Louisville I have a good chance of nabbing them. I wanted it for the receiver mostly. Leak stuff actually used to be a lot more common around here but Japanese audiophiles became obsessed with Leak in the early 90's and bought everything they could get their hands on. The good thing is that you'll have no trouble finding a buyer for those speakers if you ever decide to part with them.
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Feb 2, 2011 07:26
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I found a headset while looking over my schools electronic waste bins: Click here for the full 1200x960 image. This thing is obviously old and the sound won't exactly be hi-fi, but my hipster friends all thought it was awesome and cool, here's a picture of the earpiece:  Click here for the full 1280x853 image. 2000 ohms is a high impedance, but they seems to be fairly sensitive regardless, definitely work with a standard headset output. The interesting thing is the speaker, which is shown in pieces here:  Click here for the full 1280x853 image. I've never seen a speaker like that, obviously the magnets induce a field to move the metal cone. Now my question, does anyone have any information about this kind of speaker, what kind of amplifiers will make it sing etc.? As for the sound: it has very high distortion in the voice bands, pianos and synths sound horrible, voices are pretty good. Bass isn't great but not completely absent like the higher trebles.
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Feb 3, 2011 21:34
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That looks to be an old type of headset most often used with radios. I have a couple of vintage military headsets from the 50s or 60s. They're both in the 500-600 ohm range. Most of the radios they are used with have a small limited range audio output transformer to decouple the high voltage and match the impedances between the vacuum tube and headphones. Most likely those headphones are wired for mono and would likely have limited frequency range in comparison to modern hi-fi headphones. Radio focused mostly on Morse code and voice communication frequencies. So 500-5000Hz was all the frequency range really needed and anything above or below that was frivolous. Most modern headphones have an impedance between 32-600 ohms. I have no idea what kind of amp would drive those these days. Higher impedance likes higher voltages, lower impedance wants more current. If you like the look of those, Grado headphones have a lot of that same vintage look. Keep those for a conversation piece if nothing else. Here's a guy selling similar headphones dating from the 20s and 30s for use with crystal radios. http://oldheadphones.com/crystal/phones/phones.htm Is that German written on the ring inside the earcup? Even cooler, build your own vacuum tube regenerative receiver. Just so happens to need a 2000 ohm headset. http://www.tubesandmore.com/scripts/foxweb.dll/moreinfo@d:/dfs/elevclients/cemirror/ELEVATOR.FXP?item=K-925 There are other kits out there too. Now I want to go and mess with some of the battery powered vacuum tube tabletop radios in my shed. Paperweight fucked around with this message at 01:07 on Feb 4, 2011 |
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Feb 3, 2011 23:50
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FWIW that's the same kind of speaker used in telephones from the 20's. I've powered them with a normal amplifier.
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Feb 4, 2011 02:08
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I have a problem. I just bought a brand new 1975/76 BSR 750 Turntable on eBay. It was literally brand new, unopened, everything sealed, etc. It has a Shure M81MC Cartridge already attached. I got this thing for a decent price and figured it couldn't be any worse than a new $150 cheapie TT from Amazon. Four wires come out the back. The ground, the power, and 2 RCAs. I assumed the 2 RCAs were L and R stereo, but I come to find no sound is coming out of one of the RCAs. I've got it all hooked up properly to a decent bookshelf unit and I am playing stereo records on the thing, but either one channel is missing or I'm hearing both channels through one RCA cable. What's going on here? I definitely have a stereo record player and stylus, right? Is one of my stereo connections DOA? UPDATE: Okay, it's definitely a stereo cartridge (red, white, black, green wires) - which is a relief. I'm not hearing anything out of the 'dead' RCA wire, not even a hum or buzz. The other sounds great. Short of taking the whole drat thing apart to check all the wires, any suggestions? If I do open the thing up, what should I be looking for? plasticbugs fucked around with this message at 09:55 on Feb 4, 2011 |
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Feb 4, 2011 07:28
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Thanks for the info, I've already powered them with an old Philips EL6400 mono tube amp I keep around, it has selectable output impedance so driving them higher is just a matter of turning a switch. They worked with a standard 20+20W amp too, but I think it's clipping in the voltage domain since I can turn the knob up but the meter reading doesn't do up much. Telling the difference between normal operation and severe clipping isn't easy with these. My plan is to put some average quality drivers in them (will save the old ones), possibly AKG, depends on what I find lying around, anything above some apple earbuds will still be very impressive with that look. The wiring is mono but converting to stereo might be possible without replacing all of the old wiring...
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Feb 4, 2011 08:37
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[quote="plasticbugs" Short of taking the whole drat thing apart to check all the wires, any suggestions? If I do open the thing up, what should I be looking for? [/quote] First, I'd unplug the RCA connector of the working side from your phono preamp and plug the nonworking side into that same jack. If it's still not working then that eliminates your phono preamp from the list of potential problems. Second, I'd carefully slip the connectors off the back of the cartridge. The wires are extremely fragile and break easily. Check for corrosion on the connectors and the pins of the cartridge. While all the connectors are off (and carefully noted which goes where), if you have a volt ohm meter, I'd check for continuity from the connectors to the tips and shield of the RCA cables. If you don't have a meter, slip the connectors back on and see if it works now. Sometimes the friction of sliding the connector off and on will clean off enough oxidised metal to make a better contact. If all that fails, you can look inside for corrosion and broken wires. If a wire was going to break, it would be the small guage tonearm wire coming out of the base of the tonearm. There will be a standoff where the tonearm wire is soldered to the RCA cables that run out of the back. Check the solder joints and condition of the wire. Edit: Assembled 2 pine LP crates I got from Sleeve City. Just noticed my glasses are covered in dust. One side of every panel is planed down smooth. The other side is rough sawn so I had to knock some of the roughness off with sandpaper. A power sander probably would have been faster. Used some wood glue and clamps to add some rigidity. They work pretty well and can be stacked on top of one another but they aren't interlocking. Their double walled cardboard LP boxes are pretty sturdy as well. I reinforced those with some wide packing tape. Paperweight fucked around with this message at 22:08 on Feb 4, 2011 |
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Feb 4, 2011 10:18
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Paperweight posted:I'd carefully slip the connectors off the back of the cartridge. The wires are extremely fragile and break easily. Check for corrosion on the connectors and the pins of the cartridge. While all the connectors are off (and carefully noted which goes where), if you have a volt ohm meter, I'd check for continuity from the connectors to the tips and shield of the RCA cables. If you don't have a meter, slip the connectors back on and see if it works now. Sometimes the friction of sliding the connector off and on will clean off enough oxidised metal to make a better contact. I've narrowed it down and it's the Right channel that's not working. I'm getting a multimeter so I can figure out if it's a continuity issue with the thin gauge wire or if the cartridge is bad. Alternately, I guess I can slip the red wire off the cartridge's right output and attach it to the cartridge's left output lead to see if sound travels through it (or is that a bad idea?).
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Feb 4, 2011 22:37
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No, the switching connectors on the cartridge is a good idea. You'll probably have to swap out the corresponding ground connection too. That way you can check to see if both sides of the cartridge function correctly without having to use a multimeter. I'm not too sure if checking the continuity of the cartridge itself is a good idea or not. The meter will send a small voltage through the coils inside the cartridge. The wire is extremely fine and might not hold up to even a small amount of current flowing through it. I'm also not sure whether or not it will magnetise the cartridge which is probably not good. If you do get a meter to check things out, make sure the cartridge is disconnected. If you find that either the tip or sleeve of the right channel is open circuit, you can figure out if the RCA or the tonearm wire is the culprit. There's almost always a 3 or 4 connection point where the RCA and tonearm wire are soldered together on the inside of the turntable. Check continuity from this connection point to the RCA end then do the same for the cartridge connectors end. Also check for a short between the hot and ground. RCA cables are fairly easy to replace. Rewiring a tonearm can be quite tricky. How tight or loose were the connectors on the back of the cartridge? With the cartridge disconnected, there should be 4 conductors (2 hots and 2 grounds) not connected to each other in any way. With the cartridge connected, it will register several ohms between the hot and ground of each channel for the resistance of the cartridge's windings. Sometimes the 2 grounds will be connected together or the ground wire is connected to the same point as the green connector/cartridge pin. Ideally, you want the grounds and ground wire separate but thats just the way they do it sometimes. This Rega for instance had it's tonearm grounded by connecting it to the green clip. I recently rewired the whole tonearm and installed a separate ground wire so hum picked up by the metal tonearm wasn't riding on the signal's ground. If any of this makes any sense. You might want to remove the platter if it is a removable type. Lock down the tonearm. If it has a sturdy ductcover, it should be easy to turn upside down without damage. Take good pics of the guts if you can. Edit: Went over to the neighbor's house and played The Corin Tucker Band. Everyone liked it. Her voice is just so awsome. Paperweight fucked around with this message at 23:01 on Feb 6, 2011 |
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Feb 5, 2011 03:11
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Paperweight posted:No, the switching connectors on the cartridge is a good idea. You'll probably have to swap out the corresponding ground connection too. That way you can check to see if both sides of the cartridge function correctly without having to use a multimeter. I'm not too sure if checking the continuity of the cartridge itself is a good idea or not. The meter will send a small voltage through the coils inside the cartridge. The wire is extremely fine and might not hold up to even a small amount of current flowing through it. I'm also not sure whether or not it will magnetise the cartridge which is probably not good. The connectors on the cartridge were a pretty tight fit. I'll be sure to keep the multimeter far away from the cartridge. I have a mid-priced soldering iron and a spool of 30 gauge wire on the way from Amazon just in case I need to re-solder a broken connection, or rewire anything (hopefully I can avoid rewiring the tonearm). The saving grace is that the BSR is seriously low tech. I didn't realize there was continuity between both "hots" and the one ground. Is there supposed to be? I'm a wiring novice. Thanks again for all the help. I'm feeling much more confident that I can troubleshoot and do these repairs myself. One final question. I checked into the stylus currently installed. It's spherical and rated for 3-5 grams of tracking force - which I hear is bad for my vinyl. So, I'm getting a 1.5 - 3 gram replacement just in case, though it's still spherical. Is this a good compromise or is this cheap BSR still going to thrash my records? EDIT: I switched the hots and neutrals at the cartridge and, sure enough, the sound output predictably switched to the other channel. So, it's definitely a continuity issue with the right channel. I'm going to open the service panel on the bottom of the turntable, to see if I can visually diagnose the problem. If the transport screws and the tonearm are secured, can I safely turn the turntable upside down? plasticbugs fucked around with this message at 09:11 on Feb 5, 2011 |
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Feb 5, 2011 08:58
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plasticbugs posted:One final question. I checked into the stylus currently installed. It's spherical and rated for 3-5 grams of tracking force - which I hear is bad for my vinyl. So, I'm getting a 1.5 - 3 gram replacement just in case, though it's still spherical. Is this a good compromise or is this cheap BSR still going to thrash my records? You are about to become acquainted with the harsh mistress that is tonearm compliance.
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Feb 5, 2011 17:54
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Ron Burgundy posted:You are about to become acquainted with the harsh mistress that is tonearm compliance. I actually wound up purchasing the ONLY other stylus that's compatible with the exact Shure cartridge that fits into this particular tonearm. So, I guess I'm okay there. I also purchased a stylus pressure gauge to make sure I've got the tonearm pressure dialed in properly -- even though there's not a traditional counterweight at the end of the tonearm. Instead, there's a screw you turn clockwise inside the tonearm to lessen the stylus pressure. Guess I'll figure that out when my pressure gauge arrives. UPDATE: I've narrowed down my missing right channel problem to a bad cartridge. This is unfortunate because I can't find a replacement anywhere (Shure M81-MC). As a last ditch effort, I'm buying a cheap Shure m92e to see if I can jury rig it to fit inside my tonearm, based on the replacement suggestions I found here. It appears to be the right dimensions for the BSR's tonearm - though it's definitely not going to snap into place. Is this a terrible idea? If this mission fails, my plan is to check eBay daily until an M81MC pops up. In the meantime, I'll probably purchase a REAL turntable and sell the BSR once a replacement cartridge shows up online somewhere. plasticbugs fucked around with this message at 20:14 on Feb 8, 2011 |
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Feb 5, 2011 21:37
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I bought a Stanton t55 usb turntable about 2 weeks ago, and I've been having issues with the right audio channel. It worked pretty well the first few days I had it, but then I started noticing there would be little or no sound coming from the right side of my headphones. Sometimes (like right now as I'm typing), I'll get a full signal from both channels, but it usually drops out before too long (and there it goes). Oddly enough, the first night I used it there was an issue with the left channel, but it corrected itself before long I know it's not the headphones because they work with other devices perfectly fine. I thought it might be my receiver because it had apparently been in my roommate's car since summer until I got it from him 2 weeks ago. I know that sounds stupid, but I didn't have money to spend on a new one, and this was free. And it worked just fine for the first week or so. And if I unplug the RCA cable from the turntable while keeping the other end plugged into the receiver and touch my fingers to the other end that goes into the turntable, I get the same buzz on both sides of my headphones. It seems like the receiver is fine, but I could be wrong, especially since it went through extremes of hot and cold and bouncing around. I'm kind of tempted to just buy a receiver from Radio Shack to see if I have the same problem with the sound and then just return it regardless. Does this seem like more of an issue with the receiver or the turntable? If it's the turntable and the right channel really is hosed up, how expensive of a fix is it?
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Feb 8, 2011 23:24
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Thanks again for all the help I was offered in this thread. This is just a quick update on my last few posts about my 'new' old stock 1975 BSR turntable with a bum cartridge: I WAS able to rig a cheap Shure cartridge/stylus combo I bought on Amazon into my even cheaper BSR's tonearm. It didn't go quietly, though. Some tonearm drilling was involved to make the screw holes larger. Once I screwed the cartridge down and adjusted the tonearm's tracking force, I found that the cartridge was just too heavy. The spring mechanism that adjusts the tonearm's weight wasn't able to compensate. At its max, the spring just wasn't being pulled tight enough. The solution: I had to snip some ringlets off the tonearm spring and reattach it so the spring would be tighter - resulting in 1.25 grams of tracking force. Finally, I lightly crimped the tonearm wire connectors around the posts on the back of the cartridge. The connectors were too loose and were causing some intermittent feedback. After all those modifications, needless to say, it ain't pretty. I'm going to definitely upgrade once I feel I've outgrown this lo-fi setup, but it'll do for now. I'm currently listening to a brand new copy of "Bob Dylan: Highway 61 Revisited" on 180 gram vinyl and it sounds great. I'll post pics of my 'handiwork' shortly.
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Feb 10, 2011 09:18
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Got a Teac 2300A reel to reel and an Akai M-10, plus about 10 tapes, a few of which are blank. Teac + 10 tapes was 70, Akai was 30 but might not work, cleaning it now. How dya think I fared? Teac plays like a dream.
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Feb 13, 2011 22:55
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