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helsabot posted:Gotcha - mine are like the first picture. When you say 'don't short', you mean the wires in each part shouldn't touch, right? It is a-ok if you cut a few of the smaller wires.
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Jul 1, 2009 19:48
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Are you running it in Phono mode through a phono port? It being that bassy makes me think maybe the RIAA curve is being double applied. Try switching it to Line and see if that helps.
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Aug 23, 2017 18:38
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helsabot posted:Yep, it's been in line mode. It went from working one day to not working the next time I used it. My cat's fault, somehow? probably. Not really too much else unless you took it all apart, but even then those entry level turntables don't have a lot of places to fix them. You could try it's internal phono amp in the aux input to see if it's related to that.
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Aug 24, 2017 16:24
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Yeah, I would double check the turntable's phono mode through your amp's aux port before buying a new one. It would suck to get a new one and have the same problem come back. Another thing that's possible is that maybe the angle of the headshell changed? I'm not sure how much movement there is on it, but it would sound boomy if the back end is angled down when playing a record. As far as recommendations, I have an old BIC 960 that's fully automatic. They need to be opened and re-oiled, but they're much cheaper than the other vintage turntables listed above, but a step above modern automatic tables. I paid somewhere around $50 for mine on Craigslist and love it. I think most tables above $100 are manual these days, unfortunately.
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Aug 24, 2017 19:01
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dentist toy box posted:I was wondering if anyone could help me figure out is wrong with my TT, it's a MCS 6602, which from what I've heard is pretty much an off brand Technics. But anyways when i move the tonearm to the platter the strobe comes on and the platter spins for a second then stops. I'm guess it's a motor problem, but where would be a good place to start on trying to figure out whats wrong? Kind of a dumb question, but does the turntable have a record on it? I know some older tables would shut down if they don't sense anything on the table.
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Feb 12, 2018 18:47
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If you want to go even cheaper, I have this one for $16 and it sounds fine paired with the older, class-t version of this amp (though I saw a review of the class-d version and they said it was worse than the older ones). If you have a decent amplifier at all, you should be fine.
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Aug 15, 2018 16:37
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Folks, this is a periodic reminder to replace your record stylus if it's been a while. I bought a Grado Black probably 6-7 years ago and haven't really thought about it. Recently I've noticed my records sound crackly, even with new records or records I knew were clean. I was going through the "should I buy a new cartridge" motions, but finally settled on the straight $50 stylus replacement and the difference is instantly noticable. It's so silent now! It's amazing!
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Aug 24, 2018 23:38
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Stan Taylor posted:I gotta upgrade my current stock one that came with my u-turn but I'm worried about mucking up the installation of it, particularly adjusting the counterweight. I'm probably just overthinking it. You should do it! Maintenance and upgrades are some of the most fun parts of owning a turntable. The difference between a stock cartridge and even a mid-tier cartridge is pretty big sometimes. Besides, it's cool being a turntable owner in 2018 because any minor thing you need to adjust on it has a 30 minute video on YouTube of some guy in A. a grimy garage adjusting it, B. an extremely messy bedroom adjusting it, or C. a room with $30,000 worth of equipment adjusting it. So just go for it!
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Aug 24, 2018 23:53
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wa27 posted:Got this BIC 940 turntable at the Goodwill for $3 last week. It looks like it's in great physical shape but the platter is frozen solid (and I've probably ruined something by manually turning it). I've been soaking it with penetrating oil for a couple days. Tried a soldering iron to loosen it, tapping it with a hammer, and nothing's working. It's pretty common with old BICs that didn't get used for years. I recommend going down the rabbit hole and taking it apart, cleaning each part, then carefully regreasing and putting back together. There are a few guides you can find on Google and a few videos on YouTube. I did it a few years ago with my BIC 960 and I love it.
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Feb 3, 2019 23:11
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I found a real beat up Bic 960 on Craigslist for $20 and thought “what the heck, I’ll clean it, fix it up, and sell it for a profit.” After a month of cleaning, greasing, and bending the mechanisms back in place, it’s finally ready to go, but now I’m attached to it! The problem is now my living room looks like this: Is it pathetic to have two of the same turntables? Is there a legitimate case I could make for keeping both??
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Jun 30, 2019 21:03
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This is a good idea especially because one of them is a 6-record multiplayer so I’m potentially setting myself up for infinite plays.
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Jul 1, 2019 00:44
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Admittedly I’ve done this with albums that I have two copies of. It’s pretty convenient playing a whole album without getting up!
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Jul 1, 2019 02:12
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Electric Bugaloo posted:Earlier this week Steve Guttenberg published a video on his YouTube channel where he said something like This feeling has actually kept me from selling a Bic 960 that I bought off of Craigslist and fixed up. I'm worried that even though it's working fine now and i fixed its major problems (of which there were many), there's still some other problem waiting to arise that will affect whoever buys it. I know that doesn't matter, but I still would feel bad, especially if I listed it as "fixed" or "repaired" or something.
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Nov 1, 2019 17:56
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Decided I’d treat myself and upgraded my preamp to a Schiit Mani and now my Grado Black sounds bad and I’m going insane because none of my adjustments are fixing it so i guess i have to upgrade that now!!
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Jan 5, 2020 19:50
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lookslikerain posted:Do I need to justify buying things? Looking cool + being a 3-head is almost the entire checklist for getting a cassette deck, imo.
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Feb 6, 2020 16:42
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I had the positive wires swapped on my turntable headshell. What sort of weird audio effect would i have had? Everything was still in phase, but channels reversed. Or do both the ground/negative wires work the same?
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May 25, 2020 14:47
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In case you haven’t seen, there are apps designed for testing turntable speeds. RPM on iOS is my go to for making sure my table is going the right speed and it should take any guesswork out of seeing the pitch. Good entry level needles that are recommended a lot include the Ortofon red or blue, the Nagaoka MP-110, Grado... etc, lots of good stuff out there that start around $100, but have upgrades for a bit more cash. I have a Nagaoka MP-200 that was $350 and sounds amazing!
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Dec 21, 2020 21:31
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Someone else correct me if I’m wrong, but i don’t think you need to worry about bootlegs. The ortofon carts are commonly included with new tables and i bet the generic packaging is related to that. I also wouldn’t worry about much more than just the cartridge + alignment, belt, and pitch correction right now. Like they said, headshells are pretty much all the same and new ones are mostly useful for swapping carts easily. New tonearms are an audiophile upgrade that most people don’t do. You should be pretty well set with what you have once everything is tuned in!
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Dec 22, 2020 13:09
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Shout out to the guy who wrote in the margins of the Onkyo Ta-2056 3-head cassette deck service manual and then uploaded it to hifiengine. There’s a problem with the bias pot on the front of these machines and he made sure to note where it was in the circuit and what was wrong. Now mine works perfectly 
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Dec 23, 2020 18:40
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Ok Comboomer posted:There’s a special seat in Audio Valhalla for those guys Seriously. I was prepared to go through a audio signal routing exercise until i figured I’d at least test what he wrote first and what do you know...
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Dec 23, 2020 18:54
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Extremely random question, but I’ve had bad luck with 3.5mm to RCA cables in the past and want a better way to connect a few things to my system (specifically an Activo CT10 and my Apple airport express). Are there any boxes that take in 3.5mm and output RCA or is this dumb enough that I’ll have to diy it? Mainly the cables are too lopsided and eventually the 3.5mm side starts getting loose and breaking the connection.
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Dec 26, 2020 21:20
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eddiewalker posted:Hosa 3.5 to RCA cables are very solid and not very expensive. I trust them on critical duty. This is a definite possibility. I saw these while browsing Amazon but eventually everything blended together and the the reviews for cables like this aren’t always great. I like that they’re not too expensive. Ok Comboomer posted:Honestly you’re better off getting an inexpensive DAC of some sort (Schiit Modi at the top end, SMSL or FiiO if you want to go a bit cheaper) that has optical and USB ins. This is also a good idea. I’ve thought about it before, but like the dac in the CT10. The idea of connecting both it and the airport though is very appealing and i also have a schiit mani so it’d fit right in. Thanks you two, I’ll probably get indecisive and end up ordering both.
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Dec 26, 2020 23:03
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 Ignore the kids toys, but just got back a pair of DCM Time Windows that i loaned off... 8 years ago or so? I have a much better amp and source setup now and they sound pretty cool. Big sound stage that changes drastically depending on how you have them positioned. Not sure I’m ready to make them my main drivers, but wanted to share!
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Apr 25, 2021 21:44
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large hands posted:I love those old seventies speakers, reminds me of my epi m400 towers I blew up that had 4 tweeters and 4 mids each facing in a different direction. It’s a neat effect and after using them for 3ish hours I’ve really warmed up to the sound. They just require such specific positioning and it doesn’t really fit in with my life right now (see baby toys). The one thing i regret is that they revealed motor hum in my turntable that isn’t as forward on my other speakers. Now i feel like i gotta fix it...
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Apr 25, 2021 22:47
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Discernibly Turgid posted:Check to see if your motor’s bottom bearing needs a drop of light machine oil. If the bearing isn’t shot/in the process of failing, that usually stops noise from the actual motor. Ding ding, it was the motor bearing. I have a Bic 960 and the motor bearing is a thin sliver of metal that wedges in below the rotor. I used to have issues with it making a loud scraping noise, so I actually replaced it with a firm piece of plastic. This fixed the noise, but after a few years the plastic must’ve gotten worn down because it was sagging enough for the rotor to misalign to the magnets, causing the entire deck to vibrate. The vibrations were then coming through the speakers as a rumbling noise. Back when I was originally getting the scraping noise, folks recommended a bit of sewing machine oil on the bearing to lubricate. I didn’t have sewing machine oil at the time and none of the other oils I had (generic “hobby oil” and white lithium grease) both didn’t work. I’ve since bought sewing machine oil for my tape decks, so I put a drop on the original bearing, put it back, and everything is working and sounding perfectly. I’ll be interested to see if the sewing machine oil lasts or if the noise will come back, but for now it is nice, silent, and not rumbling.
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Apr 27, 2021 01:54
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petit choux posted:Wow, thanks! Any more takers? I use the non-phono version of this for my records and it works just fine! I like that it’s powered through it’s USB connection and that it works with my iPad.
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May 29, 2021 21:10
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Animale posted:I feel special, I replaced my first cartridge without destroying anything. The dog jumped into the table while I was playing something and the needle became toast (and scratched up a Yeah Yeah Yeahs lp). I ended up upgrading my Rega Bias to an Elys 2 since I already have a Rega phono preamp that's designed for their cartridges. Yes, that exists! You are describing p-mount cartridges. They just aren’t as popular. E: https://www.lpgear.com/category/T4P.html
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Aug 14, 2021 02:04
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A bit random, but does anyone know anything about universal remotes with audio equipment? I have a B&K Preamp that I got for cheap on eBay that has a broken screen. It works fine, but selecting a source isn’t easy since your current source is shown on the screen as you cycle through them. The official remote has buttons for each of the sources, but they’re old and out of stock, so I’m looking at universals, but I can’t tell if there’s some way to know if it’ll work with my unit. I’ve found hex codes (?) for the specific model (pt 3 series II) and generic 3/4/5 digit codes for B&K receivers. Will I just have to dive in and try one out? Does anyone have any ideas on what to look for? E: I see some custom programmed/labeled remotes from different sources, but they’re $30. Hoping for around $10 or less considering how much generic universal remotes go for, but I may have to spring for it. VladimirLeninpest fucked around with this message at 19:50 on Sep 9, 2021 |
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Sep 9, 2021 19:34
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RIP Paul Walker posted:If you can find an old used Harmony remote, you'll be in good shape. This might be the way to go, to really make sure it works. I didn’t realize they were so cheap, thanks!
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Sep 11, 2021 13:39
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The follow-up to this post is that I got a Harmony 700 for $15 shipped and it works perfectly, so thank you for the suggestion! We rearranged our furniture and finally have room for standing speakers, so I was able to get my DCM Time Windows set up. I bought them 10+ years ago for $50 from Craigslist and eventually gave them to my brother-in-law because we were moving cities and I didn't want to have to haul them alongside everything else. I got them back earlier this year and they've been in the basement, waiting until we had space. They're such cool speakers: 2 tweeters and 2 subwoofers per speaker, each pair facing different directions. Leads to very clear mids and highs, tight bass that fill the entire room, so you can stand almost anywhere and have it image like it should. 
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Sep 22, 2021 04:37
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You could get a Chromecast Audio for *searches eBay* $75? Jesus Christ!
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Oct 3, 2021 14:57
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You could get something raspberry pi based to stream, like volumio or roon. A hifiberry dac hat sounds great and gives you RCA out.
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Oct 3, 2021 15:29
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Christ dude just search amazon for spotify streamer. There are a lot of options: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077NC44SH/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_9DKCZ5GX9ZCTFYGXANZB https://www.amazon.com/dp/B083TG9L22/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_JRCS2ZNY1DRSSW04B7TS https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00WF95GCQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_D3K3AR1SP26Y747B09KR Budget option: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GHPS9G1/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_NQFX907AE5KM6AT5EPPQ
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Oct 3, 2021 16:34
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Casual Encountess posted:no poo poo dude i can search amazon. i came into this thread reasonably expecting some firsthand experience on this fairly common use case because the options, like always, are overwhelming. People have given options and you still keep moving goalposts and changing what you want. Get some sort of bluetooth dongle or a cheap wifi streamer. If you want something higher end then try to be a bit more specific.
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Oct 3, 2021 16:47
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Ok Comboomer posted:imagine the sort of loving moron who drops $1600 on a network streamer because he searched Amazon instead of asking some goony goons who live for this poo poo for like a modicum of advice Searching amazon for spotify streamer brings up all sorts of “white label” chromecast alternatives for <$100, just like he was looking for.
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Oct 3, 2021 16:52
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Ok Comboomer posted:yeah but like half of those are poo poo? Yeah and people posted the non poo poo options above and he said “no not those”
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Oct 3, 2021 16:55
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Casual Encountess posted:yes and a lot of them look like garbage which is why i came here to ask I gave you a budget option. E: besides a Chromecast Audio has a 3.5mm jack and not hdmi like a chromecast. There’s your best option.
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Oct 3, 2021 17:41
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TheMadMilkman posted:I know it’s not great from a technical standpoint. But it has two meters and mechanical switches. It’s fun to play with. I have a weird affinity towards BIC because i have one of their automatic turntables from the 70s that i love, so i said “oh nice” when i saw the logo. It’s a very nice looking device even if it’s not technically great!
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Oct 6, 2021 16:07
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Imo audio quality was perfected in 2002 when i downloaded The Legend of Zelda by System of a Down.mp3 and anyone disagreeing is a mentally ill audiophile.
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Oct 12, 2021 16:41
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Ok Comboomer posted:“change an old belt” is a pretty ‘meh’ kind of tinkering Get an old automatic, like a Bic 960, and you can spend hours degreasing then re-greasing everything!
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Mar 18, 2023 18:46
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