record player problem

[antispatula]

woah this is weird....this topic is on record players! (my otari is in ruins and I must say after being forced to try digital recording, it in MOST ways sucks to the max,an this if from expirience now, not just an unhealthy prejudice ......)

So I got a record player for Christmas last year, and have enjoyed it very much. I've got somewhere around 40 records now (the who, carpenters, dan fogelburg (anyone remember him? He's a genious in my opinion) kenny loggins etc) and all was going good untill eventually I got a super distorted, bassy sound. It was the "tone arm" or whatever you call it. The needle is hitting the record a little off angle, so I started balancing the back of the arm with coins. That helped, but by the end of a few songs, the coins would have to be repositioned to get the best sound and stuff.....

So my question is: how can I fix an unbalanced arm? Can I replace it, or is it fixable somehow? Thanks!

[N7SC]

The needle is hitting the record a little off angle, so I started balancing the back of the arm with coins. That helped, but by the end of a few songs, the coins would have to be repositioned to get the best sound and stuff.....

Do you mean a "record player," like the whole shebang, turntable, amp and speakers all in one portable box? Or do you mean a turntable that needs to be hooked up to your stereo system?

In either case, the needle [stylus] should not be hitting the record off angle. If you have a turntable, it is easier to find directions and help to adjust everything. Try www.turntablebasics.com/advice.html to get started learning about what is involved. "Record players" likely don't have as many adjustments and may be harder to find cartridges or needles for. You will have to look for a manual for a record player on line, I'd think.

Since you have good enough ears and sense to have noticed that analog vinyl sounds far superior to digital anything, you might want to give some thought to saving up for a nice turntable that can be tweaked to give optimal sound, and will protect your vinyl much better than a record player. My suggestions would be a nice Dual CS 5000 (expect to pay $250 to $400) or a nice Revox B791 (linear tracking arm, expect to pay $150 to $400 and be SURE you get the cartridge mounting kit with the alignment gauge!), or a Dual 1229 in mint condition ($100 to $150). Maybe a Garrard Zero-100 in mint condition ($150 to $250). I've never much liked the Thorens turntables, although lots of audiophiles do. And, if you can live with the Bang & Olufsen cartridges (the only ones they take) some of the B&O linear tracking turntables were not only built very well, and work very well, but have very dramatic styling and are kind of neat to look at too. Think Danish modern design. In fact one of them (model 4002, I think) is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. They are a tad pricey though.

[N7SC]

Re: Fixing your record player. Try looking for the owner's and service manuals on line. If you can't find the manufacturer's specific ones, see if you can find a web site that is devoted to record players (not turntables). You might find some advice or contacts that can help you there.

If that doesn't work, then you will have to VERY CAREFULLY begin snooping about and finding out if there is a mechanism for balancing your tonearm and then applying a measured amount of tracking force. These machines are very delicate, so proceed with utmost caution and care. You might also want to study up on turntable tonearm alignment and setup and apply those basic principles to your record player.

Hard to diagnose what is going on, since I'm not there, but it sounds like the cantilever for your stylus is wearing out or has a problem. That is why the needle is not sitting at the right angle. If the tonearm was tracking way to hard to begin with it might wear out the suspension for the stylus cantilever, it would also be carving ruts in your albums. Or it could be an issue in the tonearm's suspension. That might explain why it gets worse as the record plays on.

First thing I'd suggest, not being there to see it and diagnose it, is to get the information for the cartridge that is in the tonearm, and get a stylus pressure gauge. Then, using either coins or whatever, or the tonearm counterbalance mechanism (if you can find it), balance the tonearm and set it up to track at optimal tracking force. Stylus pressure gauges are fairly inexpensive (well, compared to everything else these days, anyway) at $15 to $25. Shop around well. The Shure SFG-whatever is a good one.

And, don't hesitate to ask questions here.

[antispatula]

Originally Posted by N7SC

Since you have good enough ears and sense to have noticed that analog vinyl sounds far superior to digital anything, .

It's weird too, I never even thought I'd think that either, but I had listened to Dan Fogelburgs "Netherlands" a trillion times on vinyl and then I listened to it on a cd and I was shocked. It sounded so 2D and cold, I turned it off after the 3rd song.....

hey thanks for the advice, I think my solution is to get a seperate turntable and go from there.

[krhall]

On the back of the tone arm there should be an adjustable weight with a screw in the side. This weight you can slide forward or backward to correct the balance then there is a marker in front of that which you can also turn to "fine" tune the balance so that the stylus lands level. If the stylus lands on the record off level then there is a chance it could start causing damage to your records.
The record player i use has 2 weight adjustments on the back of the tone arm and on the front has 2 more adjustments and a neon light with a set of markers on the side of the turntable itself allowing me to calibrate the running speed of each of the 2 settings.
This may not be the case on all record players, but if you have a studio turntable then most likely your machine may have the same 2 adjustments.

Keith