New turntable for a complete noob

[steve_1979]

*unknw*

 

[Deleted member 108165]

I've also discovered that the arms resonant frequency is 9Hz (which is apparently at the lower end of what's acceptable). Something that I noticed during this test while closely watching the cartridge from the front while it was playing is that the plastic body that holds the stylus isn't quite sitting square in the cartridge body. I wonder if there was more damage during transit than I thought and a whole new cartridge was required rather than just a new stylus? The stereo image is very slightly off centre which may or may not be a symptom of this?

Pioneer has roughly the same resonant frequency. How did the Techie do on the bias tracks?

Does the stylus cantilever look square to the record groove? If not, just an idea: There is a small amount of play in the tonearm/headshell slot for minor azimuth adjustment - unscrew the headshell from the arm but don't remove it from its slot, twist it in the direction required and hold it there whilst you tighten the retaining collar. This may work or not.

 

[steve_1979]

I've also discovered that the arms resonant frequency is 9Hz (which is apparently at the lower end of what's acceptable). Something that I noticed during this test while closely watching the cartridge from the front while it was playing is that the plastic body that holds the stylus isn't quite sitting square in the cartridge body. I wonder if there was more damage during transit than I thought and a whole new cartridge was required rather than just a new stylus? The stereo image is very slightly off centre which may or may not be a symptom of this?

Pioneer has roughly the same resonant frequency. How did the Techie do on the bias tracks?

Does the stylus cantilever look square to the record groove? If not, just an idea: There is a small amount of play in the tonearm/headshell slot for minor azimuth adjustment - unscrew the headshell from the arm but don't remove it from its slot, twist it in the direction required and hold it there whilst you tighten the retaining collar. This may work or not.

On the bias tracks the centre image was slightly off to the right side and there was a bit of the distortion sound from the right speaker which I reduced by increasing the tracking a bit but it never totally went away.

When viewed from the front the stylus body is slightly twisted in the cartridge body. It's slightly lower on the left side than the right and as it plays a record this seems to cause the needle arm to be pushed a bit to the right.

I'll try the adjustment you suggested soon and report back

 

[steve_1979]

I'll try the adjustment you suggested soon and report back.

Nope it didn't work.

So I've orded a new Shure N44G cartridge and will wait until it arrives before listening to any records again just incase it's causing them premature wear. I'll throw the old cartridge away but keep the stylus as a spare for when the new one needs replacing.

Thanks again everyone for your thoughts and advice. It's been very much appreciated.

 

[matt49]

 

[Al ears]

Let us know how the new one performs.

 

[steve_1979]

Money down the drain.

£50 for a new cartridge plus I still have old stylus as a spare for the future which is worth about £22 so I'm only about £28 down really. It's a bummer but not the end of the world.

 

[matt49]

£50 for a new cartridge plus I still have old stylus as a spare for the future which is worth about £22 so I'm only about £28 down really. It's a bummer but not the end of the world.

No, it's not the end of the world. It's just the beginning of the end/a slippery slope/the thin end of the wedge [insert ominous metaphor as required].

 

[Vladimir]

£50 for a new cartridge plus I still have old stylus as a spare for the future which is worth about £22 so I'm only about £28 down really. It's a bummer but not the end of the world.

No, it's not the end of the world. It's just the beginning of the end/a slippery slope/the thin end of the wedge [insert ominous metaphor as required].

Are you implying that going vinyl in hi-fi is like getting a boat in personal transportation?

 

[matt49]

£50 for a new cartridge plus I still have old stylus as a spare for the future which is worth about £22 so I'm only about £28 down really. It's a bummer but not the end of the world.

No, it's not the end of the world. It's just the beginning of the end/a slippery slope/the thin end of the wedge [insert ominous metaphor as required].

Are you implying that going vinyl in hi-fi is like getting a boat in personal transportation?

When the seagulls follow the trawler, it is because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea. *unknw*

 

[Vladimir]

Boats are money pits. I'm surprised you never heard of this.

Anyway, it's not that bad. Just a small bump during shipping (no pun intended) and it shouldn't spoil the experience.

 

[steve_1979]

£50 for a new cartridge plus I still have old stylus as a spare for the future which is worth about £22 so I'm only about £28 down really. It's a bummer but not the end of the world.

No, it's not the end of the world. It's just the beginning of the end/a slippery slope/the thin end of the wedge [insert ominous metaphor as required].

Like I said earlier. I'm not chasing rainbows with vinyl so I won't be throwing buckets of money at it. So long as it sounds alright and everything is working as it should be I'm happy.

 

[steve_1979]

Trying out the new cartridge now with a first play of Nirvana Nevermind. It sounds wicked (in a good way). It's clear with good stereo and is well balanced with just the right amount of bass, mid and treble.

There's also another headshell (one black, one silver) so that I can fit a second cartridge and quickly swap between them. But that'll have to be another adventure for the future. I need to go into hardcore saving mode this year so apart from the occasional record there'll be no more purchases for some time.

 

[Vladimir]

Got a record clamp yet? I love those things.

 

[steve_1979]

Is that to stop the records from floating away while they're playing? I don't think it'll be necessary as I've ordered one of those new Russ Andrews Gravity Filters© to stop all those pesky gravity waves from upsetting the balance of the turntable. Nothing but the cleanest purest audiophile quality gravity for me from now on and as a bonus it works on power amplifiers too making the silences in between notes even blacker.

 

[davedotco]

Is that to stop the records from floating away while they're playing? I don't think it'll be necessary as I've ordered one of those new Russ Andrews Gravity Filters© to stop all those pesky gravity waves from upsetting the balance of the turntable. Nothing but the cleanest purest audiophile quality gravity for me from now on and as a bonus it works on power amplifiers too making the silences in between notes even blacker.

The rotating black hole at the centre of your record will produce local gravity waves that will overwhelm anything from another solar system.

The energy of the system will increase with time (no. of rotations), eventually it will radiate at radio frequencies causing even more problems. Having a pulsar at the centre of you hi-fi setup is no laughing matter.

 

[Al ears]

Is that to stop the records from floating away while they're playing? I don't think it'll be necessary as I've ordered one of those new Russ Andrews Gravity Filters© to stop all those pesky gravity waves from upsetting the balance of the turntable. Nothing but the cleanest purest audiophile quality gravity for me from now on and as a bonus it works on power amplifiers too making the silences in between notes even blacker.

The rotating black hole at the centre of your record will produce local gravity waves that will overwhelm anything from another solar system.

The energy of the system will increase with time (no. of rotations), eventually it will radiate at radio frequencies causing even more problems. Having a pulsar at the centre of you hi-fi setup is no laughing matter.

Do you advise using shielded cables to protect the sweet sweet music from all that radio frequency interference pouring of the record player?

p.s. Listening to a bit of Bob Marley Legend at the mo. It sounds out of this world.

So is Bob.

 

[Vladimir]

Are they deemed voodoo in a TT setup? I thought they are for warped records.

 

[steve_1979]

Are they deemed voodoo in a TT setup? I thought they are for warped records.

Ignore me I'm just being an internet d**k.

I might consider getting one in the future at some point as they're not too expensive (well the Shun Mook is a bit steep).

In all seriousness though, do they make much difference? I have a couple of slightly warped records but it doesn't seem to do any harm to the sound although it's difficult to tell for sure.

 

[Vladimir]

I just like how they look. Like a little hat for your gramophone. Its cool.

 

[steve_1979]

I've just been reading up a bit on record clamps? People seem to have very varied views on them. As my records are almost all brand new 180gram with minimal or no warping I don't think I'll bother. My money would be better off spent on a new table or shelf anyway but that'll probably wait until after I've moved house.

Anti-static sleeves on the other hand are very tempting. I have a long haired cat and whenever I handle a record it just sucks any hairs off my jumper like a hoover. Luckily they're white hairs so they're easy to spot.

 

[steve_1979]

Is that to stop the records from floating away while they're playing? I don't think it'll be necessary as I've ordered one of those new Russ Andrews Gravity Filters© to stop all those pesky gravity waves from upsetting the balance of the turntable. Nothing but the cleanest purest audiophile quality gravity for me from now on and as a bonus it works on power amplifiers too making the silences in between notes even blacker.

The rotating black hole at the centre of your record will produce local gravity waves that will overwhelm anything from another solar system.

The energy of the system will increase with time (no. of rotations), eventually it will radiate at radio frequencies causing even more problems. Having a pulsar at the centre of you hi-fi setup is no laughing matter.

Do you advise using shielded cables to protect the sweet sweet music from all that radio frequency interference pouring off the record player?

p.s. Listening to a bit off Bob Marley Legend at the mo. It sounds out of this world.

 

[steve_1979]

Does anyone have any experience with the Shure M97xE cartridge? It's Shure's best audiophile cartridge (my current M44G is a DJ one) and at £80 the price of the M97xE seems reasonable. It also looks like the aesthetics would suit the spare silver headshell that I have. My only concern is that I have no experience of mounting a cartridge and the M97 looks fiddly as hell.

I'm only half looking at the moment. The M44G seems fine for now so it won't be until late in the year or next year before I get a new one. The Denon DL-110 looks good but I can't really justify spending £150, certainly not without getting a better shelf to put the record player on first.

 

[Al ears]

Does anyone have any experience with the Shure M97xE cartridge? It's Shure's best audiophile cartridge (my current M44G is a DJ one) and at £80 the price of the M97xE seems reasonable. It also looks like the aesthetics would suit the spare silver headshell that I have. My only concern is that I have no experience of mounting a cartridge and the M97 looks fiddly as hell.

I'm only half looking at the moment. The M44G seems fine for now so it won't be until late in the year or next year before I get a new one. The Denon DL-110 looks good but I can't really justify spending £150, certainly not without getting a better shelf to put the record player on first.

Yes. It's a good, smooth sounding all-rounder. Good tracker too. I fitted one to my brother's deck a while back. Very good value for money.

Do you know anyone who can help you with fitting the cartridge?

 

[steve_1979]

Does anyone have any experience with the Shure M97xE cartridge? It's Shure's best audiophile cartridge (my current M44G is a DJ one) and at £80 the price of the M97xE seems reasonable. It also looks like the aesthetics would suit the spare silver headshell that I have. My only concern is that I have no experience of mounting a cartridge and the M97 looks fiddly as hell.

I'm only half looking at the moment. The M44G seems fine for now so it won't be until late in the year or next year before I get a new one. The Denon DL-110 looks good but I can't really justify spending £150, certainly not without getting a better shelf to put the record player on first.

Yes. It's a good, smooth sounding all-rounder. Good tracker too. I fitted one to my brother's deck a while back. Very good value for money.

Do you know anyone who can help you with fitting the cartridge?

I'm not sure. I used to work with a DJ who might be able to help out. If not it might be worth finding someone with some experience who can show me how it's done. I'd prefer not to try it unsupervised the first time as there's only so much you can learn from watching YouTube.