Connoisseur BD1 turntable.

[Barry]

Not sure if that is a compliment. Who is Jez Arkless?

My Dad was an apprentice at the time working in the television and wireless repair industry. So he had not much money but he and his mates were into their audio and had to make things because to buy was too costly when you are earning buttons. I think it's a good effort. How many younguns are doing things like this today when they actually tear themselves away from XBOX online.

Jez is an electronics engineer and a Member here. He has some firmly held, and expressed, views about the unnecessary use of 'fancy' enclosures, cables and connectors.

I used to build my own gear when I was a student and unable to buy 'off the shelf'. I still prefer to assemble my own cables and occasionally will 'knock up' a piece of kit to try out an idea. I have built a number of phonostages and head amps, published in the audio magazines.

[connoisseur_sme]

I have done some more work on this deck today.

I have checked the entire earthing circuit and have cleaned all screws and washers of tarnishing. I have meticulously checked that the motor is not touching the casing or base plate and it is not.

I have ensure the base plate has an path to earth. The neoprene belt still seems to resonate. I have cleaned the platter edge, top, belt groove, motor pulley. The neoprene belt materiel feel kind of tacky - like a sticky feel to it - not that it sticks to you but it feel tacky. I have a feeling that it unsticks as it comes out of the groove and behaves like a plucked guitar string.

I am now also thinking it could be the knackered stylus in some way. And it really is proper knackered. Something that is interesting is that if i press lightly on the tonearm the background hum goes. This is even if I touch the non conductive areas of it like the headshell which seems like some kind of plastic. If I simply touch the side of these areas ie place no pressure on the stylus the background hum remains - so surely this is not an eathing issue as the noise would go whether touched on the side of the metal bits or the top.

The stylus was also dirty so have attempted to clean it following careful instructions found on the web and YouTube and the actual stylus simply fell apart so the upshot now is that if I want to even try to get this going I need to buye either a replacement stylus for the Shure VN35HE or an enture new cartridge.

I am born from the digital age so this is all quite a new audio and technical adventure so thanks guys for your help. In terms of replacement cartridges I have considered three options:

1. go with the current Shure (better the devil known) and replace the current with the Shure M97XE
2. The Ortofon Bronze or Black
3. The Goldring 1042

The thing is I was intent on purchasing a record player in any event. Budget of no more that £1k to £1.2k. So would transfer the more expensive ones listed here over if this Connoisseur project can't go anywhere.

In terms of replacing the cartridge how easy is this? It appears to be 4 pull out connectors with coloured wires. The headshell has a number of screws dotted about all over it. Are cartridges a standard fitment?

[walpurgis]

It could be that the belt has some contamination on it. Give it a wash with washing up liquid. You won't hurt it. Might be an idea to clean the platter and pulley belt gooves again if that's the case.

I personally would look at a new cartridge rather than a replacement stylus for the Shure, assuming you could even locate a genuine Shure made item.

The Ortofon and Goldring are moderately costly. A Nagoaka MP-100 would give you a good start with this turntable at reasonable outlay.

The Connoisseur/SME combo should give pretty good results once up and running correctly. The BD1 is quite fun to tinker with and dead reliable, as long as the motor suspension is changed every now and then.

Your £1k/£1.2k turntable budget is a bit of a funny price point. There are decks I like below that price and above, but not much actually of that cost that I'd be particularly looking at.

Changing the cartridge should be easy. You'd need a small screwdriver and a pair of strong tweezers or small narrow nosed pliers to deal with the tags going to the cartridge pins. And you'll need an algnment protractor. Just get a simple one or print one off the net (to the right scale). Google for info on VTA (arm height), bias (anti skating), azimuth, etc. The cartridge should come with downforce details.

There's a guide here: http://www.audiophilia.com/reviews/2...artridge-setup

[connoisseur_sme]

I am actually having quite some fun with this Geoff.

I am really unfamiliar with turntables, styluses and tonearms. I was quite shocked to discover the cheapest SME arm is now about £1800!! My dad said he had to do some overtime to pay for his! Incidentally he has found his SME type 2 in a box in the shed.

It looks like the BD1 was a hobby project. Am I right in thinking that if I wanted to I could remount the deck in a different wood slab. I have contact with a sawmill who can provide me free a nice piece of local oak of say 3.5cm thickness which would look nice for this treated with Danish oil - using a jigsaw and hole saw to cut out the correct holes for the tone arm and deck? My dad has used blue tack to rest the deck on the wood - I think for damping. I was wondering if sorbathene could do this?

I have got some ideas for motor mountings that may have more longevity that stationery rubber bands. Perhaps using inner tube type materiel and making a new type of plasic mounting.

[walpurgis]

I'd get the whole thing up and running before worrying about more elaborate plinths for the moment. The BD1 does however respond well to a beefy base.

Putting something under the steel top plate can be useful. I've used sheet craft foam of around 1.5mm thickness. It compresses and damps, but leaves the turntable easy to remove.

There was an upgraded motor mounting towards the end of the BD1/BD2 production, consisting of a rubber 'spider'. Similar can be obtained (at a steep price): http://www.signalsuk.com/Shop/Audio/...nsion-Kit.html

[agk]

Quite frankly I'd bin it and spend some of that grand on something nice.

[connoisseur_sme]

Maybe you subscribe to a throw away society. But I don't. Plus it belongs to my Dad so would like to get it going, it isn't mine to bin and in which case I would have saved my money - or at least had a very modest outlay.

[helma]

First thing get a new belt, there's a company in the UK called "Technical and General" up to few years ago they still had original belts for the BD1/BD2, the aftermarket replacements are "sort of ok" at best, at least that's been my experience. T&G doesn't have a website but if you google them up you should find an email address for them Really sounds like the belt you have is missing things up. Also there's a capacitor parallel to the power switch, if that had drifted very far from original value with age, it can create parasitic voltage which will cause the motor to vibrate excessively (I had that happen, took me ages to figure out...) but it doesn't sound like that's the problem with your unit.

Motor vibrations transmitted to the platter through the belt (or from lack of proper motor mounting) will sound like a hum. But obviously also make sure it's not a ground hum you are battling. But again, I suspect the belt. Good luck, sounds like a nice project and should make sweet music after you get it sorted.

[walpurgis]

Technical and General are defunct as far as I'm aware. Last time I saw anything to do with them was about twenty years ago, when they had a stand at the Tonbridge Audio Jumble. I took the opportunity to stock up on Connoisseur spares (and still have a good selection ).

[connoisseur_sme]

Hi!

Further to this project I have decided to bin the player....

JOKE

No I actually have a proper rubber belt on the way and my Dad found inthe loft in a bx with reel to reel tapes and various bits and pieces a boxed VN35HA stylus. Also the SME tools - little spanner and allen keys and the SME protractor.

He think the proper box for it and the SME 2 he had in the shed (now indoors!) is in the loft somewhere.

I have done some experimenting tonight. The replacement of the proper knackered VN35HE has made a giant leap ahead - but I have ordered a full new cartridge. I have disconnected the belt and placed the stylus down on a record ""lead out??"" section (the middle bit) and the motor running and there was no noises unless I turned the amp volume to full maximum. Once the ebay belt was reconnected the hum returned.

Replacement of the stylus - sounds good as it is - so hopefully a new cartridge will be good?!?!

Think I am judging too harshly with this too - as coming from the CD age I am expecting no noises - and I need to shift that mindset.

One thing I can say and I may start a thread on this elsewhere unless there is one already.

I treated myself to a brand new sealed LP version of a band I like and was horrified to discover both records of the double LP set was actually warped!. Curious I did a Google and seemed to discover this being a more widespread issue... Anyone here experienced it?

Thanks for the encouragement.

PS - Out of interest Geoff what modern deck could you recommend for a budget up to £1500? Maybe slightly more?
PPS - Geoff, it seems you are right about polarised views on this deck - across the web simply a Marmite appeal.