View Full Version : Advice on getting best from battered 1210
Hi - newbie looking for advice here.
I've picked up my first proper turntable - a 1210 Mk3D which has been DJ'd, and has a broken arm and wonky stylus. It plays (tested on rubbish vinyl) but I want to use this turntable to rip vinyl to digital format, so am looking for advice on how to get the best capture with what I've got, without spending £1000s.
I planned to replace the arm with another stock Technics arm, but before I do I've read there are better arms out there. Reading through this forum though it seems these better arms are coming in at +£500. Is there anything that will beat a Technics arm but is in the same sort of price range? For convenience I'd prefer one where headshells can just plug in like on the Technics arm.
My earth wire is also missing its lug. Where can I get a good quality replacement lug? Do they need soldering on?
Whilst I have the case apart, are there any other mods I can do that will improve the sound, again, without costing a fortune? I was excited by the Mike New bearing, till I saw the price. :D Can't justify the cost at the mo. Should I try regreasing the bearing I've got?
I've got load more questions, but don't wanna overwhelm with my first post. :)
kininigin
03-04-2014, 22:08
Hi Donny and welcome to AoS.
If it was me,i would get a new Technics arm (which will have a new ground wire on it!) Replace the stock feet with either some sorbothane feet like these.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sorbothane-4-x-50mm-Vinyl-Passion-Isopods-/331136696289?pt=UK_AudioTVElectronics_HomeAudioHiF i_Turntables&hash=item4d1948ffe1
This is what i use as at the moment.Or you can try some Isonoes,which cost more but are meant to be very good at what they do.I haven't used them though.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ISONOE-ISOLATION-FEET-FOR-TECHNICS-SL1210-BLACK-VERSION-ALSO-FIT-REGA-/350983459697?pt=UK_AudioTVElectronics_HomeAudioHiF i_Turntables&hash=item51b83e9371
I would then get a decent mat.I've only ever used one,so will recommend that one,which is a
Funk Firm Achromat.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Funk-Firm-Achromat-Turntable-Platter-Mat-SL1200-SL1210-/171218133873?pt=Turntable_Parts_Accessories&hash=item27dd656371
I would probably also get a new bearing!
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TECHNICS-MOTOR-SHAFT-CENTRE-BEARING-SPINDLE-SL1210-SL1200-NEW-PART-MK2-MK3-MK5-/301101498436?pt=UK_AudioTVElectronics_HomeAudioHiF i_Turntables&hash=item461b0c4044
That is probably the cheapest way to get decent results as far as i know! Add you cart of choice and i think you will have a good sounding deck to record you vinyl from.Hope this helps.
Carlos
A good place to look around is KAB USA http://www.kabusa.com/frameset.htm?/1200bld.htm
They have all sorts for sale. Many members here have used them.
Audio Al
04-04-2014, 05:40
I'm a bit confused with this :scratch:
Is it worth spending money if you only intention is to rip your music to files ?
DarrenHW
04-04-2014, 09:14
Hi Donny,
Welcome aboard :wave:. I'm a newb too :), joined here November 2013 after buying my first Techie with exactly the same goal as you, to create a vinyl transcriber without spending a fortune.
The first thing I did was to replace the feet with Sorbothane feet as Darren suggests above a very worth while upgrade for the money and time involved.
Next I externalised the power supply and installed a new regulator, there is a DIY thread on here (http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?28607-DIY-PSU-amp-Regulator) in total this cost me about £60.00 but took about 15 hours to complete :eek:. Again major bang for buck with this mod if you're comfortable with a soldering iron and multimeter, Ken (Qwin) has manufactured PCB's and put together a BOM (Bill of Materials) so it's really just soldering by numbers. If you're not comfortable with the DIY aspect then take a look at some of the after market PS's, MCRU have their own starting at £195.00 (http://www.mains-cables-r-us.co.uk/analogue-lp-s/777-linear-power-supply-for-technics-sl-series-turntables.html) or if you're after an even cheaper option I have an old Time Step PS I'd be happy to sell you, but I'm only selling this as I think the DIY has better speed stability, so my advice is to go down the DIY route if you can.
Now on to the arm... I went down the same route you're planning on. New stock arm from Juno Records on eBay for £30.99, second hand ADC LMG-1 Headshell £28.00 (as my cart is a AT440MLa and responds best with a lower mass arm), second hand KAB Fluid Damper £50.00, Cardas rewire with Cardas GRCM RCA's £65.69 and stuffed with cotton wool. So all in £174.68 at the cheapest prices I could find. I would recommend all of these mods both individually and as a whole, all made a big improvement however in hindsight I wouldn't go down this route again, but prefer to invest in an after market arm such as the Micro Seiki MA 202 (http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?22629-Technics-SL1210-MK5g-BLACK-BEAUTY-Some-Pics) as probably the best budget solution or keep an eye out for a second hand Jelco SA-750 both of which are poular choices here, there is also the option of using a Rega arm, all of which will also require an arm board, search on here for Speedy Steve Arm Board they're very well respected and beautiful.
I also installed a new stock bearing for £21.99 from eBay, this was an improvement over the existing worn bearing that I had, however I was lucky enough to pick up a second hand modded SL 1210 on here with a Mike New Bearing and honestly wouldn't go back. The NM Bearing is just so much more musical, again Ken has come up with a DIY mod for this so well worth persuing if you're happy to do a bit of metal work (http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?22788-Can-you-improve-the-stock-techie-bearing&highlight=1200+bearing).
As Andrei suggests above, it's well worth checking out the KAB site. I could have rewired the tonearm for half the price if I'd had the patience to wait for delivery from the states (bear in mind you will have to pay customs charges on anything you order), if keeping or modding the stock bearing you might want to invest in some Thrust Plate Wax, some members on here have tried Neoprene instead with good results, I gave the Neoprene a go but for me it over dampened the bearing, well worth a try though for a couple of quid.
How are you planning to digitise your vinyl? The choice of ADC is something I'm researching at the moment but there are so many choices :scratch:!
The only warning I would give you is to prepared to get hooked on this, like I said I joined with exactly the same intention as you, in 6 months I've spent £1500.00 on Techies alone (although I do have 2 and will recoup some of this selling the parts I'm not keeping), not to mention Phono stage, CDP's, amps, speakers, racks etc... So beware the slippery slope, it is fun though :)!
Enjoy the journey.
Donny,
Agree with most of the above advice
Sorbothane feet - yes, definately,
Acromat - yes
New Arm - get a new technics arm from Juno records, as above to start with - your next arm choice will be influenced by cartridge choices, and this will get you going and allow you to think through your next moves. Replace the arm cable immediately with a good quality one - lots to choose from without spending much.
New Technics bearing - yes, definately. If your deck has seen some abuse, this is what will have suffered (as well as the arm, but that is already being replaced). The deck should perform as well as a new item if you do the arm and bearing, although do check that the platter doesn't wobble as it rotates.
DIY PSU - I built one, and love it to bits. I think it makes a huge difference, and is fantastic value for money as an improvement if you can manage a soldering iron.
Next thing to think about is the phono stage and the ADC you want to use to rip with. Assuming you have a decent phono stage available, I would look at the the HRT Linestreamer II+ as an ADC - I use one and think that it is fantastic. I would also reecommend the EMU 0404USB if you can find one second hand - it is cheap and has good ADCs and line input buffers.
In general terms, don't go mad with modifications (yet) - get the deck working properly (bearing and arm), mod it mildly (feet, mat and maybe DIY PSU) and then see what else you might benefit from doing to meet your needs.
Good luck,
Alex
Thanks for all the suggestions so far. There's so much info to take in, which is frustrating coz I'm dying to get started. :)
Regarding the feet... I assume what the deck is sitting on may affect the sound too? (regardless of feet). eg... it's currently on a wooden sideboard. and my house has suspended wooden floors, there's really nowhere 'solid' to house the deck. Any suggestions for better siting, or will just using the suggested feet sort me out?
I had considered moving the PSU outside, but it's a real big decision for me as I much prefer the practicality of everything sitting together in one unit. Are there any mods that isolate the existing onboard PSU better? (lead casing, lol ;)) Anyone know of any before and after (recorded/waveform) examples of the difference it makes by taking the PSU outside?
Again, for convenience I'd like to put a hinged lid on the deck, do I run any risk of attracting unwanted noise by fitting a lid?
Also I've seen mods for routing the earth wire to one of the phonos. Good idea or not?
When it comes to the actual ripping, my current facility stands at going through a Cambridge Audio P25 Mk2 amp, and into my MacBook Pro/Audacity. I'm sure there's much better options?? I'm a bit suspicious of using USB for audio, just seems more processing, less direct?
I'm a bit confused with this :scratch:
Is it worth spending money if you only intention is to rip your music to files ?
I agree.
I'd just buy a working 1210,rip your vinyl then flog it.
Stratmangler
05-04-2014, 22:32
I'm a bit confused with this :scratch:
Is it worth spending money if you only intention is to rip your music to files ?
I agree.
I'd just buy a working 1210,rip your vinyl then flog it.
I completely disagree.
The modifications will (and do) make quite audible improvements to the recordings.
GIGO very much applies.
+1 (with bells on)!!
:exactly:
Marco.
Surely buying a deck that is ready to go would be better.
If he buys upgrades for the 1210 he will lose a large chunk of cash once he has recorded his vinyl.
kininigin
06-04-2014, 00:13
Surely buying a deck that is ready to go would be better.
If he buys upgrades for the 1210 he will lose a large chunk of cash once he has recorded his vinyl.
Not if he already has the deck and it just needs an arm! I suspect he bought the deck quite cheap.Maybe for £100-150? The cheaper upgrades will again cost about £100-150.So he will have a deck which is lightly modded for £300 tops! To get a standard deck will cost about the same and not have the upgrades! And he may be buying more vinyl for all we know! And of course he can sell it and not lose much if anything due to the new arm and bearing!
Indeed... There are plenty of folk here who would buy a modded Techy, lightly or otherwise, especially as you say, at the price that's likely to asked :)
Also, there is a presumption (wrongly perhaps?) that Donny cares more about the potential of losing money (if or when he sells his T/T) than he does about optimising the sound quality of his vinyl rips! ;)
Marco.
Just FYI, yes I got the deck for tens of pounds, rather than hundreds, it was practically given away. It's taken me 6 months to find it, I had indeed been looking at decks that were ready to go, but people wanted over the odds (imho). Also, this way I know exactly what is and isn't in the deck and the care with which it got put there.
And ripping vinyl to files - odd as it may seem, I don't carry my turntable & vinyl with me on the bus, in the car, etc...
The stuff I want to digitize is things that aren't on CD/Download. I don't plan to dispose of the vinyl once ripped, just want it in a more convenient format for day-to-day modern life. I'd like to do this ripping process only once, hence me wanting the best set up I can afford before I start.
Audio Al
06-04-2014, 08:18
I don't plan to dispose of the vinyl once ripped, just want it in a more convenient format for day-to-day modern life. I'd like to do this ripping process only once, hence me wanting the best set up I can afford before I start.
OK , Makes sense now :)
Hi Donny,
The question is, how interested are you in optimising the sound quality of your vinyl rips? Because the results you'll achieve with using a stock Technics or a judiciously modified one will be somewhat marked! ;)
Marco.
I'm interested in achieving the best I can within say, a £500-£600 budget.
If money were no object I could easily spend £1000, £2000, £3000 on better equipment, but I won't be (correct me if I'm wrong) achieving 2, 4, 6 times as better quality, and that's what I have to keep reminding myself. The law of diminishing returns and all that.
I'd already borrowed an iOn USB turntable just to check they really were as crap as I expected, and they were. I got a budget 70s deck but it had background hum and uneven L-R output, so that's when I decided to bite the bullet and get some more serious equipment that (hopefully) doesn't introduce problems to digitizing, as these two methods did.
At the end of the day, I'm ripping records that cost pounds, not remastering Abbey Road.
That, and the fact that the top end of my hearing is gone anyway :D Will I be able to hear all the beauty a £2000 cartridge provides? (I'll be going for a hearing test soon just to see where exactly I am at :)).
I'm interested in achieving the best I can within say, a £500-£600 budget.
Ok then, let's give you the biggest 'bang for your buck' we can for that sort of dosh! I'll come back with some reccos later :)
Marco.
eg. a lot of my vinyl is Charity Shop/Boot Sale finds, needless to say they're not always in the greatest condition.
I saw a YouTube demo of the KAB Fluid Dampner that Darren recommended, and even through my laptop speakers I could hear a significant difference it made to a warped record:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMo1aDwT0q8
When push comes to shove I'd prefer to be spending money on mods which minimise such problems that these old records have, than say bringing out the warmth of a Bernie Winters' brass section.
If I do ever come across something akin to the lost Velvet Underground Scepter Acetate, I might up my budget a little. ;)
walpurgis
06-04-2014, 16:04
Hi Donny.
I think you're on the right track. Because your Technics was a well used and battered example doesn't mean it isn't worth investing some time in. Just to get it usable should be easy enough, there are loads of used 1200/1210 arms cropping up on eBay cheap and any other bits you need. Then you can move on and improve as you see fit. Don't be put off because you may not be taking the route others on AOS might choose. Structurally these turntables are easy enough to work on and I'm sure there's plenty of knowledge here among members and on the net if you need a tip or two. I've rebuilt a couple and changed arms etc., with little trouble. Upgrades are more or less limitless, just down to your budget.
Ok then, let's give you the biggest 'bang for your buck' we can for that sort of dosh! I'll come back with some reccos later :)
Marco.
:popcorn:
Structurally these turntables are easy enough to work on and I'm sure there's plenty of knowledge here among members and on the net if you need a tip or two.
This was a major deciding factor for me, there's so much information (and enthusiasm) online about how to service these machines, plus they don't seem too temperamental.
As the thread's gone slightly wayward, can I just repost my questions from post #7 as they haven't been addressed by anyone yet:
-----------
Regarding the feet... I assume what the deck is sitting on may affect the sound too? (regardless of feet). eg... it's currently on a wooden sideboard. and my house has suspended wooden floors, there's really nowhere 'solid' to house the deck. Any suggestions for better siting, or will just using the suggested feet sort me out?
I had considered moving the PSU outside, but it's a real big decision for me as I much prefer the practicality of everything sitting together in one unit. Are there any mods that isolate the existing onboard PSU better? (lead casing, lol ) Anyone know of any before and after (recorded/waveform) examples of the difference it makes by taking the PSU outside?
Again, for convenience I'd like to put a hinged lid on the deck, do I run any risk of attracting unwanted noise by fitting a lid?
Also I've seen mods for routing the earth wire to one of the phonos. Good idea or not?
When it comes to the actual ripping, my current facility stands at going through a Cambridge Audio P25 Mk2 amp, and into my MacBook Pro/Audacity. I'm sure there's much better options?? I'm a bit suspicious of using USB for audio, just seems more processing, less direct?
--------
Stratmangler
06-04-2014, 22:15
Regarding the feet... I assume what the deck is sitting on may affect the sound too? (regardless of feet). eg... it's currently on a wooden sideboard. and my house has suspended wooden floors, there's really nowhere 'solid' to house the deck. Any suggestions for better siting, or will just using the suggested feet sort me out?
I had considered moving the PSU outside, but it's a real big decision for me as I much prefer the practicality of everything sitting together in one unit. Are there any mods that isolate the existing onboard PSU better? (lead casing, lol ) Anyone know of any before and after (recorded/waveform) examples of the difference it makes by taking the PSU outside?
Again, for convenience I'd like to put a hinged lid on the deck, do I run any risk of attracting unwanted noise by fitting a lid?
Also I've seen mods for routing the earth wire to one of the phonos. Good idea or not?
When it comes to the actual ripping, my current facility stands at going through a Cambridge Audio P25 Mk2 amp, and into my MacBook Pro/Audacity. I'm sure there's much better options?? I'm a bit suspicious of using USB for audio, just seems more processing, less direct?
--------
The original feet are an abomination - there's no more apt word to describe them.
They have a negative effect on sound quality.
Sorbethane pods are recommended, but Isonoe feet take things to a higher level.
Getting the transformer and PSU board out from under the platter is highly recommended for a reason.
It is a very worthwhile modification.
As for the lid, when playing records it should be removed.
I've found this with every turntable I've used in the last 15 years, and this is no exception.
That said, the Technics lid is easy to pull off and refit to the deck.
Just take it off when the deck is in use.
keiron99
07-04-2014, 06:01
The original feet are an abomination - there's no more apt word to describe them.
I recently purchased a set of Isonoe feet. I cannot hear any difference whatsoever between them and the original feet.
Ah, but if the Isonoes had been supplied with a nice wee bit of paper, with graphs and squiggly lines on it, showing 'measureable proof' of their efficacy, by now you'd have been hearing all sorts of stuff!! :D
Only kidding ;)
Marco.
I recently purchased a set of Isonoe feet. I cannot hear any difference whatsoever between them and the original feet.
What would be interesting to know is whether your TT was already well isolated. If it was then naturally you would struggle to hear a difference.
keiron99
07-04-2014, 11:01
What would be interesting to know is whether your TT was already well isolated. If it was then naturally you would struggle to hear a difference.
It's plonked on a VERY heavy DIY MDF cabinet, which houses all my hifi and AV equipment. Weighs a ton. I don't know whether that's a food or bad thing - I know some people recommend lightweight shelves - but when I place my hand on it, I can't feel any vibrations at all. Not very scientific, I know, but hey, this is the Art of sound forum :)
That said, I've always thought that it's the airborne vibrations which would surely do as much damage as those coming up through the feet of a turntable?
I'm not sure what surface Stratmangler must have his turntable on to achieve the staggering improvements he implies by simply changing the feet. I'd be interested to know.
Stratmangler
07-04-2014, 11:21
It's on a slate shelf, mounted in a Target wall mount.
The Target unit has been drilled and filled with expanding foam to squash resonances, and there are RDC cone cups between the shelf and the spikes on the frame.
The slate shelf also has a few self adhesive bitumen pads on its underside, again to control resonances.
It's a solid, massy, non resonant construction.
When I first got my Techie I compared the stock feet with sorbethane hemispheres, and the stock feet never made it back onto the deck.
The Isonoes were a slight improvement over the sorbethane hemispheres.
I have never, ever said that the Isonoes produced staggering improvements - those are your words.
I do stand by my assertion that the orinal feet are an abomination, and the negative aspects they bring to the party are easily overcome by removing the stock feet and putting sorbethane hemispheres in place of the stock feet.
keiron99
07-04-2014, 11:48
It's on a slate shelf, mounted in a Target wall mount.
The Target unit has been drilled and filled with expanding foam to squash resonances, and there are RDC cone cups between the shelf and the spikes on the frame.
The slate shelf also has a few self adhesive bitumen pads on its underside, again to control resonances.
It's a solid, massy, non resonant construction.
One would have thought with such an effective platform already in place, that the feet would have had little impact. But then i am blessed with cloth ears, for which my bank account is very grateful :)
I have never, ever said that the Isonoes produced staggering improvements - those are your words.
I do stand by my assertion that the orinal feet are an abomination, and the negative aspects they bring to the party are easily overcome by removing the stock feet and putting sorbethane hemispheres in place of the stock feet.
To be fair, as I said, you did imply the improvements were enormous: given that you consider the original feet an "abomination" then it's a reasonable assumption!
FWIW, I tried sorbothane feet too (quite shallow Foculpods which I usually use under my speakers) - again, I discerned no difference between them and the stock feet.
As far as I can tell, the stock feet have some kind of "damping" in there? The bolt does seem to move a little when jiggled about.
Anyway, if the OP wishes, he can purchase my Isonoe feet for the same price I paid Marco and try for himself.
walpurgis
07-04-2014, 12:04
I don't know whether that's a food or bad thing.
I wouldn't recommend eating it! ;)
£500 to £600 pound budget and charity shop records?
You need to factor in a cheap way of cleaning the vinyl, such as a Knosti Discostat or a Spin Cleaner.
You'll want a decent stylus - 2nd hand would give you a good option as long as it is not worn out or damaged.
A record mat of some description - I use a Funk Firm Achromat.
As for the feet - you could try a set of Techniboots from David at MCRU. If you ask nicely, they could be sale or return. He also sell Isonoes, but they are expensive for a limited budget.
I'd budget for £80 to clean the records - this is important, as a dirty record will always sound bad.
Techniboots - £40 (These "may" give a good enough benefit used on standard feet).
Achromat - £75 - You may be able to get a cheaper mat, but I have no experience of these.
Externalise PSU - £60 - cheaper without the regulator mods.
Cartridge - £150 for a good one second hand - or a bit more for a new AT440MLA.
KAB fluid damper - £150 (You may find better use for this cash!)
A decent head shell - such as a Sumiko HS-12 - £40
That's £600 gone.... :eek:
And that didn't address your broken arm.
What you need is a forum member who has just upgraded their arm to sell off the stock techy. ;)
kininigin
07-04-2014, 18:12
If it was me with that budget,this is how i would spend it! (Using an apple keyboard and can't find the pound sign!)
Funk firm mat $75
Bearing $22
new arm $40-60
sorbo feet $15-20
Cartridge Nagaoka mp110 $66
Oyaide headshell $100
Re-wired arm and foam filled $180
That's about $500 give or take,depending if you shop around! If you wanted to spend an extra hundred,then maybe a spin clean and then buy/make some cleaning fluid! Or if you are capable externalise the psu! Boom done! :D
If it was me with that budget,this is how i would spend it! (Using an apple keyboard and can't find the pound sign!)
Funk firm mat $75
Bearing $22
new arm $40-60
sorbo feet $15-20
Cartridge Nagaoka mp110 $66
Oyaide headshell $100
Re-wired arm and foam filled $180
That's about $500 give or take,depending if you shop around! If you wanted to spend an extra hundred,then maybe a spin clean and then buy/make some cleaning fluid! Or if you are capable externalise the psu! Boom done! :D
+1
If you are a serious DIY er then there is a great thread here in the Techiepedia on how to take out the PSU: http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?28607-DIY-PSU-amp-Regulator&highlight=regulator
(PS Darren if you are on Windows you can hold down the Alt key while typing 0163 and this produces the £ sign)
kininigin
08-04-2014, 13:59
+1
If you are a serious DIY er then there is a great thread here in the Techiepedia on how to take out the PSU: http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?28607-DIY-PSU-amp-Regulator&highlight=regulator
(PS Darren if you are on Windows you can hold down the Alt key while typing 0163 and this produces the £ sign)
I've skimmed over that thread and it's very interesting! I now have 2 standard 1200's which i use for mixing and will want to do some light mods on them and this will definitely be one of them! I will then purchase a 3rd for my serious listening and mod the hell out of it to the best of my ability! Thanks for the keyboard tip,it was bugging the hell out of me!
Hi guys... been away a while sourcing parts. I've got me an arm, and a new spindle which I'm going to attempt to fit tonight. :)
The external PSU I'm still umming and ahhing about. Has anyone got a before and after set of waveforms, or even better sound files of what exactly it would be cutting out? I've looked and looked and can't find anyone with hard examples of what is supposed to be a dramatic change, just pages of flowery descriptions.
My next purchase will be cartridge/stylus. I'll read up on the couple that've already been suggested. Would be grateful of any other recommendations. :)
Remember I'm gonna be trying to get the best out of quite worn records. Some of it's spoken word, but most is easy listening from 60s and 70s (so likely to be more trebly and not to have that much bass to it).
BTW Do surface scratches damage styluses? Should I keep one for really bad stuff, and one for the better condition vinyl?
I was also gonna budget separately for some record cleaning, as suggested above. I'm finding it a bit of a minefield of information though - some people swearing by certain methods, and others saying it'll wreck the vinyl long term. I was in a 2nd hand record shop last week and the owner was happily cleaning his stock with babywipes! :-O
The external PSU I'm still umming and ahhing about. Has anyone got a before and after set of waveforms, or even better sound files of what exactly it would be cutting out? I've looked and looked and can't find anyone with hard examples of what is supposed to be a dramatic change, just pages of flowery descriptions.
I would be very surprised if you found any waveforms. I too could only give you a flowery description.
BTW Do surface scratches damage styluses? Should I keep one for really bad stuff, and one for the better condition vinyl?
I don't know the answer to that one. My guess is that shape of the stylus could make a difference. I think a spherical tip would not go so deep into the groove, and would therefore be more susceptible to surface scratches.
I was also gonna budget separately for some record cleaning, as suggested above. I'm finding it a bit of a minefield of information though - some people swearing by certain methods, and others saying it'll wreck the vinyl long term. I was in a 2nd hand record shop last week and the owner was happily cleaning his stock with babywipes!
Given the type of vinyl you will be recording a vinyl cleaner would be the single best improvement you could make.
Please help! I've got a replacement second hand tonearm, and whilst fitting it I took the thin metal baseplate off to look inside.
As I turned the tonearm unit around I heard a rattle from inside, and then out fell a small white plastic nut. I've no idea where it came from and can't see anywhere obvious. It could've been left in by the previous owner??. But then I looked on the floor and there was another one! The second one could have falen out of my existing arm setup I suppose, or both from the 'new' second hand arm I don't know.
Can anyone help, it's driving me mad. Photo below of one of the nuts for identification. It's about 7mm diameter.
Is it part of the tonearm setup and if so where does it go?
http://i58.tinypic.com/2zjm2yx.jpg
I have no idea, and I couldn't see them in the service manual (available on vinyl engine).
I googled "sl1200 tonearm exploded view" to check, and I can't see them there either.
keiron99
01-05-2014, 12:00
Techniboots - £40 (These "may" give a good enough benefit used on standard feet).
Achromat - £75 - You may be able to get a cheaper mat, but I have no experience of these.
Just my opinion...but I had the Achromat and Isonoes (which are generally considered here to be superior to the Techniboots, I think it is fair to say) and could not hear the slightest difference over the stock set up.
So, I've just saved you £115 there. :D
Clive197
01-05-2014, 13:40
Just my opinion...but I had the Achromat and Isonoes (which are generally considered here to be superior to the Techniboots, I think it is fair to say) and could not hear the slightest difference over the stock set up.
So, I've just saved you £115 there. :D
Really!!!. Both the Matt and Isonoe's change the sound. Maybe for better or worse, that would be down to personal taste. If you are unable to hear a difference it would possibly be reasons further down the chain.
The external PSU I'm still umming and ahhing about. Has anyone got a before and after set of waveforms, or even better sound files of what exactly it would be cutting out? I've looked and looked and can't find anyone with hard examples of what is supposed to be a dramatic change, just pages of flowery descriptions.
Externalizing the PSU makes a source of physical and magnetic 50Hz (or 60Hz depending on local mains frequency) go away. A turntable is a seismograph, simply, and the noise caused by the vibrating transformer (and they all do, what varies is the magnitude), is perceived as background noise (at best) or just plain humm (at worst). The physical vibrations will always be picked up by the needle, more so when the needle is on a record, and the magnetic noise can also be picked up by the cartridge windings... usually worse as the cartridge gets closer to the spindle, as the transformer is mounted in the upper left. By placing the source of this hum somewhere else, and the mechanical and magnetic coupling go away, it "makes the blacks blacker" by the fact that the entire process is now quieter. This has the most salient effect of having the music come through much better.
As for objective measurements, it's simple - if you were to FFT a 1K signal from the TT there would be much more 50Hz noise on the table with the transformer, and significantly less on the one with the transformer removed.
So, would a fair test be (with my internal PSU still intact) to listen to the silent part of a record - eg the centre infinite loop, and then switch the power off to the deck but leave it spinning/playing.
I should be able to hear the difference between when the the deck is powered and not? And this will demonstrate how much better sound quality I might achieve by externalizing the PSU?
That would work, kinda... You don't really need it turning to test how much noise is removed when you remove the transformer.
I would however just do this - place the needle of the innermost point of the record, with the platter not turning, turn up the volume until you hear the hum. Note this volume position. Continue turning it up until that hum from the speakers feeds back into the TT and starts to take off. Note that position and turn it down really fast.
Now externalize the PSU and repeat the test. The volume required for both those points will be notably and significantly more. (Which means that the noise source is greatly reduced.)
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