allenh

The Rotel is more likely to be Rega based than the Systemdek as yes good point they would have had parts like platters to use from the IIX range as suggested in that VA thread. That said I would be very surprised if even the Systemdek didn't use a modified Rega subplatter, everything about both the Rotel and Systemdek looks way too similar to be coincidental. Bottom line measure the platters centre hole and compare it to those quoted for the Rega and Systemdeks and certainly over here anyone that makes acrylic platters will cut the centre hole to any size you want And yes a quick search on ebay UK will show you the sheer depth and breadth of Rega upgrades available and yes I mentioned the two very different RP900's before, the original one being a true Rotel product.

Yes the Rotel is basically a Rega kit deck re badged Systemdek i and both use Rega parts like the sub platter so you should be able to use a platter designed for a Rega to go on it but check with the maker of the new platter what diameter the centre hole is. As far as I know the only non Rega parts are the plinth and platter on both the Rega and Systemdek I wouldn't bother with glass though if you are going to replace it go Delrin or Acrylic and a thick as you can.

Firstly if you really want a Rega then buy a used Planer 3 or RP3 over a new RP1 every time if you can, the RP1 is a very cheap product dumbed down to try and compete with the lower end Projects overseas. And to help answer your questions: 1) With the standard Rega platters (glass, delrin, mdf etc.) you use a mat that acts as a slip mat much like on a DJ table which does allow you to flip records whilst they are spinning, now whether that's the correct thing to do is debatable and I personally favour turning the turntable off when changing records and the answer to stress on the belt (stress on the motor is minimal at worst) with any belt drive table on start up is to give the platter a helping spin by hand as you switch it on. And this is the best way to go if you upgrade to an acrylic platter where you don't use a mat at all. Also another plus point for the older but basically identical Rega tables is that the on/off switch is on the top where it should be. 2) refer to 1) really and there's no need to worry

Same cheap plastic future landfill record wrecking crap as all the rest. Hangs head and emits deep very heavy sigh

This. I went cheap and bought a one for $495 and it was a complete unmitigated disaster, I for one won't be making that sort of mistake again. From now on If the dialectic hasn't been hand rolled on the thighs of nubile hand maidens and the conductors hand drawn by a team of Yak's I'm out!!!

Bought one of each, the Leah Senior LP and T Shirt this morning but shipping added a bit, $63Aus (£36) shipping

Usually it will be the turntable and will be a bad ground and it's only really a big problem to fix if it's the wire inside the arm. But have you isolated it to where the hum is coming from? i.e is it the turntable, phono stage or amplifier? And if it is the turntable is it worse or better when you touch the tonearm? And does it get worse or better as the cartridge tracks toward the centre of the record?

@catsound B&O has gone through many phases of acceptance over the years, in the 70's and 80's they had a very high reputation which was more than a little based on hype and form over function so in the 90's B&O equipment was pretty much worthless, now it is again trading on that high reputation and very fashionable. As @AGBsaid the biggest drawback with B&O turntables is the cartridge as you can only use a B&O cartridge and in your case an MMC 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 with the lowest number being the highest spec, the rebuild cost for an MMC4 or 5 the last time I had one rebuilt was 99 Euro's plus postage so from the US budget around $140. The only other thing you might need is a new belt and these can be had for a couple of bucks. As to whether its any good well opinions vary and like most manufacturers that have been at it a long time some B&O turntables are very good ranging down to at best average, yours is toward the average end but that isn't necessarily a bad thing because a lot of what is available new now is worse that average in comparison so with a good stylus in it will still sound better than something like the Teac TN300, any of it's direct competition and anything that is in a lower price bracket so even if the cartridge is toast for a comparable new turntable you would need to spend quite a bit more than the cost of rebuild to get better performance in something new. If you do need to get the cartridge rebuilt then I can wholeheartedly recommend these people, I've used them on more than a few occasions with superb results. http://schallplattennadeln.tonabnehmerservice.de/b-o-info-d/mmc-retipping-english/ If it were mine I'd keep it and look to getting the cartridge rebuilt and would look at getting the rest of the system B&O as it will make connection and use a lot more simple, so a Beomaster like the Beomaster 2200 or anything from the Beomaster 1900 family or possibly a Beocenter that has tape decks rather than a built in turntable like the Beocenter 4000 but with this one you would need an adaptor for the connections as it uses the more normal 2 RCA Phono's to connect the turntable rather than the 7pin din connector that is standard for B&O https://beocentral.com/beomaster2200 https://beocentral.com/beomaster1900family https://beocentral.com/beocenter4000-1980s These are great resources for anything B&O https://www.beoworld.org/ https://beocentral.com/

It's certainly very impressive for what it is and I'd happily pay £150 for one but I don't want to spend your money for you.

Yes it is absolutely superb, why are you thinking of getting one?

There should be a little screw on the underside of the arm at the headshell end to slacken off the socket so it can be rotated and set correctly.

True but the hate tends to be down to a lack of perseverance. Not really and no offense intended but I couldn't resist. In defense of all those who struggle with them they can be a bugger to set up and are quite arm fussy but when they are right they really sing, they get an unfounded bad press for IGD which is down to generally down to bad setup. Old Joseph knew a thing or two on the subject but unfortunately like all genius there was his way or the wrong way as far as he was concerned.

Bad sound from a Grado? Sounds like operator error to me

Not a new purchase i know but anybody in the UK looking for cheap gear Richer sounds have a couple of good starter bits for no money. https://www.richersounds.com/promotions/black-friday-hi-fi-speakers/wharfedale-9-0-black.html https://www.richersounds.com/promotions/blackfriday-hifi-separates/cambridge-topaz-am1-blk.html

I like it but mostly because it's unique. I don't think enough people have a proper go at making or modifying their kit and it's a very satisfying feeling saying I did that.

Yes they're currently experiencing the King Gizzard effect

There's pretty much every format you can think of for this including the lathe cut on old laser discs, CD's, cassettes and every colour of vinyl imaginable but I haven't seen any open reel copies so I've decided to do my own limited to 1 copy and delivered it to my only customer (me) yesterday. I'm going to drag out my Akai 8 track recorder next and do a copy on that just for the fun of it. Gotta find a nice colour laser printer now for the artwork.

So what's next? Just to give you a bit of inspiration I've sold turntables to a few of the guys at work recently and the upgrade bug has caught hard with two of them (the third bought the nicest table and doesn't really need to). Ones a Trio (Kenwood) KD-1033 and the guy has had the top plate painted metallic burgundy by the car body shop over the road and is re making the plinth in ash I think The other is remaking the Revolver Rebel I sold him. That's getting a new top plate made out of thick black acrylic and he's making a plinth out of maple for it, when They're finally done I'll post some pictures. They both gave me a bit of inspiration to do a bit more to the direct drive suspended sub-chassis deck I made so I'm making a big thick acrylic platter for that. Keep us posted with updates.

Yep these things will keep coming in the post for months I reckon That dilemma lasted roughly 3 to 4 seconds for me.

That page is just going to run and run and run over the next few months

DM sent

@RollTide A couple of questions Do you have any other audio equipment i.e amplifier, speakers CD player etc? and if so what sort of quality is it? Are you just looking at new or are you happy to look at used equipment? Is space still an issue? Speaker size is a consideration but its more down to the size of room you want to fill with sound and how far from the speakers you are going to be. And lastly where in the UK are you? With your budget you have a couple of options: Find a decent proper HiFi shop and go and see what you like the sound of that fits into your budget, you could go to Richers or Sevenoaks hifi but their range is more aimed at AV and the lower to mid end of Hifi, that siad both are very good places to start Or go used but make sure you do your research, used will give you far more value for money but getting to listen to equipment will be harder unless you have a good 2nd hand Hifi dealer you can go to and the risks of being sold a pup from somewhere like ebay or gumtree are obviously much higher. If you are in the south of the UK then message me as I can probably point you in the right direction if I don't have the sort of kit you are looking for.

For the UK https://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/the-wombats-beautiful-people

I got my shipping notification from Beggars UK yesterday so with any luck it will be waiting for me when I get home from work.

Thats a bad ground, when you touch the arm you ground it so that's used as a test to diagnose if the problem is in the turntable or the amp. Either your existing ground is bad somewhere between the headshell and the amp, check and tighten any grounds before you go any further