jdoubleyou

My new subplatter finally arrived from the UK, and I am happy to say the operation was a success. I didn't have to worry about re-lubing, since the subplatter came with a new bottom assembly as well. The thing spins for days after I turn a record off. Thanks for the advice, everyone!

Get a groovetracer.

It would be a good opportunity to upgrade, but since this is an unexpected cost, I'd like to keep it inexpensive.

I was pretty upset and contacted the company, but they said the standard insurance is 30 cents per pound...which equates to nothing. You would have to have bought separate insurance. Fortunately renters insurance may cover it, so I'm looking into that.

Earlier this week I moved apartments, and of course the movers busted my turntable, box marked extremely fragile in bold red. It's a Rega P3. The top of the subplatter spindle, that the platter sits on top, broke off. I found some aftermarket ones and an original on eBay

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=291108250146&fromMakeTrack=true&ssPageName=VIP:watchlink:top:en

Does anyone know how complicated this is to switch out? It looks like just unscrewing the whole assembly until it comes out. I started to mess with it a little, but it didn't seem to be going anywhere. There's a gluey/oily tension which I guess is related to the bearing in that assembly. Worse comes to worst I'll take it to a shop and not risk doing further damage, but if I can save some money, that would be good.

Thanks for the help!

Has anyone had trouble finding this in their local record stores? I've been to a couple, and one of them said it was delayed by their distributor. Anyone in NYC pick up a copy?

I have a Rega P3 and am very happy with it. Only complaint is that I have to change the belt a little more often than I'd like. I'm springing for the white upgraded belt next time and those are supposed to last longer.

They just announced another show, December 18 in NYC. Does anyone need my single ticket for Philly?

Rebel Rebel on Bleecker is good. Tiny, but there's a lot of good 80s stuff in the <$5 bins. Decent amount of new stuff as well.

I ordered the Rek-O-Kut dust bug a couple months ago from Needle Doctor. I was pretty happy at first but after a couple weeks the bristled took on an angle. Now they move from the outside to the center of the record within one song. Moving the bristles back with my finger/brush helps a little, but it's still a pain in the ass. The anti-static part works, though.

For a cheap option, go with BJC Ten White: http://www.bluejeanscable.com/store/speaker/

 

You don't need any termination (connectors), you can just use bare wire. Not as handy if you exchange equipment often (for comparisons and the like), but inexpensive and sonically no inferior (even better actually than using cheap connectors).

I would go with the pin termination over raw. You can use the pin on pretty much any kind type of connection (5 way binding post, spring clip, etc).

Also be sure to leave yourself a little extra room to play with the length of the cable. I got the BJC Ten White and measured my distance two times. When the cables arrived and I plugged everything up, it was a little shorter than I thought. The thickness and twisting of the wire housing took a few inches off the usable length.

Aside from that, those BJCs are awesome.

Stereophile's reviews are decent. My favorite are those posted on 6moons though. Very in-depth and mostly very competent writers.

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I was looking for some info on speaker positioning a while ago and came across an article on 6moons. It ended being something like a 15 page dissertation on sound dynamics, room-treatement, frequencies...Talk about in-depth!

Cool, let us know how the Epic 2's are. I'm also curious about the AS500 since a new amp is next on my list. The whathifi review says "The phono stage is perfectly usable, though there are loses in transparency and dynamics", so you probably shouldn't need a preamp.

I just got a new pair of speakers 2 months ago. I had my eye on the B&W 686/685, PSB Image B5/B6 and the Paradigm Mini Monitors all about the same price range you're looking for.

I started off with a bias towards the B&W's due to reviews. In person the smaller 686 sound awful compared to the larger 685's. Then I auditioned the B5/B6 and was blown away at how much cleaner the sound was. Although it was a little more money that I wanted to originally spend, the B6's sounded amazing. I auditioned the B&Ws and the PSBs at two different shops, so the setup wasn't identical, but it was enough to push me to the B6's after a few listens of each.

After a couple months of ownership I'm still very happy with the PSB's. The clarity is awesome, and it is definitely loud enough to fill my small bedroom. The only thing that's a little lacking is the bass, which you said isn't a huge issue. It definitely comes through in hip/hop and electronic, but not as much on indie/alternative. They're rear ported, so there is some room to play there, with the distance to the wall having an effect on the bass. Unfortunately the speakers are in a very fixed place in my room and I can't really experiment.

Hope this helps, and let me know if I can answer any questions specific to the Image's