SCLee
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Posts posted by SCLee
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On 1/17/2021 at 5:41 PM, Shelby American said:
Listen, most of these answers everyone is giving you is based off the pic of the cart that isn't yours because they don't know how to read. You'll just keep hearing that it's too close over and over and over. Your best bet is to play around with the settings on some of these old records until you have everything feeling proper. All you have to keep in mind is that the weight has to be juuuuuust enough so that the cart stays put on top of the record and that one must never touch the stylus at all.
Well, you have to touch the stylus to clean it, right? [With a stylus cleaning brush.] But yeah, apart from that, agreed. Thanks for all your help. Appreciated.
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15 minutes ago, Plarocks said:
The anti-skate gauges on some turntables are wrong.
Better to use an anti-skate calibration record, or a 12-inch single with a blank side to dial in your anti-skate properly:
Your cartridge should not be riding so close to the record surface in order to keep it from skipping.
Something is off with your cartridge or tonearm.
Thanks for the video. If there is something off, unfortunately I'm not an expert to fix it, I can only imagine the thousands of people (due to the vinyl resurgence) who have their settings wrong, especially on this table. Every google image I've seen, shows the cartridge that low, with the cantilever looking flat. Mine isn't as bad as that now.
I'm not too worried about damaging the records. My parents have records that are fifty years old, that still play perfectly and they treated them like rubbish. Many of them were sleeveless and lying on top of each other in a big case, some had scratches and paint / other marks on them, they likely got damp too (one of the sleeves was all water damaged) and (after cleaning them and putting them in new sleeves), they still play fine!
I of course treat my records delicately and try not to damage the sleeves at all.
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19 hours ago, fondfarewell said:
Just so you’re using the right terminology—the cantilever is part of the stylus, which is part of the cartridge, which attaches to the tonearm.
The cantilever is the tiny metal arm that extends down from the cartridge to the record surface. On the tip of the cantilever is the needle, which actually contacts the record surface.
The cantilever is suspended, allowing it to move up and down.
As others have mentioned, your tracking force weight is probably too high (i.e. counterweight is too low), causing too much downward force at the cartridge-end of the tonearm and therefore causing the cantilever and needle to flatten. Ease up the weight at the far end of the tonearm. If you don’t have a scale, ease it up until the cartridge/tonearm float, and then increase weight until it’s enough to drop gently on the record surface.
Here’s a diagram of the parts of a cartridge:
Yes, it's the tiny metal arm (the Cantilever) that looks kinda flat (when playing) but not as flat as it did before, after I adjusted the weight at the back. Thanks for your help.
I changed the weight (probably) too much and the record started to replay a part of a song. It would play the song, get to a certain part, skip backwards and play the same line over again, before continuing on its own. I then returned the weight closer to how it was, and it plays fine again. So, I'm assuming it's set correctly. The tracking force is set to 2, as is the anti-skate.
Looking at the above Google image of the Audio Technica 120XUSB, the arm seems to be the lying the same as mine. Other images show the same, so maybe it's just the turntable? Ah well, I'll have to see how it goes.
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23 hours ago, Smellman said:
You should be able to see a healthy stylus with your naked eye and certainly with a magnifying glass. It sounds like the tracking force had been set way too high and caused wear and/or damage to the stylus(needle) and probably to some of your records. It may be skipping because it's too worn down to properly track the groove. If that's the case you'll need a replacement. Be sure to get a stylus guage and research how to properly set the tracking force. The $10 digital scales on amazon and ebay are fine.
The tracking force is set to 2, as is the anti-skating, which is the recommended setting. I can see the stylus and it looks fine, but I have no idea what the shape is supposed to be (in terms of pointiness / width, length.) The records are playing fine, with this setting, so I'm happy.
It looks the same as my Roberts, which is only two weeks old (I got it for review purposes.) This player has only been used twice, so maybe you're overestimating how easy it is to see the needle tip? I believe it's this one. You can see how difficult it is to see the needle, even when it's not attached to the record player!
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I altered it so the cartridge didn't look as low, and the stylus looked more slanted, than flat. Three songs into Off the Wall, it kept sliding back and playing the same part of the song over, so I've changed it back. The stylus doesn't look as flat as it did, a bit more slanted, it will have to do!
It's almost impossible to see the needle, even through a magnifying glass. I mean I can see it, but I can't see if it's damaged, it's too small. It looks okay, I suppose, so that will have to do! Sadly I'm not audiophile or vinyl expert.
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12 hours ago, mirrorboxer said:
Are you talking about the cantilever or stylus that should be angled?
Regardless, your cartridge looks way to close like the counterweight isn’t set properly. To much weight is bad for records. Each stylus has a recommended tracking force. A stylus forge gauge can be purchased cheaply and then you know your at the correct weight.
No, not the cantilever. The green cartridge being too slow, which is making the stylus too low, and lie flat, rather than slightly slanted. Thanks.
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2 hours ago, rrd said:
redo the tracking force/weight adjustment again. i had this happen out of the blue once too, just recalibrating everything solved it.
Thanks for your help. I'll do that.
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2 hours ago, Gumbo72203 said:
Yeah that's too close. You're better suited to the Steve Hoffman forums for really technical gear questions, as there's a ridiculous wealth of expert knowledge there.
Your tracking force balance weight is probably out of alignment. Investigate that, as others have said. You usually don't see the cartridges THAT close to the record itself. Some are different, but that's really close and usually not how most setups go.Okay, thanks. That's not my picture (it's from another forum) but it's the same table and cartridge. Mine doesn't ride quite that low but the stylus is still flat (more or less), rather than slanted. I think it might be riding a little low. I'll have to investigate. Thanks again.
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3 hours ago, isavedlatin54 said:
It looks pretty ok. I would
check the recommended tracking force and adjust accordingly
Thanks for your help.
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3 hours ago, Shelby American said:
The more the stylus "fills" the grooves the better a record sounds. Without getting into the different shapes they can come in you're fine as long as only the stylus is making contact. If the table is only 3 months old and you don't recall ever touching or bending the stylus in any way I'm sure it isn't damaged. A lot of the cheaper tables look like how you're describing with plenty of clearance between the cartridge and record but most likely look this way due to lack of a counterweight.
Have you tried easing up the weight to a point where you feel better about it but it still has enough to sit flat on a record? You might just have not realized what the other end of the arm does (not trying to be mean, you sound new)
Oh I'm definitely a newbie, so no offence taken. I'll try and ease up the counterweight. I did balance it when it arrived, following a YouTube video, and it did seem to be solid in the air. Thanks for the help!
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7 minutes ago, Shelby American said:
Why would it damage the record? I don't understand what you're asking. The stylus is dragged across the record to produce sound so it has to touch the record... lol?
What I'm asking is, does it have to look a certain way when playing the record? Should the stylus be slanted or flat? And if it's more flat is that gonna damage the stylus or the record by adding too much pressure into the grooves?
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22 minutes ago, isavedlatin54 said:
Post a picture
Unfortunately I can't as it says image from URL. It doesn't let you upload a picture automatically.
This isn't mine but it's the same cartridge and player I believe. Mine isn't quite as low as that but the silver part is flattish, like this. Maybe it's all Audio Technica 120's? The player is only three months old. Would this damage the record is my concern?
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I've noticed that my record player Audio Technica (green) cartridge is riding quite low to the record. The needle (the silver bit before the tip that goes in the grove) is quite flat (when playing a record), not completely flat but it's not at an angle either. It sounds okay but could this cause damage to the record? The needle? I know the cartridge has to ride fairly low in order for the needle to reach the grooves. The stylus on my other player (Roberts) seems to be more slanted, than flat, even though the needle still reaches the grooves. Am I worrying over nothing? Thoughts please?
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On 12/2/2020 at 3:10 PM, Gumbo72203 said:
Yes, all record players need a pre-amp. The signal coming from the stylus is very low, so there needs to be a step-up transformer to get the voltage to a level that the power amplifier can use to push out to the speakers.
Turntable -> Pre-amp -> Power amp -> Speakers is the order of things.Your turntable is something that should be upgraded as soon as possible, if I'm looking at the correct thing on Amazon. The reason being that many of these extreme budget entry players can damage your records.
U-turn and Pro-ject have many turntables for a few hundred that will be a good start. If you want to really get a good upgrade to last you a while, this one will do very well: https://upscaleaudio.com/products/pro-ject-debut-carbon-esprit-dcPair that with a Schiit Mani pre-amp, and you'll be set to go for a long time.
Thanks. I bought an Audio Technica 120xUSB shortly after this post and it's a decent turntable. You have to make sure your records are thoroughly clean though or it will amplify the pops and crackles. I also got a Roberts RT200 for free, to review but there is a fault with the autostop (see the post I made on this forum.)
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You expect this on a Crosley (and it happens) but on a turntable that costs £350? It shouldn't.
At 74, This Is Joanna Lumley Real-Life Partnerweightlossgroove.comWhen the autostop is on, 45 records stop playing around three-quarters of the way in, the machine makes a strange sound, and shuts off. The arm remains stationary on the single. When the autostop is off, the record plays through fine, but then the record is continuously spinning, making it impossible to remove it or add another. You have to switch the autostop on and off all the time, and if it breaks, you're in trouble. Roberts are aware of this issue as it says so in the instructions! They say leave the autostop off if your records won't play all the way though! Disgraceful practice. Anyone have a solution for this?
Look Closer: Shouldn't Have Taken This Wedding Picwordsa.comWith 33 records, the record will play all the way through.
I have no idea why Roberts haven't added a stop and start button on the front, like Audio Technica. The power button is located on the back, as is the autostop. It's a shame as the sound quality is excellent, when it works, and it looks the part. Any ideas guys? Thanks.
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Thanks for your help. Doesn't it matter that the sub / speakers also have an amp built in?
It sounds good but I'm gonna need to upgrade the player sooner than later as it's skipping on some songs. It doesn't seem to be able to handle thicker vinyl or certain songs at the start of a record. The songs that are skipping are all at the start of the records. The only record that won't play at all is Phil Collins Serious Hits Live, it skips through the whole thing.
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I know I'm risking abuse (or at least some gentle ribbing) posting this but I am a newbie, both here and to record players.
I have a cheap budget player. Music Vinyl On and this is connected to a Logitech speakers and sub via a RCA red and white cable. This is good enough atm for a bedroom - 80 watt speakers and I can only have them a quarter loud.
My question is where is the pre-amp? Do I need one? The speakers / sub have an amp but I can't imagine the record player has a pre-amp. It's too cheap. Is it necessary? What is the difference between an amp and a pre-amp? The system works fine and sounds good to me. I'm a newbie! Thanks.
Record player cartridge too low.
in Vinyl Collective Message Board
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Thank you! Appreciated.