romanos27 Posted January 6, 2013 Share Posted January 6, 2013 So, I got a Speed Box for Christmas and hooked it up a few days ago. After getting it hooked up, I was excited to put on a 7" to try out the "33/45 switch". Much to my dismay, the sound was horrible. In fact, the needle was even skipping some. I looked around, trying to figure out what was going on, and saw that the anti-skating weight had fallen off. Weird. So, I put it back on, dusted the record off, and tried again. The skipping stopped, but the popping, horrible sound was still there. It even seemed like the sound was fading in and out. So, I went back to square one. Readjusted the counter-weight on the arm, cleaned the needle, everything. Grabbed another record, dusted it off and tried again. Still terrible. So, just as a trouble shooting measure, I unhooked the Speed Box and tried playing something without it. No improvement. Ugh. So, at this point, based on the symptoms/issues, I'm assuming that the cartridge/needle have somehow been damaged. I have no idea how this might have happened, but I don't know what else could be causing the problem. It's a Pro-Ject RPM 1.3 w/ a Sumiko Pearl cartridge. I just got the set-up pretty recently, and I've literally only used it for a few hours. It was working perfectly the last time I used it before hooking up the Speed Box. Any thoughts/insights? Thanks for any suggestions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajxd Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 Inspect cartridge/stylus. Take photos and post em. The perk of the 1.3 is its very simple. There's not a lot to screw up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fattacus Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 Why would you use a speedbox with the RPM 1.3? Switching speeds on that table is ez pz. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
romanos27 Posted January 7, 2013 Author Share Posted January 7, 2013 Inspect cartridge/stylus. Take photos and post em. The perk of the 1.3 is its very simple. There's not a lot to screw up. Will try to get decent pics and post 'em. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
romanos27 Posted January 7, 2013 Author Share Posted January 7, 2013 Why would you use a speedbox with the RPM 1.3? Switching speeds on that table is ez pz. Very good question. In hindsight, probably not necessary at all. Of course, I know there are those who will tell you the speed regulation it offers will make the sound reproduction better. But I'm not sure I buy that. Anyway, I may end up sending it back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajxd Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 I've used different methods of testing my speeds on my 1.3... They all read 33.3 and 45rpm. Speedbox is pretty unnecessary. Did you try removing the stylus? Making sure everything was lined up properly there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
romanos27 Posted January 7, 2013 Author Share Posted January 7, 2013 Well, after taking another look at the cartridge (and at a picture of what it SHOULD look like) I think the problem is obvious. Still not sure how it happened. Wondering if one my kids or their friends/cousins might have messed with it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajxd Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 Hahaha yep. That's a bent cantilever. Luckily you can buy a replacement stylus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
romanos27 Posted January 7, 2013 Author Share Posted January 7, 2013 Hahaha yep. That's a bent cantilever. Luckily you can buy a replacement stylus. Is it fairly easy to replace the stylus? In case you haven't figured it out, I'm a newbie to the world of turntables and vinyl. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajxd Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 Yes. Grasp the black body with the Pearl sticker with one hand. Hold the gold body of the cartridge with your thumb, use your index finger plus middle finger on the headshell. Pull the black body out. Boom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timbrh2001 Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 Well, after taking another look at the cartridge (and at a picture of what it SHOULD look like) I think the problem is obvious. Still not sure how it happened. Wondering if one my kids or their friends/cousins might have messed with it... Oh man, are the records you tried playing damaged? Wow, that's pretty bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
romanos27 Posted January 8, 2013 Author Share Posted January 8, 2013 Oh man, are the records you tried playing damaged? Wow, that's pretty bad. Not sure. Luckily, I only played a few seconds of each. And neither of them would be hard/expensive to replace if necessary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timbrh2001 Posted January 8, 2013 Share Posted January 8, 2013 Not sure. Luckily, I only played a few seconds of each. And neither of them would be hard/expensive to replace if necessary. Good to hear! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
romanos27 Posted January 9, 2013 Author Share Posted January 9, 2013 Yes. Grasp the black body with the Pearl sticker with one hand. Hold the gold body of the cartridge with your thumb, use your index finger plus middle finger on the headshell. Pull the black body out. Boom. Sounds easy enough. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
romanos27 Posted January 12, 2013 Author Share Posted January 12, 2013 Hahaha yep. That's a bent cantilever. Luckily you can buy a replacement stylus. Received and installed my replacement stylus today. Problem solved! Thanks for your help. Now, I just need to figure out how the hell it got damaged... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.