New TT owner needing advice on skipping, etc

knobtwiddler · 3rd May 2008, 09:22 PM

I recently bought a technics sl-1400 direct drive and it sounds great but is very sensitive. I can shut my door too hard or even walk around too forcefully and it skips. It's sitting on top of a cabinet made to hold stereo equipment. What can I do? I've had two different cartridges on it and it didn't make any difference. Also, how do I know what the appropriate settings are for the two numbered dials? Should they be the same or should I change them if I'm playing thicker or thinner vinyl? Which dial changes the tracking force? Is it the big one at then end of the arm or the small dial below/to the right of it? I have a Stanton V3 500 cart/stylus on it. Here's the specs on the stanton if it makes any difference:
Frequency Response: 20 to 17 kHz

Output @ 1kHz: 4.6mV

Channel Separation @ 1 kHz: 28dB

Channel Balance @ 1 kHz: within 2 dB

Tracking Force: 2 to 5 grams

Stylus Tip: Spherical .7 mil Special High Polish

DC Resistance: 535 ohms

Inductance: 400 mH

Cartridge Weight: 5.5 grams

Tracking Ability: 80µ @ 3 grams

Recommended Load: 47k ohms and 275 pF

gareth · 3rd May 2008, 10:29 PM

HI,
I used to use a pair of 1200' and they sound like they are of a similar design, S-shaped tonearm etc.
The little knob you mention is the anti-skate feature which should stop your arm from 'skating' across your precious vinyl like an olympic gold-medallist.
The big bad boy at the back of the arm is where you adjust the tracking weight of the tonearm/cartridge combo. There may even be an extra add-on weight that screws in behind this, I am not too sure on your 1500 though.
Chances are is that if you have properly counter-balanced your tonearm and the cartridge is well aligned you probably won't need the anti-skate to be adjusted.
You could build yourself an isolation platform for Technics after you have set-up your arm correctly (DO NOT put too much pressure on the stylus!!) and it is easy to make, not to mention a hell of a lot cheaper than buying one, good luck.
Thanks
Gareth

trondkj · 4th May 2008, 12:30 AM

Hello,
the big scale at the end of the arm is for setting the vtf. First of all you'll need to balance the tonearm with both scales set at zero so that it "floats" level. Then you adjust vtf with the scale at the end of the tonearm. The other scale you can set to the same as the vtf as a starter.

3rd May 2008, 09:22 PM	#1
knobtwiddler diyAudio Member Join Date: Jan 2008	New TT owner needing advice on skipping, etc I recently bought a technics sl-1400 direct drive and it sounds great but is very sensitive. I can shut my door too hard or even walk around too forcefully and it skips. It's sitting on top of a cabinet made to hold stereo equipment. What can I do? I've had two different cartridges on it and it didn't make any difference. Also, how do I know what the appropriate settings are for the two numbered dials? Should they be the same or should I change them if I'm playing thicker or thinner vinyl? Which dial changes the tracking force? Is it the big one at then end of the arm or the small dial below/to the right of it? I have a Stanton V3 500 cart/stylus on it. Here's the specs on the stanton if it makes any difference: Frequency Response: 20 to 17 kHz Output @ 1kHz: 4.6mV Channel Separation @ 1 kHz: 28dB Channel Balance @ 1 kHz: within 2 dB Tracking Force: 2 to 5 grams Stylus Tip: Spherical .7 mil Special High Polish DC Resistance: 535 ohms Inductance: 400 mH Cartridge Weight: 5.5 grams Tracking Ability: 80µ @ 3 grams Recommended Load: 47k ohms and 275 pF

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3rd May 2008, 10:29 PM	#2
gareth diyAudio Member Join Date: Jan 2008	HI, I used to use a pair of 1200' and they sound like they are of a similar design, S-shaped tonearm etc. The little knob you mention is the anti-skate feature which should stop your arm from 'skating' across your precious vinyl like an olympic gold-medallist. The big bad boy at the back of the arm is where you adjust the tracking weight of the tonearm/cartridge combo. There may even be an extra add-on weight that screws in behind this, I am not too sure on your 1500 though. Chances are is that if you have properly counter-balanced your tonearm and the cartridge is well aligned you probably won't need the anti-skate to be adjusted. You could build yourself an isolation platform for Technics after you have set-up your arm correctly (DO NOT put too much pressure on the stylus!!) and it is easy to make, not to mention a hell of a lot cheaper than buying one, good luck. Thanks Gareth

4th May 2008, 12:30 AM	#3
trondkj diyAudio Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Borealis	Hello, the big scale at the end of the arm is for setting the vtf. First of all you'll need to balance the tonearm with both scales set at zero so that it "floats" level. Then you adjust vtf with the scale at the end of the tonearm. The other scale you can set to the same as the vtf as a starter.

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