turntable question

[gain]

hi,

i recently 'inherited' a stack of like a thousand records. these records are vinal records, not CDs. they are the large diameter ones.

i also inherited a early 1980's yamaha turntable that i was told was very high quality when it was new. so since some of the titles of the records i have are interesting i would like to play them.

i removed a RIAA board from a receiver that was dead that i had laying around, connected the input of the RIAA to the turntable and the out to a preamp/line level in.

it played music. however, there is a distinct problem going on with the treble. it sounds scratchy and distorted, even at low volumes. i have tried the same turntable on three different receivers (hence 3 diffrent riaa boards) and got the same results so im assuming the problem is with the turntable.

i asked my dad who grew up with these things and he said to check fo dust on the needle and sure enough, there was a little dust bunny hanging on the tip of the needle. removing this made a noticible difference, but the scratchiness in the treble remains. the effect is especially pronounced with peaks in the program material, such as a guy singing loud, regardless of what the listening volume is.

so my questions i hope someone will kindly answer for me are:

are these the symptoms of a bad needle/stylis, bad cartridge or both? or is there something else going on?

would really like to fix this, turntable sound is really nice when its working correctly and i have a lot of good titles on vinyl here i'd like to play.

many thanks for reading and kind regards.

[gain]

oh yeah there are two controls on this turntable. one is just a switch that says "45" on one end and "33" on the other. i have learned from experience that "33" is the correct setting! the other one is called 'anti skating' and have no idea what this is but tweaking it had no discernible effects on sound.

[graeme uk]

Antiskating will be set acording to tracking weight, but its not super important right now.

How adjustable is the arm? There could be a cartridge mounting issue, or a ruined stylus.

Personaly, i would replace the cartridge, dont risk the records playing them with an unknown stylus.

Fit the new cat as per the manufacturers recomendations and see how things are then.

[gain]

hi graeme uk,

yes i think i will go ahead and replace the stylus and cartridge. how hard a job is that for someone who's never fixed turntables before?

also anyone know of any good reputable places online that sell stylus and cartridges?

thanks.

[graeme uk]

Its easy.

2 small screw head bolts and 4 little tags. Just be carefull.

Cant suggest any retailers over there but i'd opt for a cheap audio technica or ortophon. About £30 in england.

[gain]

hey thanks, yeah sounds easy enough. it doesn't need to be recalibrated or realigined or anything after i put the new needle/cartridge, does it?

also i found a dealer for the ortophon cartridges you recommend but they are not listed by turntable ... they have names like:

Ortofon 2M Blue phono cartridge
Ortofon 2M Bronze phono cartridge
Ortofon 2M Red phono cartridge
Ortofon MC1 MC 1 Turbo phono cartridge - High Output Moving Coil

etc etc etc.

how do i know which one works in my turntable, or do they fit all turntables? also when you order a cartridge does it come with the stylus or do you order both separately?

thanks for helping, would love to get this sounding good cuz i think turntables are really cool and some of these records i have are like classics. again, much appreciation for any replies.

[gain]

come on, you expect me to believe the folks on this forum 'Analog' haven't dealt with replacement of cartridges and stylus in turntables?!?!?! why are you all so quiet? talk to me. i already stated i love turntables even though i grew up in CD/ipod times i feel turntables offer sound quality some digital tech cant or doesn't deliver.

talk to me!

[maxro]

Originally posted by gain
come on, you expect me to believe the folks on this forum 'Analog' haven't dealt with replacement of cartridges and stylus in turntables?!?!?! why are you all so quiet? talk to me. i already stated i love turntables even though i grew up in CD/ipod times i feel turntables offer sound quality some digital tech cant or doesn't deliver.

talk to me!

I'm sure most folks in the analogue section have been setting up cartridges since you were in diapers, but you need to provide a little more info to get the right advice. Perhaps, if you could state just what "1980's Yamaha" turntable you have and what cartridge is on it, people would be more able to help.

If your cartridge is a common brand moving magnet type, you may still be able to get a new stylus for it, which is a no-tool operation to replace. Replacing the entire cartridge is a more delicate operation, requiring proper alignment and tracking force gauges.

You may want to post a photo of the tonearm, as they are often not labeled as to what make they are. If it is a truly high end table, it likely has an after market arm which may be particularly suited/unsuited for any new cartridges you are considering (ie high vs. low compliance).

[gain]

Originally posted by maxro
I'm sure most folks in the analogue section have been setting up cartridges since you were in diapers,

sure. before my parents were in diapers actually. but this is an audio forum, so no more talk of diapers and such

Originally posted by maxro
but you need to provide a little more info to get the right advice. Perhaps, if you could state just what "1980's Yamaha" turntable you have and what cartridge is on it, people would be more able to help.

fair enough.

make: yamaha
model: P-200
desc: turntable - plays well except cetain parts of certain tracks.

can someone provide how to read the data off my cartridge and then i report what type it is.

Originally posted by maxro
If your cartridge is a common brand moving magnet type, you may still be able to get a new stylus for it, which is a no-tool operation to replace. Replacing the entire cartridge is a more delicate operation, requiring proper alignment and tracking force gauges.

You may want to post a photo of the tonearm, as they are often not labeled as to what make they are. If it is a truly high end table, it likely has an after market arm which may be particularly suited/unsuited for any new cartridges you are considering (ie high vs. low compliance). [/B]

i will post a photo asap. have battery situation now.

[gain]

what do you want pics of? the whole turntable or just needle/cartridge?