[turricaned]

Replacement cartridge sorted things – at extra expense, alas… But thank you for helping me troubleshoot it!

[turricaned]

PS. Is removing the cartridge a case of supporting the tone arm behind and gently pulling? I’ve seen this method described for other units, but not sure if it’s the same with mine.

OK, so I’ve figured that out (carefully!)

Martin – I tried your finger-pressure test (very gingerly, I promise) and lo-and-behold, the fidelity improved dramatically. I also spent about 6 hours doing some research online regarding balancing the tone arm and discovered that the previous owner seems to have set the tracking force quite a bit heavier than spec, which might explain why the cartridge is now misbehaving.

[turricaned]

Mark-sf wrote:

Did you tighten the turntable transport screws and remove the platter for your transport. If not its bouncing could have caused issues. The mute switch may have been damaged. Have you tried the tape deck?

Hi Mark, thanks for the reply. Alas I didn’t know there were screws that needed to be tightened. Admittedly I didn’t check the electronic reject mechanism when I tested it at the previous owner’s because, again, I’m unfamiliar with the unit and wasn’t sure how to go about it. My bad, and I hope it’s sortable.

Dillen wrote:

Failing cantilever suspension perhaps.
While playing a record, try (carefully) to add a little finger-weight onto the cartridge – just enough to see the stylus change its tracking angle.
If it snaps down and starts playing clean and right, the suspension is failing (can be repaired by experts).

And thank you for your reply, Martin. I’ll definitely give it a go – do you have any more info on how I should check the tracking angle? I grew up with mainly digital audio equipment, so I’m a bit of a newbie with turntables.

All the best,
J.

[Author]

Posts