[WolfyWolf Von Wolfenstein]

My brother has an old HK T35C TT which he is loaning to me. We were testing it out to see if it worked but the belt broke. I ordered a new one from somewhere and am dying to get it. The motor seems to work. The TT has a Grado cartridge, while not the top of the line (it's not wood) it should sound nice. Anyways, while I was waiting I was wondering if anyone has used one of these before and if they liked it. I bought a couple of records today, and like I said I am unpatiently waiting for the belt. I have a really cheap phono amp and I hope that doesn't kill the sound. I thought this would be the cheapest way to get into vinyl. If I like it, I might buy a Technics 1200 series or something in that price range. Anyways, just looking for feedback. Thanks.
Jason

 

[WolfyWolf Von Wolfenstein]

Anyone know what kind of cart I have? It's a Grado and it says XG on it. I looked at the site but couldn't find anything similar.
Jason

 

[memepool]

this is pretty exhaustive Cartridge Database

If you want a new stylus for the cart I'd try LP Gear

 

[WolfyWolf Von Wolfenstein]

Hey thanks!

 

[WolfyWolf Von Wolfenstein]

I looked around a bit, and couldn't find a guide on how to clean and lubricate bearings on an old turntable? I looked at vinyl nirvana and vinyl engine, but don't know where else to look. Thanks,
Jason

 

[Uncle Erik]

Quote:

Originally Posted by WolfyWolf Von Wolfenstein /img/forum/go_quote.gif I looked around a bit, and couldn't find a guide on how to clean and lubricate bearings on an old turntable? I looked at vinyl nirvana and vinyl engine, but don't know where else to look. Thanks, Jason

There's not much to it. The bearing should lift apart and you use paper towels to clean out the old oil. Wipe it out with a cleanser like Windex or maybe some alcohol to get all of the old oil out.

Do not use anything abrasive to clean out the bearing. Paper towels are fine.

Take a look at the ball bearing (I assume it has one) to make sure it doesn't have flat spots or any signs of wear. If it does, no big deal. You can get another ball bearing in the same size fairly cheap. Take it to a machine shop and they'll tell you the right size. The machine shop might have another in that size or will be able to order you one for probably under $10. If you dig around online, you can order bearings in all sorts of exotic materials if that interests you.

Anyhow, once the bearing is clean, add fresh oil and put it back together. Mobil One 5W30 synthetic automotive oil works great and is easy to get. The high grade Singer sewing machine oil works great, too. You could pay a lot more for audiophile-grade oils if you really want to.

 

[WolfyWolf Von Wolfenstein]

Thanks Uncle Erik!

 

[WolfyWolf Von Wolfenstein]

Uncle Erik: What if the thing doesn't lift out? Thanks,
Jason

 

[memepool]

Sometimes you have to apply a little force as the old oil will form a vacuum, which is a good sign as it means the thing hasn't dried out at least..

 

[WolfyWolf Von Wolfenstein]

I hate to keep asking questions with this thread, but here goes: I am hearing some pronounce sibilance (pronounced and exagerated "ssss's") at times with my phono and don't hear that using the same phones and headphone amp with my universal disc player. I guess my question is would a new cart (mine is an older grado and cost less than $100 a few years ago) help this situation? I know my preamp is cheap but I don't think it is the culprit. Thanks,
Jason

 

[shallbehealed]

Quote:

Originally Posted by WolfyWolf Von Wolfenstein /img/forum/go_quote.gif I am hearing some pronounce sibilance (pronounced and exagerated "ssss's") \

1. I love the HK TT series turntables. I think they're an excellent value.
2. Sibilance is often a symptom of mistracking. Make sure your cart is properly aligned. VE has free downloadable alignment tools. Additionally, some phono preamps can have some sibilance due to clipping. There are a couple of other reasons, but I'd start with the cartridge alignment (and proper VTA as well.)

 

[memepool]

Quote:

Originally Posted by WolfyWolf Von Wolfenstein /img/forum/go_quote.gif I am hearing some pronounce sibilance (pronounced and exagerated "ssss's") at times with my phono and don't hear that using the same phones and headphone amp with my universal disc player. I guess my question is would a new cart (mine is an older grado and cost less than $100 a few years ago) help this situation?

Did you manage to get a new stylus? If not I'd say that's almost certainly the culprit. Playing records with a worn stylus will damage them so if you can't find a replacment for that particular one then get a new cartridge definitely.

I would call Lpgear as they seem to have a good range of Grado's. I don't know for sure but it's often the case that a certain range of carts are only differentiated by the stylus so you may find there are a few which will fit your current cart.

I you do end up buying a new cart then bear in mind that the HK TT's had low mass tonerams so you'll need a high compliance one. There are a few of these still being made like the Shure M97, Ortofon OM series, Grados etc..

 

[WolfyWolf Von Wolfenstein]

I was wondering if maybe my preamp was the culprit. It only has a response of 20Hz to 20 KHz. Would that be audible if it was clipping?

 

[shallbehealed]

Quote:

Originally Posted by WolfyWolf Von Wolfenstein /img/forum/go_quote.gif Would that be audible if it was clipping?

Yes. But it wouldn't just be sibilance, it would also be distortion. The rest of the music would also be distorted to some degree.

 

[memepool]

Quote:

Originally Posted by WolfyWolf Von Wolfenstein /img/forum/go_quote.gif I was wondering if maybe my preamp was the culprit. It only has a response of 20Hz to 20 KHz. Would that be audible if it was clipping?

Definitely not. The kind of distortion you describe is definitely to do with a worn stylus or one that is not correctly aligned or else worn or badly pressed records. If it's noticable on everything then it's usually the stylus.

Distortion in the lower register (-100Hz) is called rumble and is commonly caused by mechanical shortcomings in the design or worn bearings. It's less of an issue with belt drive turntables like yours unless they are really cheap and nasty. Acoustic feedback from having the deck on a surface which picks up vibration is far more common.

In the upper registers above 1kHz distortion is most commonly tracking related. Most classic US carts from the 1970s like your Grado or Shure roll off smoothly above 15kHz which is the "analogue warmth" you hear a lot about. Expensive MM and MC carts have a wider flat response well above 20kHz but you need a deck / arm capable of tracking these without introducing distortion of their own to get the benefit.

Recent experiments with NOS DACs which remove the brick wall filtering on CD at 20kHz is widely acknowledged to open up the soundstage and sound more analogue but at the cost of a lot more artifacting ( the reason the filter is there in the first place ) which can sound awful depending on how sensitive one is to high pitched distotion.

Within the normal audio band records can generally be said to sound more lifelike in the sense of very quick reaction to small details within a recording rather than bold sweeps between loud and soft which is what CD is very good at.