[Meliboeus]

I've just bought some old records off ebay, wich i was going to listen with my turntable, but after hearing it i think that i have to replace at least the phono cartridge, since the turntable ( an imperial pt6600 direct drive, think it is an unknown low quality manufacturer ) is almost 30 years old and has been used rarely but without any maintenance, bearings have never been oiled, cartridge and stylus never changed nor re-aligned. Sound quality was bad with lots of pops and crackings, ok the record i played was not in mint condition, but i'm pretty sure that such an old piece of hardware plays some role in that.

What i ask you is if it is a better choice to change the cartridge only and keep my old turntable doing some maintenance, or to buy a new one ( a low end one, e.g. i've set eyes on the Pro-ject rpm1 which is available for less than 200€ ), changing cartridge only would allow me to save some money, but my concerns are :
- does the old turntable greatly affect sound quality ?
- does it risk to damage the records with irregular platter rotation, wow etc ?
(keep in mind that i am not an ultra-high-end audiophile, not willing to spend very much )

p.s. i will listen with my Ms1 through a mass-market phono preamp and a microHIFI aux imput, but planning to upgrade in a near future (immediately if i opt for keeping the old turntable )


Sorry for the long post and for my bad english .

 

[John Reeves]

Hi,

Irregular rotation will not damage the records, BUT a worn stylus will cause irreparable damage. Imagine using a chisel instead of a stylus. Yes, the record deck is one of the most critical components in the sound chain - as Ivor Tifenbraun said, Rubbish in, Rubbish out.

Regards

John

 

[WolfyWolf Von Wolfenstein]

You might want to try a new record before you run out and upgrade. I had the same experience and the difference between a new and used record can be night and day.

 

[Uncle Erik]

I couldn't find anything about your turntable with a few searches.

However, I would absolutely give it another chance before buying a new turntable.

You will want to clean out the bearing and add fresh oil. Synthetic 5W30 automotive oil will work, as will fine sewing machine oil.

Install a new cartridge, too. I think the Grado Black is an excellent value, though I do not know the availability or price in Italy. You could buy one at a favorable exchange rate through the US eBay or Audiogon.

But give your old turntable a chance to play right. It might be better than you expect.

 

[Meliboeus]

Thanks to all , after opening the thread and reading something here and there, i came to the same conclusion of Uncle Erik, i'll start changing the cartridge with a cheap one, ( i can buy a goldring Elan for less than 25€ , it's probabily worse than a grado but for less than half the price... ) and use the money saved for a decent preamp ( tcc tc-750 ) and an headphone amplifier.


Regarding new and old records, what made me think that poor sound quality was not related to the record wear , was that the one i played was "new" ,it has been played probably no more than 4-5 times in the last 30 years.