The only need for a cue-up is if you have a habit of leaving the stylus in the lead-out groove for HOURS. Otherwise, personally, I think the device may actually increase the overall risk of damaging the cartridge. But if you like to go to sleep with an LP playing, then it does make good sense.
The only need for a cue-up is if you have a habit of leaving the stylus in the lead-out groove for HOURS. Otherwise, personally, I think the device may actually increase the overall risk of damaging the cartridge. But if you like to go to sleep with an LP playing, then it does make good sense.
It IS worth it - IF properly adjusted. Lead out groove is no different than normal, it only contains one pulse per revoluton that can be used to measure the absolute polarity of the cartridge - it will wear out the stylus only if run for hours - if you fall asleep etc.
One of my TTs, the NAD 5120, has lift at the end of the record (+ stopping the platter ) built in. Although it looks rather brutal performing this, it is actually very gentle on the stylus. Technics SL linear tables may even have title programming ( a la CD , only no remote ) - of course they offer lift off/stop at the end.
Q Up and its equivalents are like insurance - not absolutely required, yet mighty handy if you for any reason forget to lift the stylus once the side of an LP is finished. Just a couple of revolutions will do no harm - no need to break time records from your easy chair to your turntable..
I recently fell asleep when listening to an lp and of course it just kept on spinning. I only noticed the next morning. It probably spun for a solid 6 hours. I'm not sure how much wear and tear occurs on this portion of the LP but if it's no more than playing an LP then I'm not too worried. If it's far more then maybe it's time to upgrade...
One of my TTs, the NAD 5120, has lift at the end of the record (+ stopping the platter ) built in. Although it looks rather brutal performing this, it is actually very gentle on the stylus. Technics SL linear tables may even have title programming ( a la CD , only no remote ) - of course they offer lift off/stop at the end.
I've been 100% manual on my last few turntables, but I always enjoyed the programmable ones. Had (well, still have, but it doesn't function so great) a Sansui that you loaded in a tray like a CD player. Two linear arms with optical tracking, one for either side. Play the whole record without flipping, build a 'playlist,' random access of any track on the disc... Little bit ridiculous, but that thing was neat.
I recently fell asleep when listening to an lp and of course it just kept on spinning. I only noticed the next morning. It probably spun for a solid 6 hours. I'm not sure how much wear and tear occurs on this portion of the LP but if it's no more than playing an LP then I'm not too worried. If it's far more then maybe it's time to upgrade...
Simple - it was six hours in the groove, if we say an LP is on average 50 minutes long, you wasted say 6 or 7 LP worth of playing time of your stylus.
You got off lightly - my friend also fell asleep, many, many, many full moons ago. The constant noise of the end groove must have annoyed his mother enough to come to his room and tried to lift the arm. A tonearm is supposed to lift ALL THE WAY - RIGHT ? Ordinary arm do - but NOT this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioVvS49czRQ This is the best vid of Transcriptors Vestigal I found on YT that shows this extrordinary arm in action, particularly as record is warped, in keeping with the mid 70s and Over Pricing Every Can resulting in oil crisis that lead to super thin floppy vinyls of the era. The arm pivots at its base in horizontal only, vertically pivots only the "HEADSHELL" , which is counterweighted close to the main horizontal bearing via thread. Both headshell and counterweight are clearly visible to move appreciably. Vestigal is, used correctly, one of the very best tonearms ever made. But it is like Princess and the Pea ...
She managed to lift it ALL THE WAY
- wrecking the horizontal bearing to fubar condition, beyond repair.
Vestigal does not have lifting device, other than fingerlift. The only other tonearm, made along basically the same principle, is Dynavector series 505 and 507 - where lift is optionally available and will set you back more than most are prepared to spend on the whole tonearm. End of side lifting - fugheddaboudit !
I've been 100% manual on my last few turntables, but I always enjoyed the programmable ones. Had (well, still have, but it doesn't function so great) a Sansui that you loaded in a tray like a CD player. Two linear arms with optical tracking, one for either side. Play the whole record without flipping, build a 'playlist,' random access of any track on the disc... Little bit ridiculous, but that thing was neat.
Possibility for the most "obsessed & deranged" - have record company print your albums ALWAYS as 2LP set, record 1 having Side A on both sides, record 2 having side B on both sides - and you can A/B various cartridges in real time ( of course both sides are PLL locked ...). Kidding aside, how did it perform - from the description it seems to be devoid of platter in traditional sense, most probably had some clamping arrangement for the record over label area.
I agree that your cartridge isn't going to get damaged by a few seconds/minutes in the lead out groove (although, for what we spend on these things why not take good care of them), but I'm struggling to see how it would increase the chance of damaging the cartridge?
Quote:
The only need for a cue-up is if you have a habit of leaving the stylus in the lead-out groove for HOURS. Otherwise, personally, I think the device may actually increase the overall risk of damaging the cartridge. But if you like to go to sleep with an LP playing, then it does make good sense.
Possibility for the most "obsessed & deranged" - have record company print your albums ALWAYS as 2LP set, record 1 having Side A on both sides, record 2 having side B on both sides - and you can A/B various cartridges in real time ( of course both sides are PLL locked ...). Kidding aside, how did it perform - from the description it seems to be devoid of platter in traditional sense, most probably had some clamping arrangement for the record over label area.
Yep, clamped down. I'd say it sounded as good as any of those consumer-grade linear trackers. Unfortunately, while playing with all the buttons was fun and all, it missed a big part of what vinyl is to me - tactile and experiential. It just ate up the disc and did it's thing. Doesn't quite compare to moving a belt between two pulleys to adjust speed, dropping a needle, listening to hidden loops in the lead-out... Also, it was mechanically complicated... the tray, the clamp, the two arms... Last time I used it it still worked, but in the sense that you would close the tray, you might have to push it in a little as it was trying to pull it, it might spit it right back out, it might flash all the lights at you instead of playing once it actually ate it up, etc... I'll try to get a photo or two this weekend, if I can find the ol' fellow.
I agree that your cartridge isn't going to get damaged by a few seconds/minutes in the lead out groove (although, for what we spend on these things why not take good care of them), but I'm struggling to see how it would increase the chance of damaging the cartridge?
I agree that your cartridge isn't going to get damaged by a few seconds/minutes in the lead out groove (although, for what we spend on these things why not take good care of them), but I'm struggling to see how it would increase the chance of damaging the cartridge?
It really depends on the cartridge/stylus cost. If you are running say a $ 100 cart, paying $ 60 or so for the end of side lifting device is tough. If you are running a 4 or five figure cart that can well exceed the price of $ 1 per hour of play, that is a totally different story. A single - or two? - nights you fell asleep is all that it takes for the Q Up or similar to pay for itself in terms of wear. A low compliance MC tracking at say 2.5 gram VTF is not likely to have its diamond really good for over 500 hours or so - if it costs XK$, do the math...
Any additional mumbo jumbo in the vicinity of the tonearm increases the risk - mainly from human error, sometimes from malfunction.
I recently fell asleep when listening to an lp and of course it just kept on spinning. I only noticed the next morning. It probably spun for a solid 6 hours. I'm not sure how much wear and tear occurs on this portion of the LP but if it's no more than playing an LP then I'm not too worried. If it's far more then maybe it's time to upgrade...
What about the albums where the lead-out goes into the record label, then the needle goes four-wheelen bouncing out and across the flat part to then falling into the lead-out groove again to repeat over and over again.
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