TURNTABLE SETUP Questions thread - don't start a new thread, ASK YOUR QUESTION HERE!

[Audiorobics]

  Sir, you did well. It is nothing to write home about, but should give you years of reasonable quality music reproduction at an acceptable cost. The rest of $ is better spent on the software - vinyl itself.
 
AT-403EP cartridge is a T4P P-Mount version of the AT 120 family - and can take all the styli in this vast family. Of current production ATN-440MLa and ATN-150MLX
are the top replacements - but JICO also makes Shibata profile styli that fit for less money.
 
Equalizer, if of enough high quality and used correctly, is perhaps one of the best choices you can make in an audio system. But it is true that satisfying that "if" may prove to be a bit much - do not give up if the first attempt will not sound as you intended or wished for.
 
Please read about test records, stylus cleaners, record cleaning machines "quite a couple posts back" in this thread. And then settle for something you are comfortable with as you progress on your analog journey .

I was actually considering an equalizer unit. I see a lot of extremely cheap 10 band ones on ebay for like 15-20$. Could one actually go wrong with these in fully functional condition? Of course I would wait a week or two for that due to logistics but the receiver unit I purchased actually has treble, bass and balance at least. 

 

[analogsurviver]

  If you are referring to direct drive units, the one I purchased is one. But I am actually having the guy replace it with a technic unit that is even better since there is something loose inside this one which  just determined a little while ago. 
 
In my research it seemed important to me to acquire a table with speed adjustment to counter any drive issues that may occur over time. 

No, meant was direct signal path - no tone controls, no equalizers, etc. That is to say playing whatever source just as it is, no use of anything besides the most inescapable devices. There are many advocates that this is the only way. It is the best - provided you can adjust everything so that it produces the correct result in the end. Totally remodelling the listening room to allow for it is better than use an equalizer - but we live in a real world and cost of any equalizer should be less than proper acoustic treatment of the room. Only user can decide which path to take.
 
If you keep removing components from the system - the last thing you removed that now produces silence was the one removed too many - put it back in the system. Everything else is surplus according to direct signal path proponents.
 
Good that you can get a defective TT replaced. After you get some experience with analog, you might decide that such an unit is/is not worth repairing.
 
I like your attitude regarding TT speed (adjustment) - the only non critical TTs in this regard are quartz regulated direct drives. Any AC synhronous motor belt driven TT is at the mercy of the precision of the drive belt - particularly its thickness. The only real world solution is the use of a TT motor power supply that allows for a precise speed adjustment - the cost of which can throw a spanner in the cogs of less expensive belt driven AC motor powered TTs.

 

[Skylab]

I was actually considering an equalizer unit. I see a lot of extremely cheap 10 band ones on ebay for like 15-20$. Could one actually go wrong with these in fully functional condition? Of course I would wait a week or two for that due to logistics but the receiver unit I purchased actually has treble, bass and balance at least. 

An EQ, especially a cheap one, will add noise into the system. However, as others have mentioned, the added noise may well be offset by the flexibility of being able to adapt the sound to your liking, if you get one, there are some good rules to follow, like use fairly small adjustments, and always CUT, never BOOST. This will help reduce any added noise.

But unless you want one for the coolness factor, I would definitely not jump right into one, get to know your system, and as also was suggested, try the tone controls on your amp if you need some tailoring, before getting an EQ.

 

[analogsurviver]

An EQ, especially a cheap one, will add noise into the system. However, as others have mentioned, the added noise may well be offset by the flexibility of being able to adapt the sound to your liking, if you get one, there are some good rules to follow, like use fairly small adjustments, and always CUT, never BOOST. This will help reduce any added noise.

But unless you want one for the coolness factor, I would definitely not jump right into one, get to know your system, and as also was suggested, try the tone controls on your amp if you need some tailoring, before getting an EQ.

Great advice and great post !
 
Getting an EQ truly transparent - or at least transparent "enough" - will cost probably more than the entire system it is meant to be used with. An active equalizer is in fact as many preamps as it has bands in series - now think how many times better than "just line stage preamp" each stage in an EQ has to be for the overall loss of quality still be on a par with "just preamp". Not gonna happen at $10 - there probably never were commercially available EQs with "good enough" performance - if Cello Palette (family) is excerpted. And that was/is serious $$$$.
 
Following the "cut only, no boost" principle, there are passive EQs. They are mainly meant for pro use and require STRICT input and output impedances to work as intended. You will not find any of these at $10 either - unless obscenely lucky. 
 
Any really good EQ, be it active or passive, requires the best capacitors one can possibly procure/afford - and that is lots and lots of money.
 
The use of cheap ( what the market will bear ...) componentry has given EQs bad name in the first place - but at least brought the concept within the reach of many more people than the "properly" built pro gear - the prices would turn off any "normal" audiophile.
 
An EQ and low budget do not mix well. Sorry for that - but it is unfortunately true. 

 

[Audiorobics]

  No, meant was direct signal path - no tone controls, no equalizers, etc. That is to say playing whatever source just as it is, no use of anything besides the most inescapable devices. There are many advocates that this is the only way. It is the best - provided you can adjust everything so that it produces the correct result in the end. Totally remodelling the listening room to allow for it is better than use an equalizer - but we live in a real world and cost of any equalizer should be less than proper acoustic treatment of the room. Only user can decide which path to take.
 
If you keep removing components from the system - the last thing you removed that now produces silence was the one removed too many - put it back in the system. Everything else is surplus according to direct signal path proponents.
 
Good that you can get a defective TT replaced. After you get some experience with analog, you might decide that such an unit is/is not worth repairing.
 
I like your attitude regarding TT speed (adjustment) - the only non critical TTs in this regard are quartz regulated direct drives. Any AC synhronous motor belt driven TT is at the mercy of the precision of the drive belt - particularly its thickness. The only real world solution is the use of a TT motor power supply that allows for a precise speed adjustment - the cost of which can throw a spanner in the cogs of less expensive belt driven AC motor powered TTs.

By the way I am returning the JVC  to the guy who sold it to me because of the issues and he is replacing it with a Technics Quartz SL-Q3 in mint condition and fully tested. Apparently this is an even better player than the previous. 

 

[Audiorobics]

http://www.vinylengine.com/library/technics/sl-q3.shtml

 

[Audiorobics]

So in my research I have discovered that the Quartz players are better than other direct drive players, even if those units do have speed adjustment dials because apparently the quartz chip prevents any speed variations that may occur in time like these other units may experience. True or? 

 

[BLACKENEDPLAGUE]

  Technics Quartz SL-Q3 in mint condition and fully tested

 

 
much better

 

[macbob713]

Well I'm selling my Dual CS46 on eBay far below what I paid for it. Today I bought a Proper turntable, the Rega RP6 and the dealer preinstalled the Sumiko Bluepoint Evo iii.
Wow, it blew my Dual into the dirt. Everything I was missing has been rediscovered.Im going to run in the cart over the weekend and let everything settle in.

 

[analogsurviver]

  So in my research I have discovered that the Quartz players are better than other direct drive players, even if those units do have speed adjustment dials because apparently the quartz chip prevents any speed variations that may occur in time like these other units may experience. True or? 

Generally yes. For sheer speed precision you can not beat quartz regulation ( OK, maybe with using DSP, like on Grand Prix  Monte Carlo DD TT - $$$$ ) - but some have found that regulation that does so many corrections over time does intrude upon sound quality. There are few Technics (and no doubt other ) DD decks that have either switchable Quartz/pitch option or eschew quartz altogether. I sometimes do prefer going quartzless - but then sheer speed precision may drift a bit with temperature.  That drift is in the same ballpark as speed deviations of AC synhronous motor belt driven TTs after change of the belt with only line mains drive - but is not
always the same, it will change with the temperature and may settle down after say one side of the LP.

 

[analogsurviver]

   

 
much better

+1.

 

[bbophead]

Well I'm selling my Dual CS46 on eBay far below what I paid for it. Today I bought a Proper turntable, the Rega RP6 and the dealer preinstalled the Sumiko Bluepoint Evo iii.
Wow, it blew my Dual into the dirt. Everything I was missing has been rediscovered.Im going to run in the cart over the weekend and let everything settle in.

Happy, happy RP6 owner here.  Just what I wanted!
 

 

[macbob713]

Happy, happy RP6 owner here.  Just what I wanted!

Nice setup, love the black, my dealer only had the white so I took that. What cart are you using?

 

[bbophead]

I decided to keep things simple with a MM cartridge, Ortofon 2M Black.  Sounds great, tracks everything.
 

 

[Audiorobics]

  Generally yes. For sheer speed precision you can not beat quartz regulation ( OK, maybe with using DSP, like on Grand Prix  Monte Carlo DD TT - $$$$ ) - but some have found that regulation that does so many corrections over time does intrude upon sound quality. There are few Technics (and no doubt other ) DD decks that have either switchable Quartz/pitch option or eschew quartz altogether. I sometimes do prefer going quartzless - but then sheer speed precision may drift a bit with temperature.  That drift is in the same ballpark as speed deviations of AC synhronous motor belt driven TTs after change of the belt with only line mains drive - but is not
always the same, it will change with the temperature and may settle down after say one side of the LP.

So, am I correct in presuming that the short version is "Yes, the Quartz chip generally does not have speed issues nearly as much as other drive systems"?