[bbophead]

A very dear old friend of mine, who's since passed over the rainbow turntable, had a Transcriptors  TT with the arm.  Unfortunately, he was a hater, coming from a TD-126.  I think he was surprised by the fiddly nature of it and did not have the patience or expertise it would have taken to realize it's potential.  

 

[analogsurviver]

  A very dear old friend of mine, who's since passed over the rainbow turntable, had a Transcriptors  TT with the arm.  Unfortunately, he was a hater, coming from a TD-126.  I think he was surprised by the fiddly nature of it and did not have the patience or expertise it would have taken to realize it's potential.  

Sorry to hear about your friend - but merely mentioning to have known Vestigal in its prime will ruthlessly reveal one's age - and all that comes with it. Not everyone was introduced to Vestigal in their teens - as I had the privilege.
 
Well, I did write it is my lifelong love/hate  

 affair - didn't I ?
 
It is fiddly to the max and requires patience hors categorie with expertise being gained along the way. It is so fragile that you can upset the azimuth adjustment by merely placing a stylus guard on the cartridge/flipping it up or down if it is integral to the cart/stylus. 
 
However, once adjusted correctly and in the groove, there are very few things that are in its league. Souther arm ( openly admitted Vestigal was the inspiration ), Versa Dynamics arm, Transcriptors' own Microtracer from Transcriber,
a bit further removed Opus 3 Cantus , Technics SL linear track arm - more or less end of the list.

 

[bbophead]

Once I heard the brush on my V15 Type V making music physically, I ripped that sucker off.  That cleaned up the pre and post echo A LOT.

 

[analogsurviver]

Yes, the Shure Dynamic Stabilizer aka brush IS audible. I documented its wrongdoing by recording sweeps on the JVC TRS 1007 test record - with stylus still in the silent grooves and brush already tracking the modulated sweep, it is clearly audible that sweep from the brush does get trough; reduced in level, but most definitely not below residual noise of the record, therefore audible. For those familiar with the sound of the London subway, it creates an immediate association of either inbound or outbound trains in vicinity of the station. Without the brush, this "breaktrough" lasts for only single most adjacent groove - and is same/similar with all carts that do not feature brush of one kind or another - including Disctracker and similar tools.
 
I always strive to partner the Shure carts with tonearms that are matched well enough to not require the brush for stable operation. One of the best for Shure is Eminent Technology ET2 - to the point it has been featured on the last brochure for the V15VxMR. 
 
There is a tres chic version of the UNIVERSAL brush stabilizer - Stax CS-2. http://www.audio-extasa.eu/stax-cs2-cartridge-stabilizer-p-1246.html Its wrongdoings are less audible than Shure's - and it can be used with any 1/2" mount cartridge. It is exceeeeeeeeeedingly rare ; in a market as "poor and small" as Germany, there were reportedly sold exactly 6 (in a word : six ) samples of CS-2. 1/3rd of those are now with yours truly - used as something serving as a benchmark that has to be surpassed in order to allow for stabilizer action but hopefully being generally inaudible on anything resembling normal music. Close, but not quite there yet.

 

[Mrtn77]

Hello all,
A while back, I wrote about a hum problem that I had trouble with. Since I'm still suffering from it, I thought I'd post back with more information and a video to illustrate my point.
The video is here : 
 
My set-up is as follows :
Pro-ject Carbon Esprit, with Ortofon 2M Red
Rega Fono Mini phono preamp
Atoll In30 integrated amp
Dali Zensor 1 speakers
Nuforce Icon HDP DAC
I use the Pro-ject RCA cables that came with the turntable, which is grounded to the pre-amp.
All this is connected to the same surge protector (Belkin Surgemaster Gold as it's called), as are a PC and a monitor.
 
The hum shown on video is triggered randomly. Often many times during a single listening session (today, for instance I heard it at 4:08, 4:21, 4:27, 4:38, 4:46, 4:52 and 17:01PM, typically I hear that sound for a few seconds before it stops and eventually starts again), some days not at all. I sometimes get the hum when the turntable is not actually turning (as in teh video). I hear the hum on both channels.
 
I've used three different turntables : my own Pro-ject Carbon with an Ortofon cartridge, a Rega RP1 with another Ortofon cartridge (an OM5e) and my vintage ERA 444 with a Shure cartridge (not sure  what the model, other than it's a p-mount), and get that same hum with both modern-day Ortofon-fitted turntables and not at all with the ERA. I've also used a different pre-amp (a cheap TC-4 pre-amp) and got the hum with it as well.
 
I've put ferrite chockes on the TT cables, to no avail.
 
I'd be very grateful for some help with this as the issue's driving me mad.

 

[analogsurviver]

  Hello all,
A while back, I wrote about a hum problem that I had trouble with. Since I'm still suffering from it, I thought I'd post back with more information and a video to illustrate my point.
The video is here : 
 
My set-up is as follows :
Pro-ject Carbon Esprit, with Ortofon 2M Red
Rega Fono Mini phono preamp
Atoll In30 integrated amp
Dali Zensor 1 speakers
Nuforce Icon HDP DAC
I use the Pro-ject RCA cables that came with the turntable, which is grounded to the pre-amp.
All this is connected to the same surge protector (Belkin Surgemaster Gold as it's called), as are a PC and a monitor.
 
The hum shown on video is triggered randomly. Often many times during a single listening session (today, for instance I heard it at 4:08, 4:21, 4:27, 4:38, 4:46, 4:52 and 17:01PM, typically I hear that sound for a few seconds before it stops and eventually starts again), some days not at all. I sometimes get the hum when the turntable is not actually turning (as in teh video). I hear the hum on both channels.
 
I've used three different turntables : my own Pro-ject Carbon with an Ortofon cartridge, a Rega RP1 with another Ortofon cartridge (an OM5e) and my vintage ERA 444 with a Shure cartridge (not sure  what the model, other than it's a p-mount), and get that same hum with both modern-day Ortofon-fitted turntables and not at all with the ERA. I've also used a different pre-amp (a cheap TC-4 pre-amp) and got the hum with it as well.
 
I've put ferrite chockes on the TT cables, to no avail.
 
I'd be very grateful for some help with this as the issue's driving me mad.

Grrr 

 - the "good" old case of some grounding problem - and as I can see you are from France - yes, ERA used to produce decent platines - at least they were properly grounded, not like Pro-Ject or its older relatives, Tesla or better known in the West, NAD. All built at the same factory, now in Czech Republic, all exhibiting the same grounding problem(s). And , unfortunately, they are by no means the only culprit ...
 
I have the NAD 5120 (Tesla NC-430 ) - that is more or less the same, only worse, when hum is concerned. NOT much you can do about it save modification and PROPER grounding - the kind of buzz/hum as examplified means that the tonearm aluminium tube is not grounded - and there is nothing more susceptible to picking up hum/buzz than than a "shield" in the "air". 
The worse source of hum/buzz in turntables is any metal platter that does not have proper connection to the ground - as the size of the unshielded metal is governing how much it will be picked up, platter generally being the largest surface in a TT.
 
Get yourself a Digital Multi Meter ( or ohm meter, regardless if it is analog or digital ) and check for continuity. Arm tube ( you might be forced to scrape off some paint in a remote invisible spot in order to make an electrical contact - naturally it occurs under the head of the cartridge mounting screw ). It should read close to zero ohm
( anything above say 10 ohm means questionable connection, in your case I expect infinite resistance = open circuit ). The easiest way out ( without having to dismantle the arm and introduce the fifth wire for the ground AND having to find a way to make a permanent low resistance contact with the arm tube - (the reason why it is not being made in the first place )) is by soldering a short piece of tonearm wire to either of the ground lugs - coded green for the right, blue for the left channel - and attaching the other free side of that wire to the tonearm tube - again it is the easiest to make contact at the cartridge mounting screw, most elegantly to the metal washer between the arm and screw itself. Not as good as a separate ground wire ( as it introduces cable capacitance difference between the two channels that can and DOES affect MM cartridges - LOTS of arms in the market suffer from this ... ). If done neatly, can even look nice. I use this technique with my Eminent Technology ET2 tonearm in case I experience hum. It is highly sensitive regarding the internal resistance/impedance of the cartridge being used;  the lower it is, less the susceptibility. MMs are unfortunately high impedance devices ( couple of hundreds of ohms resistance and couple of hundreds of milihenries of inductance on the average ) - and buzzing as in your case is perfectly normal.
 
You probably would not be able to hear hum/buzz with a low impedance MC cartridge - some quirky way to "force" the user to opt for a (generally) costlier cartridge in the end ?
 
Ferrite chokes only "help" in case of radio breaktrough (RFI) into phono input - but can not do anything regarding hum. Best way not to pick RFI is the use of quality ( which does necesillary NOT equate costly ) phono cable with separate ground - my TCC-750 can turn into quite a good radio if I am sloppy with phono connection(s).
 
The fact that you experience the hum randomly may also mean there is an intermittent contact somewhere - and as a tonearm is subject to mechanical vibration per default, it may be hard to track it down.
 
Vive la difference - mais SANS le bruit ! Bon chance !

 

[Skylab]

I seriously doubt the issue is an intermittent contact since you tried two completely different TTs with different cartridges and had the same issue. Since you have tried two different phono preamps and had the same issue that would also seem to be suspect.

I think the issue is more likely relatd to your incoming power. Do you have the TT plugged into a power line conditioner/filter? Are the integrated amp and phono preamp also plugged into the same conditioner? If not, they need to be.

Do you have any lights that are on dimmer switches? If so make sure they are all OFF. All the way switched off.

Then please report back

 

[Mrtn77]

I seriously doubt the issue is an intermittent contact since you tried two completely different TTs with different cartridges and had the same issue. Since you have tried two different phono preamps and had the same issue that would also seem to be suspect.

I think the issue is more likely relatd to your incoming power. Do you have the TT plugged into a power line conditioner/filter? Are the integrated amp and phono preamp also plugged into the same conditioner? If not, they need to be.

Do you have any lights that are on dimmer switches? If so make sure they are all OFF. All the way switched off.

Then please report back

Thanks for the help. I did think that hearing the hum on two different turntables was enough to let Pro-ject "off the hook".
 
The TT's plugged into a Belkin Surgemaster. Does that qualify as a power condiotioner / filter ? (I believe the manufacturer claims the Surgemaster offers a measure of EMI/RMI filtering, but I'm not sure it's much.) In any case, yes, TT, amp and preamp are all plugged into that Surgemaster, as are my DAC, a PC and a computer monitor.
 
There are no dimmer switches in my home nor lights of any kind on that power line.
 
I should add that other turntable owners in the building have told me they'd suffered from the issue.
 
Still, weird that the Rega and Pro-ject TTs I've used here have hummed and that the ERA has not. Maybe recent Ortofon carts are more susceptible to problematic power networks ? 

 

[Skylab]

Either that or the ERA has a transformer that is blocking some crap on the power line that the other TTs do not. The sporadic nature of the noise has AC line noise/interference written all over it.

Next - try unplugging the DAC and the PC and monitor from the Belkin. Not powering down - unplugging.

 

[Mrtn77]

Either that or the ERA has a transformer that is blocking some crap on the power line that the other TTs do not. The sporadic nature of the noise has AC line noise/interference written all over it.

Next - try unplugging the DAC and the PC and monitor from the Belkin. Not powering down - unplugging.

 
Alright, will do so tomorrow (pretty late here now). Thanks ! 

 

[analogsurviver]

  Thanks for the help. I did think that hearing the hum on two different turntables was enough to let Pro-ject "off the hook".
 
The TT's plugged into a Belkin Surgemaster. Does that qualify as a power condiotioner / filter ? (I believe the manufacturer claims the Surgemaster offers a measure of EMI/RMI filtering, but I'm not sure it's much.) In any case, yes, TT, amp and preamp are all plugged into that Surgemaster, as are my DAC, a PC and a computer monitor.
 
There are no dimmer switches in my home nor lights of any kind on that power line.
 
I should add that other turntable owners in the building have told me they'd suffered from the issue.
 
Still, weird that the Rega and Pro-ject TTs I've used here have hummed and that the ERA has not. Maybe recent Ortofon carts are more susceptible to problematic power networks ? 

No, a phono cartridge can not be more susceptible to problematic power networks - hum originates in "surroundings" ( wiring in arm and TT, including any ground loops ), whatever it is picked up by the cart itself is far lesser in degree than "surroundings". Ortofons are particularly well shielded.
 
I can connect a turntable to the TCC-750 phono preamp any way I "choose" - quiet/clean, with hum/buzz, with hum/buzz and radio interference. The wrong cable from TT to phono is all that it takes - that and not using the star ground grounding system. That point should always be at the input for the lowest voltage source - in our case phono preamp. If you have a FM tuner in the system - that becomes the negative/shield of the antenna - as it is much lower voltage than even low output MC cartridges. This way it should work correctly even with fairly dirty line voltage - but of course it is better if power is clean.
 
The very last thing you want to have plugged in the same power outlet with analog audio is - a computer. It is an endless source of trouble and can cause symptoms as seen in your video. 

 

[Skylab]

The very last thing you want to have plugged in the same power outlet with analog audio is - a computer. It is an endless source of trouble and can cause symptoms as seen in your video. 

I completely agree. That and anything that is connected to Cable TV (even a Cable Modem) - very big sources of buzz or hum.

 

[Silent One]

Back in 2010 I had my Wireless Router sitting underneath the audio rack - my tube amp system was dead quiet. One day I physically lifted the router up for usual cleaning and dusting and got buzzed out of the room next listening session. Previously had cleaned the component the same way for months without issue. Suddenly, I couldn't stop the system from buzzing. 
 
Eventually went Ethernet to computer and placed the router a few rooms away. All was restored.

 

[TFuerte]

Not sure if this is really the right place for this question, but here it goes..
 
So I recently came across an old Luxman receiver and a Technica turntable. I've always wanted to get into vinyl and I know that Luxman receivers are thought of pretty highly in the receiver world. Anyways, I had to order a power supply for the turntable, but I've already tested out the Luxman with my floor standers and the sound is a huge upgrade over the Blu Ray player/receiver that the floor standers are currently running through. So now I'm wondering if it is possible to run the Luxman AFTER the Blu Ray via the speaker wire outs on the Blu Ray and the Auxiliary RCA input on the Luxman. I know some receivers have an audio pre-out that are RCA outputs, but mine doesn't. The only outs are the speaker wire outputs. I know this sounds like a pretty convuluted setup, but it would be really convenient to only need to turn a knob on the Luxman to go from TV/Blu Ray to turntable. Otherwise I would be looking at swapping out the speaker cables every time I wanted to use the turntable, plus there's the added benefit of improved sound for my digital music collection/tv/movies.
 
So in a nutshell: Is it possible to use a speaker wire to male RCA cable to connect a Blu Ray player/Receiver to a Luxman receiver? Would it damage the Luxman?
 
I know this isn't necessarily a turntable question, but I appreciate any help.

 

[BLACKENEDPLAGUE]

  Not sure if this is really the right place for this question, but here it goes..
 
So I recently came across an old Luxman receiver and a Technica turntable. I've always wanted to get into vinyl and I know that Luxman receivers are thought of pretty highly in the receiver world. Anyways, I had to order a power supply for the turntable, but I've already tested out the Luxman with my floor standers and the sound is a huge upgrade over the Blu Ray player/receiver that the floor standers are currently running through. So now I'm wondering if it is possible to run the Luxman AFTER the Blu Ray via the speaker wire outs on the Blu Ray and the Auxiliary RCA input on the Luxman. I know some receivers have an audio pre-out that are RCA outputs, but mine doesn't. The only outs are the speaker wire outputs. I know this sounds like a pretty convuluted setup, but it would be really convenient to only need to turn a knob on the Luxman to go from TV/Blu Ray to turntable. Otherwise I would be looking at swapping out the speaker cables every time I wanted to use the turntable, plus there's the added benefit of improved sound for my digital music collection/tv/movies.
 
So in a nutshell: Is it possible to use a speaker wire to male RCA cable to connect a Blu Ray player/Receiver to a Luxman receiver? Would it damage the Luxman?
 
I know this isn't necessarily a turntable question, but I appreciate any help.

 
that is a preamp problem.
 
get an a/v receiver and have a ball. I recommend Denon, Harmon Kardon or Pioneer. okay chill for a day or two
 
I'll elaborate tomorrow because... things