Tracking force too light or anti-skate? One channel or two and where on the record does it occur beginning middle or end?
In praise of idlers
- Thread starter jespera
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Tracking force too light or anti-skate? One channel or two and where on the record does it occur beginning middle or end?
Fiddled with anti-skate a bunch and I'm tracking the SL15 at 1.5g which is the top of recommended but I've tried 1.75g with no luck. SPU tracking tried at even 4g. I've had decent results with the Sculpture A.4 with a micro ridge stylus but still edgy at times. I had both these cartridges on arms that were c-clamped to a shelf with a cheap Well Tempered belt drive and no tracking issues at all. I'm about to buy a Feickert Woodpecker just to test it (because my uncle will buy it from me if it doesn't solve the issue).
I use 1.25-1.3g on my SL-15/3012R and 1g anti skate. There is very slight mistracking on the toughest LPs only, usually soprano at beginning or end of the side. That cartridge does not track as well as the Colibri, but other than that, it is glorious. It has to be set up exactly and it really matters. Recheck alignment. If it is very slightly off, you will hear it.
The fact that you hear it with all cartridges makes me wonder. It is likely something else that I can not think of. Perhaps start a new thread and some vinyl expert like ddk might see it and have an idea.
Good idea. I'm wondering if it's because I'm on wall shelf and the torque of the motor is causing vibrations and tracking issues?
By the way, I had the SL15 the housekeeper accidentally broke retipped by Joseph Long and it sounds exactly the same as my near NOS one. I'm very impressed by his work.
Arm board aint flat?
I really like my sl15 too. So good to hear that it can be repaired if my housekerper gets it.
Ps! I track my sl15 at 2g but its the ell version which is higher output, more windings, and stiffer than the standard version. No mistracking.
Pps! Wanna sell those diatones?
I really like my sl15 too. So good to hear that it can be repaired if my housekerper gets it.
Ps! I track my sl15 at 2g but its the ell version which is higher output, more windings, and stiffer than the standard version. No mistracking.
Pps! Wanna sell those diatones?
If you have tried a number of arms + carts and ruled out any potential speaker crossover / tweeter issues with another source, my first thought would be to focus on the idler wheel.
The short film below (It's out of context but the function is pertinent) illustrates basic idler maintenance. If the idler wheels surface has hardened or polished it may be causing 'slip' which can create wow / flutter / changes in pitch in the higher register.
Cleaning the pulley and the inner running face of the platter with isopropyl / lint free cloth is critical too.
If the idler wheel is loose in the bushes (You can rock it with an alternating motion with your fingers on the periphery)... This can also cause the idler to 'ride' .... another cause of Wow / Flutter. If the idler bushes are too tight / misaligned there will also be issues - It should be very free spinning and cruise to a gentle stop... (Again this film was made for another purpose but it does illustrate a true running idler) See below:
Should none of the above assist, I'd look at the main bearing / motor coil issues.
Ha! Nope, not for sale! Ever....
Thanks for your suggestion. I'm going to look at the armboard today. It is the weakest part of the plinth design because even though it's rectangular, it's held on with only two screws instead of 4 for some reason.... so it could actually be tilted.
It's actually a tweeter! Oh no!
I finally isolated the problem. Never occurred to me that it could be a speaker issue but when something is close to distorting on an LP, the right tweeter can't handle it and it distorts. That's why I thought it happened on digital too the time I checked but then dismissed it. It's on recordings that aren't particularly great. They sound a little edgy on headphones but distort on that one speaker.
Also it doesn't happen below a low-medium listening level.
This is going to be fun to fix or replace....
I'm not a doctor but I played one today!Great to have solved the mystery! Calling the Diatone Doctor
Took the tweeter apart and there was screw missing from the outer ring around the cone. Trip to the hardware store to get it. The screw section of the hardware store gives me way too much pleasure.
Cleaned everything. Put it back. Distortion gone... for now!
Have you tried the S15-T? It's an SL15 with a built in SUT. Pretty amazing. I'm playing it right now using the Lamm LP2.1 but skipping the preamp and going into a Scott 222C integrated (while my amp is out being fixed) and I'm just blown away. This one popped up for $300 on USAudioMart in the middle of the night. Thank God for my insomnia!
Nice. That Scott is real nice too. I try to grab them, Eico 81's and a few others when I see them.
I've been dying to find an HF-81 to try out but I imagine the 222C is hard to beat.
My EICO can throw an image with a pair of single driver speakers I have of jazz trumpet that is... unprecedented (speakers lack in other ways though). And that's with a cheap TT.
Received my Jean Nantais The Ultimate in beautiful California Burl.
Still fine tuning and learning it.
Very different from my CSPort!
Still fine tuning and learning it.
Very different from my CSPort!
Awesome looking machinery. Never seen such a thing before. Can you tell us a bit about it?
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