[trackball02]

I always wanted one of these   , and had it delivered a few weeks ago. It's up and running with no major problems, really a very nice sounding TT. I have a few comments and questions to all the vinyl geniuses on AC.




1. The RCA leads look original. Seem to play well, without static. Is there any benefit in replacing to improve sound quality?

2. I can hear a faint mechanical hum from the motor when next to the turntable. Should this motor be completely silent or is this normal? There is no hum or rumble from the speakers. I'm quite surprised on how quiet the background is when playing LPs.

3. Are there any simple tweaks to improve sound quality?

4. I have installed an Audio Technica OC9/II, and am very surprised on how good it sounds. I'm amazed how this cartridge sounds much better on the Empire compared to when it was on my Dual 1019 or my Technics 1600 MK2 with a KAB fluid damper. There is less brittle highs with richer and more three dimensional mids and improved bass. Every thing else in my system in including my phono preamp and settings were not changed.  Can anyone tell me why? I assume there is a better compliance matching?

5. Anyone have experiences on using moving coil cartridges in the $500-$1000 range on the 598? If so, any favorites? 

6. Finally, what's with the Dyna Lift? It seems to work well, but it is very abrupt as it rip the tonearm off the record. Is there a possibility in damaging the stylus or cantilever?

[Photon46]

I bought one of those brand new and used it for many years. The connector cable is the single biggest potential problem with the 598. If that develops problems, you are in trouble because that connector is hard to find. I looked for years and could never find replacement connectors or cables. Somebody must know where to get them because occasionally very high priced replacement upgrade cables have shown up on Ebay during the last couple of years. The Pabst motor was completely silent in mine, no mechanical hum at all. I found the sound could be very substantially improved by doing the following. I drilled three 1/4"diameter holes 1" vertically into the bottom edge of the base , one at each of the rear corners and one in the center of the front panel. I made threaded inserts for the holes by coating the inside of the holes with epoxy resin and then inserted a short length of threaded brass rod coated with silicone grease into the resin.( I did that rather than using threaded brass inserts because the wall thickness of the base is so thin. I imagine you could glue some wood block to the sides of the base and then you'd have enough wall thickness to use threaded brass inserts.) Once the epoxy dried, I backed out the threaded rods and installed a set of Black Diamond Racing carbon fiber cones by using threaded rod in the cones. Then, the turntable was put on a Mappleshade type 3" thick maple plinth. This resulted in a much better sounding turntable, very close the sound of my VPI Scout when it was sitting on the mdf top shelf of my Billy Bags rack. (Installing the VPI on the maple platform improved its sound a great deal as well.) I imagine that any number of more sophisticated footers might improve the Empire's performance even further. I don't recall that the arm lift mechanism on my Empire was particularly jerky or abrupt.

[trackball02]

Photon, Thanks for the tip about changing the feet. Right now, my Empire is just sitting on a 3" maple platform. I'll look into swapping out. I'm not sure I'm up for doing a lot of drilling however.
What cartridge did you have on your Empire. Did you like it?

[Wayner]

Do not use the dynalift. If it is not set up properly, it certainly can damage records/stylii.

The platter of the Empire weighs about 12 pounds, as I recall, lots of  mass to keep the speed stable and to take out surface noise. The mat helps too, holding the record only by it's outer edge.

The anti-skate probably doesn't work.

Leave the RCA interconnect alone.

 

[Photon46]

I probably used a Stanton 681EEE-s the longest. Also used a Goldring 1042 a couple years. Both sounded and tracked fine in the Empire arm.

[trackball02]

Thanks Photon for the cartridge info.

Wayner, the Dynalift looks like it is set up following the manual. It just makes a loud pop through the speakers when it is engaged. Is that normal? It does not seem to mute as the arm is it is lifted when compared to my other automatic turntables.

I agree about the low surface noise. This TT is very quiet.

Why do you think that the anti-skate is not working properly? It seems to track well with zero IGD. I am adjusting as indicated be the manual. Due to the age of the mechanism, it is applying to little or too much? If so, can one compensate by either dialing higher or lower than indicated?

I'll take your advice regarding the RCA. One less hassle to deal with if not required. Thanks.

[Wayner]

The spring may be stretched out, and therefore, does not work properly. I have a blank disc that I use to test anti-skate and the knob makes no difference at all where it is set. That doesn't mean that the problem exists with all Empires, but probably.

The que lever lift has a rubber pad on it, to keep the arm still when in the up position (because of anti-skate) that also can get damaged, or lifted in on one end. Just take a peek into the pivot housing and see what condition its in, any curl or one end looking like its lifting.

Wayner

[trackball02]

Wayner, I looked at the cue lifter rubber pad, and it looks like it is in good condition, without curling. I wonder how that pad can be repaired it if ever happened.

I have a blank sided LP, and will check the anti skate. I'll need to read up on this issue. Thanks for the tip.