[Delta Wave]

Success!!! And next steps...

Thanks to the posters here i developed enough confidence to buy a used Rega P3/24 with Dynavector 10x5 cartridge & external power supply.

Great to listen to all that vinyl that had been in storage for 30+ years. Amazing to experience the soundstage, emotional involvement and engagement / realism I had forgotten about...

I have the Rega connected to a 36 year old Harmon Kardon 665 Integrated Amp (100W into 8 ohms) and thru Salk HT-2TLs.  WAF is over the top - especially after getting turntable set up...in her words "it's truly like listening to live music in our family room"


Here's my question:

I notice that when listening to CD (Cambridge Audio 840c) at normal listening levels  (8-9 o'clock) I defeat the tone controls and get pretty good sound.  With the Rega, for the same volume I have to move the dial  to between 1:00-4:00 and find myself wanting to add bass via the tone controls or by using  the "loudness" function...

I wouldnt be surprised if the next thing to upgrade is my HK 665 integrated - but wondered if moving to an external phono pre-amp would give me back the low end I am missing, or if the issue has more to do with my choice of cartridge. Any thoughts here would be welcome!

Thanks!

You could try lowering your VTA a little. You should also give your cartridge some break-in time before you make any changes.

[neobop]

Success!!! And next steps...

Thanks to the posters here i developed enough confidence to buy a used Rega P3/24 with Dynavector 10x5 cartridge & external power supply.

Great to listen to all that vinyl that had been in storage for 30+ years. Amazing to experience the soundstage, emotional involvement and engagement / realism I had forgotten about...

I have the Rega connected to a 36 year old Harmon Kardon 665 Integrated Amp (100W into 8 ohms) and thru Salk HT-2TLs.  WAF is over the top - especially after getting turntable set up...in her words "it's truly like listening to live music in our family room"


Here's my question:

I notice that when listening to CD (Cambridge Audio 840c) at normal listening levels  (8-9 o'clock) I defeat the tone controls and get pretty good sound.  With the Rega, for the same volume I have to move the dial  to between 1:00-4:00 and find myself wanting to add bass via the tone controls or by using  the "loudness" function...

I wouldnt be surprised if the next thing to upgrade is my HK 665 integrated - but wondered if moving to an external phono pre-amp would give me back the low end I am missing, or if the issue has more to do with my choice of cartridge. Any thoughts here would be welcome!

Thanks!

"Great to listen to all that vinyl that had been in storage for 30+ years."
Figuring that each complete LP is around 40 min, how many hrs do you think are on the cart?
Was the cart used too?

4 o'clock seems a little excessive. The 10X-5 has a pretty healthy output and I suspect there might be a problem. Where did you get the cart? There was a batch of these a couple of yrs ago that were wired out of phase, internally. I don't know if that is the problem, but it could be. If so, it would exhibit identical problems - loss of bass and low volume. This isn't the first time, Dynevector had bad batches of these before. To check it you have to reverse the + and - leads on one channel.

[Wayner]

If it's this amp, there is a switch for MM, MC on your faceplate and also a capacitance selector switch for loading the cartridge:




Since your cartridge is a "high output" MC, you should have the input set to MM.

Wayner

[phoward]

Wayner - you nailed it....thanks. Changing to MM solved the volume issue.
Should have figured that one out - I thought it was a MC cartridge 

[orthobiz]

Dang, Wayner. I wish I had said that!

Paul

[Kinger]

Can anyone help this newbie out on a question about mats?  I think I'm getting a bit of static buildup on my records during listening sessions and it almost seems like the more albums I listen to the more I get snap crackle pop.  Could it be that the use of a felt mat on my Rega P3 is contributing to this issue and should I try a cork replacement?

[TheChairGuy]

Can anyone help this newbie out on a question about mats?  I think I'm getting a bit of static buildup on my records during listening sessions and it almost seems like the more albums I listen to the more I get snap crackle pop.  Could it be that the use of a felt mat on my Rega P3 is contributing to this issue and should I try a cork replacement?

Hey Kinger,

The mat might be adding to your static woes....but as covered in other topics here over time at the Vinyl Circle....using a wet cleaning method seems to be the only truly effective way of curtailing or eliminating the static issue.

Some wash in their sink and let dry au naturel...others (such as myself) use a vacuum cleaning machine (take your pick of manufacturers from VPI to Nitty Gritty and beyond).  Both do the job on static to an extent where static is largely a non-issue with records afterwards.

You can experiment with mats all you like, but it's going to affect damping and other matters that may increase or decrease your vinyl pleasure....not likely to change the static issue you have. Don't waste your money on mats hoping for that to be your answer to the static issue...you need to wet clean your records to minimize and eliminate it.

There are anti-static 'guns' such as Zerostat and the like out there that zaps a record to reduce static cling....however, in my experience, it's less effective than simply wet cleaning your records in the first place.

The other benefit of your records once cleaned is that the tracking is better and the noise level is diminished...additional benefits to wet cleaning that aren't replicated with dry cleaning methods out there. 

Cheers, John

[Kinger]

Thank John.  Actually using a KAB EV-1 RCM with Mo-Fi enzyme cleaner to clean and Aquafina to rinse.  Then storing LP's in a Mo-Fi sleeve.  Could be that maybe the rice crispies I hear from time to time are not static, but just a damaged record.  Considering adding steam to my cleaning regimine, but thought I'd ask about the mat first.

Make no mistake, I've really been enjoying my vinyl experience thus far.

[DaveyW]

Can anyone help this newbie out on a question about mats?  I think I'm getting a bit of static buildup on my records during listening sessions and it almost seems like the more albums I listen to the more I get snap crackle pop.  Could it be that the use of a felt mat on my Rega P3 is contributing to this issue and should I try a cork replacement?

I popped one of Marc Morin's Deer Hide Matts onto the Sondek (in lieu of the stock Linn Felt item) some time back.
There was a distinct reduction in static build up and it's stayed put ever since.
Thanks again Marc 

[putz]

This may be a stupid question but does static affect audio quality during playback?

When I first got my Project Debut with the standard platter and mat, static was prevalent. Then I got the Acrylit platter and static was gone. Not sure what type of platter your Rega has and if an acrylic one would help. Both of my VPI tables have had no static issues.

[DaveyW]

Hi Putz,
I have read of claims of enhanced pops and crackles linked purely to static.
My personal pet hate though is the way a statically charged disc attracts all the air-bourne fluff going and once on the surface is more difficult to remove.
So there's the increased chance of popping a dusty LP back into the sleeve where further embedding is likely to take place.
Cheers
Dave

[Kinger]

Thanks for chiming in guys.  The P3 comes with a glass platter so I would think that would be pretty static resistant.

[Kinger]

While looking through a Music Direct catalog this past weekend, I started to wonder about something.  Is there a generally accepted rule of thumb as to how much one should spend on a cartridge in relation to the overall price of a turntable?  Clearly it doesn't make much sense (at least to me anyway) to spend more on a cart than the price of the table itself, but is there a limit that most of you stay at?  Half the cost of the table on cart?  1/4 of the table on a cart?  Cart and table the same cost?  Just wondering what types of improvements one might expect as you go up in cart price.

[sachi]

Had a quick question on ground noise.

I currently have the ground wire from the turntable conencted to the chassis on my preamp.

WHile this reduced the ground noise considerably, its still fairly audible once i go past the 11o clock position and quite annoying when listening to the quieter passages on a track.

I notice that when i touch the tonearm and the power switch on the turntable together, the noise floor drops another significant step which would be acceptable.

Any idea what could be causing this? I am thinking of running a wire from the ground wire on the turntable which should be connected to the tonearm body (correct me if i am wrong) to the body of the power switch.

Or should i be looking at something else instead?

[Scottdazzle]

Had a quick question on ground noise.

I currently have the ground wire from the turntable conencted to the chassis on my preamp.

WHile this reduced the ground noise considerably, its still fairly audible once i go past the 11o clock position and quite annoying when listening to the quieter passages on a track.

I notice that when i touch the tonearm and the power switch on the turntable together, the noise floor drops another significant step which would be acceptable.

Any idea what could be causing this? I am thinking of running a wire from the ground wire on the turntable which should be connected to the tonearm body (correct me if i am wrong) to the body of the power switch.

Or should i be looking at something else instead?

Two things you could try. First, disconnect the ground wire from the back of your preamp. Many tonearms don't require them. If that doesn't help, disconnect and then reconnect the cartridge pins.  Good luck!

[jimdgoulding]

Guys with record collections unplayed for 30 years need a record cleaner.  This may have been recommended already I use Spin Clean.  Works like a champ and is cheap. 

[sachi]

Two things you could try. First, disconnect the ground wire from the back of your preamp. Many tonearms don't require them. If that doesn't help, disconnect and then reconnect the cartridge pins.  Good luck!

The first actually raises the noise floor considerably to non-listenable levels.

I will try rewiring the cartridge and see if that helps.

Thanks.

Need to invest in vinyl care. Thinking
1. disc doctor fluid.
2. VPI or disc doctor brush , one for wet and one for dry cleaning.
3. Zerodust stylus cleaner
4. digital jewel scale for tracking force measurement.
5. Lint free cloth. Does chamois work well here?

Anything else i might have missed?

[SteveFord]

Get a record cleaning machine with a vacume to suck the crud out.

[michaelhigh]

Hello pros! I have been dabbling into turntables lately, with Thorens TD-165 as my main player among such classics as a Philips GA-302 and a near-mint AR-XA. I'm satisfied with Shure carts on the AR and the Philips, and I currently have a Pickering P/AT on the Thorens, which is what was new on the Thorens back in the day, I'm told, by the guy I bought it from. This Pickering is in fact the original cart from back in the mid-70's. I'm on the lookout for a replacement and was suggested a Grado Statement Platinum 1 MC cart ($350). A DG Systems DB-8HG phono pre was the suggested preamp ($200). Any cheaper suggestions? The two come in at $550 total. Thanks for any and all comments.

[Joe_K]

Guys with record collections unplayed for 30 years need a record cleaner.  This may have been recommended already I use Spin Clean.  Works like a champ and is cheap.

Ditto; After Spin Cleaning I use Kabs' EV-1 vacuum device to dry and suck any remaining crud out of the grooves. The combo works like a champ!
Joe