Vinyl and Turntables
 

I wasn't sure where to post this, but I figure I would try here first:

Are there any good shops that sell cartridges for turntables?

I recently acquired a receiver with a phono stage and I'm thinking about rescuing my dad's old Technics turntable from his garage. I took a quick look at it the other day and I think the stylus is shot. I'm not sure if I want to go all out yet, but I know that my dad has some old vinyl around somewhere and I'd love to dust them off and see how they sound.

The Source (Circuit City) sells styluses. If you want a high end stylus you're going to have to look for an audiophile stereo shop.

Tom lee or long & mcquade
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I agree.

Tom Lee or Long & McQuade.

If you plan on saving the turntable and vinyl records (for keepsake purposes) buy a good cartridge and needle. Some needles will eventually cut your vinyl records turning them into frizbees.

This is basically the standard for DJ's.

http://www.tomleemusic.ca/main/dj.cf...=147&inv=28563

Thanks gentlemen.

Basically, the turntable hasn't been used for at least 20 years. It's from the mid-80s, if not older. There shouldn't be any reason why it shouldn't work, but who knows? What has started as an exercise in curiousity might turn out to be an expensive hobby.

Classic rock sounds better on Vinyl.

Agreed

I'm not sure which model of turntable you have, but if you ever get an opportunity, first, get a needle/cartridge and test it out. Listen carefully and take note of the sound quality. Simple things to go over are the grounding cable and the RCA cables. Cleaning them up can make a huge difference! :)

The turntable is a vintage Technics SL-23, semi-auto.

Unfortunately, the turntable's motor is shot. The power supply is good, but it won't spin at 33 or 45. I'll have to do some more research, but trying to fix the thing may actually cost more than buying another used table on the market.

Bump.

Being a total newb at this led me to the assumption that the motor was dead. I took off the platter and discovered that the belt was broken/decayed. I played with 33 and 45 switches and the motor still works, though it was hard to determine if the motor was changing speeds. I checked the tone arm for any play and it seems to be okay. The platter seems to spin freely too, but I'll have to check it more carefully again.

I went to Tom Lee to get some prices on cartridges and a Shure one will cost me about 90 bucks - ouch. There are ads on Craigslist for vintage belt-driven tables from 50 to 200 bucks. Ultimately, it would be gratifying if I could restore this thing myself even if it ends up costing me more than taking a chance and buying another used table on the market.

Look for a used Technics 1200 those things are built like tanks.

Hook it up to a good vacuum tube amp and decent speakers and listen to some good classic rock. The sound will be far superior to CD's and shitty MP3. Good luck on your little project! :thumbsup:

Unfortunately, I just invested a good deal of coin in a Pioneer Elite microsystem which does everything - phono stage and Ethernet connection in one unit. No vacuum tubes, but the system is a true hi-fi with full range bookshelves.

I managed to find a manual for the turnable on vinylengine.com and unfortunately, I won't be able to play 45s because my dad removed the adapter. I hooked up the unit to my receiver and there was no audible hum which is a good sign. The cartridge is an old Shure/Radioshack model and a replacement stylus (eliptical, that is) runs about 50 bucks.

No hum is good. Looks like Technics did a good job of designing the grounding which are notorious for causing the hum.

I've gotten the thing running this weekend. I picked up a new belt from Main Electronics and I was lucky to get a slightly used donor cartridge (a Grado) from my girlfriend's brother in-law. My girlfriend brought some of her old LPs over and I must say, the vinyl sound is great in spite of the cracks and pops. There is a warmth that is just not present in digital recordings. However, I'll need to use a protractor because I'm getting some distortion on some discs, particularly as the needle moves towards the inner tracks.

Getting media itself, however, is the challenging part. I could literally blow hundreds of dollars on used and scratched up discs from local shops.