Hi everyone. I wanted to get some expert advice / opinions re: some turntable questions.
Until very recently I've been using an old Sony PS-X500 turntable with a Stanton cartridge installed in the bio-tracer tone arm. I'm not sure of the exact model of the Stanton; I'm at work right now so I don't have access to it. Anyway, the Sony has served me well for many years (I bought it new sometime in the 1980's) and I have no complaints re: its performance. At a yard sale over the weekend I picked up a B & O RX2 turntable equipped with an MMC5 cartridge all in apparently mint condition for, get this, $5.00. Swear to god. I didn't need a new turntable but was not going to pass up that B & O for a fiver so I picked it up. I've hooked it up to my components at home and sure enough it looks and works great. My question is this; which turntable should I now keep and use as my everyday TT? I understand that most of the answer to that question hinges on the cartridges that are installed but let's just say for discussion sake that both cartridges are equal in quality and sound. Assuming that, which one would you keep?
My next question deals with the means by which I "sweep" records while they sit on my turntable's platter. The Sony TT is a direct drive design so the platter sits on top of the motor, there is no suspension system under the platter so to clean records I just put a record on the Sony's platter and spin it gently with my finger on the label of the record and sweep the record's surface gently with my Discwasher brush. Been doing exactly that for years with no harm done to the Sony TT or records. When I tried that procedure on the B & O I discovered that the platter sinks down into the body of the turntable (the plinth?). I didn't push very hard but did experiment just a little and discovered that the harder I pushed (not hard) the deeper the platter would sink into the body. So I've surmised that there is some kind of suspension system designed into the RX2 and that because of that I can no longer employ my Discwasher the way I do with the Sony. So assuming that's correct, someone please tell me if that's not correct, how do you B & O turntable owners brush off your records?
You are not comparing apples to apples. Yes, the B&O is a suspended subchassis type and the Sony is a direct drive. Big difference. The Sony can mount virtually any cartridge (within reason to price/performance) while the B&O is limited to B&O cartridges which are no longer in production. Neither table is particularly good at extracting the information from the record groove.
Throw the Discwasher away and use a vacuum cleaning system and a microfiber towel for everyday cleaning. Do it! Throw the Discwasher away. It is more likely to do damage to your records due to improper useage. Throw it away and step into the 21st century.
Yes, it's true. After reading thru a lot of the posts in the various forums here it's obvious that my knowledge, equipment and practices are dated. Add to that the fact that I don't understand the technology and it becomes apparent that I really shouldn't be posting here. Still, I love my music and want to enjoy it to the extent that my limitations will allow. That's why I continue to seek the counsel of those people whose experience and expertise exceed my own (which is just about everyone). I know that most (all?) of my questions are stupid so I'm very grateful for everyone's patience.
Eric, there are no stupid questions here. You will be directed to some reading if the question has been asked many times before, or if the answer is too long to type.
I would also recommend a carbon fiber brush. I clean my LPs off of the turntable - on a VPI record cleaning machine (I also have a Nitty Gritty, manual, vacuum system, which may be more affordable for some). In transporting the LP to the table, I then brush off any dust (which is inevitable) with the carbon fiber brush. It's poor practice to clean LPs on the TT, and as you've discovered, difficult if not impossible on many fine tables. Lastly, why not keep both tables on your system? I have a Thorens TD-125/Shure V15V xMR and an Empire 698/Stanton 681 eee mkIII. Put them both online.
Yes, it's true. After reading thru a lot of the posts in the various forums here it's obvious that my knowledge, equipment and practices are dated. Add to that the fact that I don't understand the technology and it becomes apparent that I really shouldn't be posting here. Still, I love my music and want to enjoy it to the extent that my limitations will allow. That's why I continue to seek the counsel of those people whose experience and expertise exceed my own (which is just about everyone). I know that most (all?) of my questions are stupid so I'm very grateful for everyone's patience.