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New member Username: Jiggs_caseyHermann, MO Post Number: 1 Registered: Sep-09 | First post. I registered because I have a few questions about my turntable/receiver setup. I've been making do with one of those new, old-fashioned looking Crosley record players. I have about 1500 records and I've always wanted to get a better set up for them. However, I don't have a ton of money to spend so I've been waiting to find a decent turntable and receiver at a local estate auction or thrift store. Last week I bought a Kenwood KD-3070 turntable with a Grado GF 3 cartridge and a Pioneer VSX 517 receiver. Both for less than $15.00. Both appear to be in excellent condition and seem to work well. However, there are some issues and that's why I'm posting. Neither the receiver nor the turntable have manuals. If they did, I'd read them. First, the receiver has a "Phono" jack, with inputs for white & red cables and a ground. The turntable has both cables and the ground. When I plug both cables the sound is faint and distorted. When I unplug one of the inputs, (doesn't matter which) the sound is normal. Why is this? The sound is great . . . when the tonearm isn't skipping. Now, the biggest problem. I really have no idea how to set the counterweight on the tone arm. I believe I have followed the instructions for basic setup. I got the arm to "float", then turned the setting to zero. After that, I turned it toward the needle till it read 2.5. I put on a record. The record skipped because the tone arm was too light so I turned the weight to 3. The record didn't skip anymore. Then I put another record on and it skipped all the way up till the weight was set at near 5. That seems way too heavy, but then again, I have no real idea how to set this thing or what is too heavy. (I've heard that anything over 3 is too much.) There is no anti-skating setting on this turntable. I've read that each cartridge has a specific weight setting. Is there a setting I need to be using for this particular Grado cartridge? Does each record I play need to have a different counterweight setting? (That could be kind of a pain.) Could the fact that one record skipped so much mean that there is something wrong with my needle? (Neither record was scratched. Both records are in excellent condition. The sound is good, when it isn't skipping.) Hopefully someone will be able to help me with this stuff. I'm actually afraid to play any of my records now because I don't want to damage them. |
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Platinum Member Username: Jan_b_vigneDallas, TX Post Number: 13891 Registered: May-04 | . These instructions are about average for most turntables; http://www.audiophilia.com/features/cartridge_setup.htm "This adjustment on the tonearm counterbalances the weight of arm and cartridge. At this point, use your tracking force gauge and setting tracking force according to your cartridge instructions -- final adjustment will be done later by ear. If you do not have a tracking force gauge, but the arm does have a calibrated counterweight, defeat the arm's anti-skate mechanism or set it to zero. Set the counterweight so the arm is level and balanced. Be very careful of the unprotected stylus -- you cannot do this with its safety cap in place. Once the arm is balanced, lock it in its cradle and, using the calibrated counterweight, set the tracking force according to your cartridge's recommended weight. Our notes on tracking force - Tracking force affects a number of cartridge parameters and must be set precisely to optimize tracking ability, VTA and alignment of the internal generator assembly. Very small changes can make significant differences. Some listeners feel they can detect variances of as little as little as .05g! There are a number of options when it comes to tracking force calibration, which one is best will be determined by the quality of the system involved. A quick adjustment using graduations on the arm or an inexpensive balance beam scale is adequate for modest systems, but is not accurate enough for a high end turntable set up. At that level we strongly recommend the use of a digital stylus force gauge. It is a common misconception that a lower tracking results in less record wear. While that statement is not totally incorrect, it does not tell the whole story. Although what we see (and the tonearm sees) is tracking force, this is not necessarily what the groove sees. Barring mistracking, which can result in permanent groove damage, the key to record wear is pressure per unit of surface area. Thus, stylus contact area is the key issue. Even if the tracking force is light, if the stylus contact area is small, the tracking force will be concentrated on a smaller area of LP groove, resulting in higher localized pressures and accelerated groove wear. Conversely, a higher tracking for with larger contact area is less damaging. The larger contact patch distributes tracking forces over a larger portion of that groove wall, reducing localized tracking pressures and minimizing groove wear." http://www.gcaudio.com/resources/howtos/ttsetup.html That should get you in the ballpark for balancing the arm. If not, let us know. The Grado GF3 should track between 1 3/4- 2.0 grams if i remember correctly, you might want to check the Grado webpage to make certain. Also the GF3 is a 20 year old cartridge, you should replace it with a new model both for sound quality and safety issues, the cantilever suspension can dry out over time and collapse the stylus into the record groove. Grado sells replacement styli or new cartridges are less than $50; http://www.needledoctor.com/Online-Store/Grado It's impossible to diagnose internal problems over the forum. I suspect there is bad ic or related component in the phono pre amp of this receiver. A common channel grounding situation might account for the low volume/distortion issue. You can take the receiver to a Pioneer service center and ask for an estimate of repairs before OK'ing the job. Or, you can buy an outboard phono pre amp and plug it into another line level input on the reciever. Cheap pre amps; http://www.phonopreamps.com/ Slightly better units begin at about $130 or less if you buy pre owned; http://buy.audiogon.com/cgia/fsb.pl?preaphon&1&ctg&st1 . |