ProJect Turntable Possible Tonearm Issues

[Mikado463]

I've never needed a scale. Even if it knocks lightly back, I can tell when it's at zero. Zero out the number ring then turn it to your required weight.

LOL, never having and never needing are two different things ! I look at it this way, something is wrong with your set-up and I'll bet money the TT is not the culprit, rather the operator......

 

[Squishman]

I will take my turntable tools over this weekend and sort this out. He lives just south of me. That turntable should work just fine for him.

Bring something that you want to hear on my system.

 

[highfigh]

while I agree in what you said, in my world, good enough doesn't cut it. IMO being anal with regard to TT set-up is paramount to performance.

That type of scale has worked for millions of turntable users, but I agree- it's best to know, rather than assume it's accurate. However, it's easy to calculate the distance needed to reach the correct tracking weight.

 

[highfigh]

I've never needed a scale. Even if it knocks lightly back, I can tell when it's at zero. Zero out the number ring then turn it to your required weight.

BTW- leaving the anti-skate weight on the arm skews the balance, even tough it's a very light weight.

If you have decent record stores or if Mark has them, test discs help in setting overhang, etc- most (Shure, Audio-Technica and Telarc) have an overhang gauge on one side of a disc and the recording levels are varied, so distortion can be heard when the adjustments are wrong. We used an oscilloscope when our store conducted turntable clinics- even if people didn't buy anything, they left with their turntable adjusted as well as it could be.

Let me know if you need the pressing numbers- I have all three test discs.

 

[TLS Guy]

BTW- leaving the anti-skate weight on the arm skews the balance, even tough it's a very light weight.

If you have decent record stores or if Mark has them, test discs help in setting overhang, etc- most (Shure, Audio-Technica and Telarc) have an overhang gauge on one side of a disc and the recording levels are varied, so distortion can be heard when the adjustments are wrong. We used an oscilloscope when our store conducted turntable clinics- even if people didn't buy anything, they left with their turntable adjusted as well as it could be.

Let me know if you need the pressing numbers- I have all three test discs.

I have everything I need.

 

[Squishman]

I have everything I need.

I figured as much.

 

[Squishman]

I did solve the issue with the tonearm 'knocking back" lightly against the holder. I didn't fix that on purpose, but I noticed that when a record got almost to the end, the string for the weight was touching the tonearm mechanism. So, my hanger was a little out of place. I carefully bent it in a tad just to the point where the string doesn't touch. Still awfully close, but I do not think it's touching all through the record now. And now after that, my tonearm doesn't go back. I'll let TLS Guy look it over before I tweak anything else.

 

[Eppie]

Good to know it was something simple. The cuing arm (and the Q Up) should both contain a viscous dampening fluid that slows the arm down. I don't think the proximity to a window should be a problem. The fluid is quite thick but the draft from a window is only a few degrees.

 

[Squishman]

No draft at the window. It was just a guess being almost a million degrees below zero. The QUp is just spring loaded and doesn't come into play until the end of the dead wax.

 

[3db]

They don't ship these with a level? Go to Home Depot and look for a Kapro Bull's eye level. It's $3.14

Other than my 10K Oracle, what other manufacturers ship with a level? The one Project I have and the other I had did not come with levels.

 

[3db]

I've never needed a scale. Even if it knocks lightly back, I can tell when it's at zero. Zero out the number ring then turn it to your required weight.

Thats correct.

 

[highfigh]

Other than my 10K Oracle, what other manufacturers ship with a level? The one Project I have and the other I had did not come with levels.

I don't know- I haven't sold a turntable in a long time. OTOH, for just over three bucks, people could just buy that bullseye level.

How long have you owned the Oracle?

 

[3db]

I don't know- I haven't sold a turntable in a long time. OTOH, for just over three bucks, people could just buy that bullseye level.

How long have you owned the Oracle?

Maybe 4 years now.

 

[Squishman]

@TLS Guy wasn't able to show up this weekend mainly because we had 5" of snow and we both had to take care of our respective snow blowing. That and other situations kind of put the kibash on getting together so he could analyze my turntable situation. But I used a magnifying glass to view the string as the tonearm reaches the end of a record and as it turns out now, it gets ever so close to the mechanism just before my Q-Up comes into play. So, feeling comfortable with that, I recalibrated my weight and Bob's your uncle. Also, if you remember a couple of posts above, I carefully bent the wire arm that suspends the weight. The reason I did not loosen the screw and simply move the arm, then re-tighten it (and I am glad I knew this ahead of time), was because underneath there is a nut inside a well cut into the underside of the plinth. Once you loosen that screw that holds the arm in place, now you've done it! You have to turn the tt upside down and use a needle nose pliers (or a tiny socket) to hold that nut and re-tighten it from the top. But did you get it right? Probably not! So, yeah, super glad I knew about that. It's working fine and TLS Guy can still look it over when he stops by next weekend to hear my Kef speakers.
In the meantime right now, I am playing Steely Dan's "Aja" original press, ABC AB-1006, Santa Maria pressing, widely known as the best pressing, compared to say a MoFi issue. I personally like Steely Dan's first 5 records better, but this one sounds quite good on my system!

edit: If you care to, click on this link then scroll down to read user's comments on this issue. https://www.discogs.com/release/1842334-Steely-Dan-Aja

 

[Eppie]

I also have the original ABC 1006 pressing of Aja. Great sounding album.

 

[Squishman]

I also have the original ABC 1006 pressing of Aja. Great sounding album.

I am on a Steely Dan kick today. Playing The Royal Scam right now. BTW, Larry Carlton plays the guitar solo on Kid Charlemagne and also most of the lead guitar on the Aja LP. About 20 years ago, he was in town in a neighboring suburb at a performing art theater called the Ames Center and I had a backstage pass from my friend who sells keyboards and pianos at Schmidt Music. He played tons of stuff from Aja, but not Kid Charlemagne unfortunately. I had a beer is his Gibson-sponsored motor home and we talked a little bit about his time with the Crusaders and my favorite song by them called Scratch. I remember wearing out that cassette in my car stereo when I was 18 y.o. I think it was Best of the Crusaders.