Turntable question
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My turntable has a hum that gets louder as the volume is turned up. It's old, a Dual.
The turntable ground wire was attached to the back of the amp/receiver. A couple of people thought the hum came from wires, either in the connection of the cartridge to the arm or where the arm moves from the little post it's on (that a wire might be broken or the insulation worn). I took it to the local county sponsored "Fix it Fair" and the consensus was that I should take it to the best most reputable shop, Jim's Electronics. We used to have more repair shops but Jim's is The One, at this point.
I took it in December for a 2-month bench sit and he started working on it last week. He can't replicate the hum, so he thinks it's not in the wires. He doesn't know where it is. But, he noticed that the turntable was running fast and the geared-belt that controls the speed is worn. He tried to find one and the only one he can find is in Germany.
SO, he could just adjust the speed control and set it to a permanent rate, not adjustable from then on, or, he can get the geared-belt from Germany. He has already done some work diagnosing and has a $45 deposit of mine. The total cost if he sets the speed permanently is $80 (including the deposit) and if he gets the belt from Germany it will be ~$115, including the deposit. I am on a very limited fixed income, so these costs matter, but are not everything in my deliberation.
My ultimate question is, is there a reason to get the adjustable belt from Germany?
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Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: bweir I like cheese
If you are only playing it at
If you are only playing it at one speed, I'd say no. The hum could also be from you receiver or preamp's phono input, audio stuff is like voodoo sometimes. Did he look at the tone arm connections? Could the stylist on the cartridge be worn out? If it is the turntable you could probably get a cheap new one for 250-300 bucks, less if you can find one used, good luck
http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=MHUSB1
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: I rang a silent bell
Judit, I would bet that the
Judit, I would bet that the hum is not related to the belt.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: CT
The Humm is likely from an
The Humm is likely from an input cord, or receiver. bad ground internally, likely. The belt would have no effect on this.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: New & Improved
Do you live near Taos?
Do you live near Taos?
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: fishcane
its not the belt. unlikely
its not the belt. unlikely the cart, but it is remotely possible. If you have elimintated the ground wire, replace the av wires, then the wiring harness on the tonearm.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: treat island
I'm sorry, I didn't mean that
I'm sorry, I didn't mean that the belt had anything to do with the hum. I meant that when he couldn't figure out where the hum was coming from he also looked at the whole turntable and found the speed/belt problem.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: treat island
What are the av wires?
What are the av wires?
No, nedb. Do they have problems like this?
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: fishcane
also some de-oxit for your
also some de-oxit for your connectors and check/replace the headshell wires might be less invasive/expensive starting points. Check the connection on the other end of the ground wire(turntable end) also...
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: fishcane
AV wires are the 2 connection
AV wires are the 2 connection points to your amp/reciever.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Vann Kliburn
had that hum problem big time
had that hum problem big time- finally dumped the turntable- when I'm ready to listen to vinyl again I'll get one of the new (affordable) turntables- the newer ones have the old hum problem beat.
Humm baby
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: New & Improved
>> No, nedb. Do they have
>> No, nedb. Do they have problems like this? <<
Yes:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hum
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGHe7rdq0Ds
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Bluelight
Sounds like a electrical
Sounds like an electrical ground problem. Does the AM/FM tuner work?
Make sure the wires are not tangled and laying on top of each other in any way, causing a short
Also, make sure the two speaker wires are not touching each other and are secured to the speakers and causing a short.
If you plug the AC cord into a different outlet and all of the above are checked out. It's a problem with the turntable its self.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: treat island
I plan to play 33 1/3's - I
I plan to play 33 1/3's - I can't remember if it plays 78's, which I have, but haven't listened to in a long, long time. So for now, I'll have him set it at the 33 1/3 speed. Thank you all.
Bluelight, the tuner works. It's FM only, a Tandberg.
I will look into the rest of what you all said and see if I have a friend who wants to spend a little time with wires.
All I want is to play Procol Harum Salty Dog loud.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: treat island
CT, you might know really
CT, you might know really competent turntable/stereo system repair people around here - do you?
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Def. High
Had an old Dual. Developed an
Had an old Dual. Developed an intermittent hum. Hum would change when I put my finger on the cartridge.
Took it to Jim. He tested the cart, was OK. He replaced the output wire set and the hum went away - for a while. Then it came back.
I gave up on the tt - I had gotten it for free in 1986.
Got a new tt. Was fine for a while, then developed the same dreaded hum. Wtf?
I eventually determined that it was the connector where one of the output wires went into the amp. The "cure" was to reverse the leads briefly and then put them back in the correct jacks. I thought about getting new jacks for the amp.
Then the problem stopped happening. Hasn't happened since.
Knock on wood.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: skyjunk
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: treat island
Surfdead, that's exactly the
Surfdead, that's exactly the sort of thing that happens to me, but not yet this time.
fabes, you could be right.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: treat island
A friend of mine with whom I
A friend of mine with whom I consulted here has offered to buy the Audio-Technica AT-LP60 (from the link fabes posted) as a late birthday present. I am not a real audiophile, I just love to listen to records. Any reason not to go with this turntable?
https://www.amazon.com/Technica-AT-LP60-Automatic-Stereo-Turntable/dp/B0...
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: treat island
NOPE, I changed my mind, am
NOPE, I changed my mind, am having the guy set the speed and I'll try it with messing around with the wires both output and input to the amp. I can still get the new one if nothing works.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: skyjunk
Let that friend buy you the
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: skyjunk
Hit em with the g's
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: skyjunk
Hit em with the goodness
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Highnote
Process of elimination. .
Process of elimination. .
Turn on amp with nothing but speakers connected.
If no hum, attach the turntable ground.
If hum, try reversing one of the power cords to reverse polarity.
Once,I had to attach a wire to the amp chassis (any screw) and then to a ground source because old gear doesn't have 3 prong grounded cords.