All of this extra crap you need to really do vinyl properly, like a carbon record brush, scale, protractor, stylus cleaner, phonostage, record weight, replacement stylus; is why I gave up getting a record player again. Especially without a good record cleaner my records will soon be so full of static & dust, defeating the point of listening to records, as it won’t sound better anymore. I’ve been a staunch proponent of vinyl for most of my 50 years on Earth, always with the opinion records sound better than digital. I just can’t afford it all. I quit listening to the records I had as a kid when they became so degraded from static & dust that they were no fun to listen to anymore. I had forgotten that part until just recently.
Agreed with @Deleeh , anytime you change a component on a TT, it’s a sound idea to remeasure the weight to ensure it meets the specifications of the cartridge maker.
As a complete noob that I am I figured since I had a project debut carbon and bought the Project acrylic-IT for this turntable i figured it was a simple swap. At least all the bloody tutorials on youtube where they are trying to show you how much better the acrylic is (I did find it improved sound but maybe it didn’t and I got that felling just because all the static was gone) they never mentioned you needed to adjust the weight on the stylus. I kinda feel jerked around. Cause I don’t know these things but I am careful enough to google stuff are read it.
@AntiWoke I totally get what you mean. I seriously considered getting a new red stylus and selling the turntable and moving to digital. I don’t understand how I was able to have an old Akai turntable for 25 years with zero maintenance. When I upgraded I didn’t realize the hassle that was bound to come when things required maintenance.
But I have so many records which are very special and I just can’t let it go.
@Deleeh since I already have a pretty big shopping cart should I add anything to the list? I saw oil for the hub?
My list includes:
Scale: Project Measure IT E;
Ortofon Alignment tool;
Bubble level;
Ortofon 2M Blue Stylus.
For a very very (un)reasonable amount of 235€ + shipping.
The weight is only decisive for the pressure, the depth also plays a bit of a role
I’m sorry I didn’t get this one. I adjust the height of the tonearm then the weight with tonearm counterweight and set it on the digital scale to make sure it’s at 1.6g (recommended 1.8g).
When you say depth are you talking about the alignment?
PS: I never checked if the surface was levelled. I never even imagined this could be an issue. Jesus I feel like a complete moron.
Hello,
Look, I have found a tutorial here that is in German.
But you can translate it with deepl or if you have Google chrome as a browser should be somewhere next to the address bar right something where you can translate it.
You can watch the videos even if it is in German to just see it visually, that helps.
You can always google the English terms later.
If you need turntable oil then yes it doesn’t hurt to have some on the side.
I don’t think the Project needs it, but I’m not sure.
And no you are not an idiot.
5 years ago I bought an old Pioneer used.
Everything was fine until the needle died and I replaced it with the standard needle which broke very quickly and wondered.
When I started looking for it, I gradually found out why, why, why.
So it was a classic beginner’s mistake on my part too.
In the end, they learned from it and were able to take something with them, which is a positive thing.
And now you will do it right and better, and when everything is right again you can be proud of yourself.
And you will hear that it will be better than before.
I understand what you mean about YouTube, there are a lot of misleading videos, a lot of things are not shown how to do it properly and so on.
I’ve gotten into the habit of researching certain things I want to implement as much as possible until I know what’s going on.
This has saved me a lot of money and trouble several times.
In the end, you only buy the accessories once and they last forever, and you can use them to adjust other needles.
Don’t forget that they are measuring devices that are calibrated and unfortunately also have to be manufactured accurately.
A record player is more sensitive than a CD.
But it is a pleasure to listen to music with it.
Remember that many salespeople are not as knowledgeable about turntables as they used to be in a normal shop, so try it out for fun and you’ll be laughing inside when you leave.
Or with the younger generation most of them confuse it with cd’s.
You have also helped me by encouraging me to think about the project.
I ordered what I mentioned earlier and have set it up already.
Balanced the tone-arm without the Anti-skating weight in place.
Set up the tone-arm counterweight manually but then adjusted it with the digital scale.
My Ortofon 2M Blue is now at precisely 1.6g.
(I measured it without any vinyl of course. The scale was place directly on the acryl-it platter.)
I then added the anti-skate weight and tested 1 track in 3 vinyls that I know very well.
Wow. Problem definitely solved. I’m not going to say I can tell it sounds better than the RED because it feels that way but I have no idea for how long I’ve been listening to music with a damaged stylus.
My ear isn’t trained to be sure about these sort of differences although I did feel a change from the metal platter to the acryl-it as I mentioned.
I am going to watch the videos again and make sure I did everything right anyway.
But I wanted to thank everyone for their help and input. I learned a lot from this “mistake” and now have equipment at home which hopefully will allow me to enjoy my music in a better way and also provide proper maintenance to my turntable and make the stylus last longer.
I just wanna bother you with 3 more questions.
1 - I also used the level and it could use a slight correction on the back side of the turntable. It is a bit low (I’m talking like 1mm maybe 2mm) How level exactly should it be? Perfectly level?
2 - For how long do you think I should continue having it set to 1.6g? Until it starts skipping? I rarely buy second hand records so the ones I play have been mine and so are very well taken care of. I don’t think I’ve ever seen my turntable skip during a song since I bought it.
3 - I have an Ifi Zen Phono and I use it with the option MM (Moving Magnet) but If I choose MC High I really get a sound boost. (I know this is off topic kinda but) Can using this option damage my cartridge/stylus/turntable?
Hello,
I am glad to hear that everything is fine again and that you are happy that it is working again.
If you have money to spare, you can shorten the waiting time if you have a spare needle ready.
Regarding your questions, I can only answer 2-3 questions.
I don’t know the Ify you are talking about.
Because of the orientation of your turntable in the horizontal plane.
It is a matter of opinion, as a rule you always do it first.
Check that it is vertically and horizontally aligned with the scales.
Then you are always sure that it is perfectly in place.
Of course, this also contributes to the life of the needle in the end, the more accurate it is, the better, so to speak.
You can correct it again if it doesn’t leave you alone and check the anti skating and the weight again.
If you are now at 1.6 grams and it is the recommended weight as stated in the instructions, it is fine.
Check what it says.
If not, you might want to email Ortophon directly to make sure.
How you handle it, that also contributes to the life of the needle.
If I remember correctly, I used to run the needle in 0.2 grams less and let it run for 20-30 hours before putting the rest on.
Remember that the needle is very sharp and too much pressure can scratch the plate.
That is why in the beginning you always give a little less pressure than usual until the tip has worn down a bit, that is actually all and the real background.
You can train your ear to see if the needle is about to wear out or not.
But it is not bad and not a duty if not.
Most people say that the last time everything was fine.
Of course, you can also buy used records if the condition is good and have them cleaned before the first use.
Such things also contribute to the end of the needle’s life.
But you will probably have to have them sent in or have a dealer who has such a washing machine.
You can also buy them but they are very expensive and only make sense if you have a good collection.
But dust and dirt is always the number one killer of needles.
You are mostly powerless against it.
I never even imagined this could be an issue. Jesus I feel like a complete moron.
