Grado Prestige cartridges

[Daniel Quinn]

The only lesson I can see is you got a very good turntable for 350.

Stop sulking and get it fixed

[Progmeister]

The only lesson I can see is you got a very good turntable for 350.

Stop sulking and get it fixed

Not sulking just pissed off Mr Quinn. I have done all of the things suggested to me by those in the know to no avail. It's getting chucked in the cupboard until I can get someone to sort it for me.

[Alfi]

I can understand your frustration but I am confident the hum issue will be easily curable. You've proved its still there after adding in an additional earth . I could well be an issue with the arm leads either from the arms tag strip to the onboard phono sockets or elsewhere in the signal line.. I'm sure the Doc will find the cause or else lead you to it.

I really is an underrated gem of a TT. Pioneer made some crap too but this one is quite superb. It didn't immediately bowl me over but it's abilities of just getting on with playing music superbly will make it hard to give up on. Considering it's age and the arms acceptance of a wide range of cartridge mass, compliance and type, it'll take quite TT to beat it as a reliable and enjoyable all rounder. I considered selling mine on a while ago, but it has since grown on me and will now remain a part of my collection.


Alfi.

[Dr Bunsen Honeydew]

The only lesson I can see is you got a very good turntable for 350.

Stop sulking and get it fixed

Not sulking just pissed off Mr Quinn. I have done all of the things suggested to me by those in the know to no avail. It's getting chucked in the cupboard until I can get someone to sort it for me.

Without the unit we can only make informed guesses. I have already offered to sort it for you - I have owned four of them, one dismantle in transit from the USA. I know about them. The only thing is shipping them, which is why I said when you next drive down to London.

[Progmeister]

I have no immediate plans to drive that far south and shipping the device will cost a fortune. If I can come up with a plan I will let you know Doc. What ever it is it is picking up noise from the motor as when I turn the volume up full on the pre-amp there is no hum but as soon as I press either the 33 or 45 there is a hum as soon as the platter starts spinning. It's driving me potty.

The only lesson I can see is you got a very good turntable for 350.

Stop sulking and get it fixed

Not sulking just pissed off Mr Quinn. I have done all of the things suggested to me by those in the know to no avail. It's getting chucked in the cupboard until I can get someone to sort it for me.

Without the unit we can only make informed guesses. I have already offered to sort it for you - I have owned four of them, one dismantle in transit from the USA. I know about them. The only thing is shipping them, which is why I said when you next drive down to London.

[Dr Bunsen Honeydew]

OK lets look at reality. Until you press that switch there is no voltage going to the motor. A motor is a coil and a coil creates a electro magnetic field. If that field is being picked up by the cartridge then the hum would vary to be louder the nearer to the motor. In the armrest there would be less hum, and at the centre of the disc more hum, I understand from you this is not the case, so the noise cannot be magnetic field induced. The only thing left is faulty wiring or conversion from 120v or an earth problem with the motor, there is nothing else. If it was a component failure in the motor board then either the motor wouldn't work or wouldn't hold speed, and any fault in the bearing assembly would do the same thing or make the motor vibrate so the sound would be acoustic from the motor, you say it is through the speakers.

I love these TT and I would be happy to have a spare so if you wish to trade it in as part payment for any NVA gear I will take it off your hands with pleasure for the price you paid for it.

[Progmeister]

I will pm you this evening doc.

[paskinner]

To me, the 'lesson' is know your own capacities. These old decks can indeed be fabulous, but they are for people who have genuine diy skills, or know local people who can help.
It's the same with old Garrards, Thorens, Pioneers, anything more than a few decades old. They are fairly cheap to buy because of the potential issues involved. Just like buying an old car.
I came to the conclusion that such kit is best left to those with the ability and temperament needed. If , like me, you are crap at diy, accept that you have to pay a bit more to get something reliable and easily maintained. Annoying, but we can't all be experts , or even moderately skilled..
Like all skills, they are 'easy' to those with the skills, very hard for everyone else.

[Daniel Quinn]

To me, the 'lesson' is know your own capacities. These old decks can indeed be fabulous, but they are for people who have genuine diy skills, or know local people who can help.
It's the same with old Garrards, Thorens, Pioneers, anything more than a few decades old. They are fairly cheap to buy because of the potential issues involved. Just like buying an old car.
I came to the conclusion that such kit is best left to those with the ability and temperament needed. If , like me, you are crap at diy, accept that you have to pay a bit more to get something reliable and easily maintained. Annoying, but we can't all be experts , or even moderately skilled..
Like all skills, they are 'easy' to those with the skills, very hard for everyone else.

or factor in the potential cost of repair to the price .

350 for excellent direct drive tt with excellent arm plus £100-£200 repair costs = Excellent bargain .

this thread needs some perspective and I have just provided it . You are most welcome

p.s - well done paskin for not mentioning the wonderful job sme do servicing their products

[paskinner]

We used to have a great local shop, 'Steve's Hi Fi', which usually had half a dozen old Japanese DD decks; Steve and his techie, Dave Watson, were really good at keeping them running. However they always warned that if the DD motor went, repairs were sometimes impossible. That's the risk you take...a good deck pretty cheap, but if unlucky, you lose your money.
As you are fond of mentioning SME I'd simply say that owning such a deck may well cost less in the long run than buying potentially unservicable gear.
In fact, I don't think owning SME arms over 40 years has cost me a single penny, if you exclude the inevitable inflation.. A new SME V in 1986 cost £1100. You'd get an easy £1300 for it now (if looked after).
The cost of running a hi fi system isn't what you pay, it's what you lose in depreciation over the years. In the same way, my Quad 11 monoblocs are valued at more than I bought them for, even allowing for servicing . I don't base my buying on just what things cost, because it's a hobby not some sort of business. But you can have great gear and lose surprisingly little. Quad, Spendor, SME, Michell, Pink Triangle...all can pay their way and give huge amounts of fun. Just like an original Mini......
But it's always a gamble.