Barrie.
You are a nut.
Thank God for nuts.
Please continue being a complete nut.
The world is a richer place for having…nuts.
Good morning Barrie and seasons greetings,and yes I up at 0600 as every day, as some say,use it or loose it,shortest day so from now on getting lighter,oh by the way have still got a MX5 . See you next meet ???,cheers mucker Rob. PS we are always up early to get a good spec at the meets
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I held on as long as I could Chris, before posting! I do have a pair of one audio retro style cans, certainly not high end but comfortable and have a lead that is 3.5mm at one end and 6.3mm at the other, each can has a different Jack socket so the cable plugs into either, giving both sizes from one lead, a neat idea. Based on my gear it’s all 6.3mm though
On another note, I’m just sorting an earth issue from the turntable. None of the AIWA stuff has an earth lead into the mains, it’s all two pin euro plugs with original AIWA converters for USA 2 pin, this means I get hum, but only from the turntable, it’s earth is connected to the GND terminal in the pre amp but that in turn isn’t earthed, hence the hum. I can tune it out with the Behringer GE (and do successfully) but considering using a wireable 3pin plug with just the TT Earth wire connected, plugged into the power strip for all the other stuff. It only hums with phono. Tape/AUX 1&2/radio are fine and clear. Any thoughts anyone?
Barrie
Morning Rob, yes, I’m frightened of missing something Happy days, nice pic, forgotten what nice weather is like
Unfortunately missed the final meet of the year with MOT issues (handbrake cables) but should be good to go in January
Barrie
Morning you’re right of course, completely off my trolley!
Have a good 'un.
Barrie
Changing the subject slightly but still retro HiFi related. Has anybody had much experience of a reasonable cost method of cleaning LP’s and I don’t mean the machines that you can buy that cost £200+! I bought a Vinyl Clear “Professional” deep groove cleaning system which uses a spray solvent and microfibre cloths to clean records. The solvent contains Isopropanol alcohol which some Audiophile experts say you should avoid at all costs as the alcohol eventually does more harm than good. Also the microfibre cloths used have been a nightmare as the amount of fibres they leave in the grooves totally clogs up the stylus with a ball of lint after just one track of an LP . I have tried washing the cloths to remove loose fibres and also using a carbon fibre brush after “deep cleaning” to try to remove the lint in the grooves (the lint cannot be seen when visually inspecting the record).
Any suggestions or experiences will be appreciated.
Good idea that! I did have a pair of Koss Pro4AA which went to a niece when my tinnitus kicked in.
Very good (quite heavy from memory) and very retro as they first appeared in about 1970.
Their jack-plug would match the headphone socket on the Delta 75!
If you go on to You Tube, and search vinyl record cleaning, you’ll find a host of weird ideas, some involving PVA glue !
This is the Sony TA73 (amp) / ST73 (tuner) / SS70 (speakers) set up in my office at home - all dating from the early 1970s. Apart from the tuner, there is no sound source on show here of course - I tend to use it to play music files from my PC. I have also loaded hundreds of sound files onto an old smartphone, which I use basically as a kind-of iPod thingy - I use the smartphone in my summer house too, playing through an even earlier Sony TA70 / ST70 set up.
Not bad for a ‘techno-thickie’, eh ?
I occasionally still use a set of headphones that were a Christmas present from my parents in the early 1970s - they are Sony DR-5A, and go perfectly with the three old '70s Sony Hi Fi systems that I have dotted around the house. My wife is as understanding as Mrs. B. I think !
You’ve got to smile! Loving the Sony system, all looks very neat
thanks for posting up the pic!
I tried the 3 pin plug with the earth lead from the TT, alas it was worse than when connected to the ground of the pre amp I read online about connecting directly to a radiator or suchlike for the ground? One of the rads in the lounge just happens to be near the system so might give that a go?
Barrie
Also fitted the new feet to the TT. The originals have a soft (ish) rubber suspension inside a hard circular foot. Two of these had collapsed through age I guess. Instead of being proud of the foot, they had settled down inside the foot cup itself, negating any benefits. These new ones are billet alloy with an O ring under the foot. Very well made and solid.
They are a smaller diameter too, so fit inside the top mounts of the HIFI stand
Barrie
Regarding record cleaning,
“Any suggestions or experiences will be appreciated.”
I only have a cheap record brush with carbon fibres. I use it before every play of a record. It has steadily improved the playability of the records with each clean/brush. A light touch with the brush at right angles to the spindle for as many revolutions as you deem suitable, and away you go. I slide the brush off the record as it turns trying to not leave any collected particles in the grooves. I have looked at these record clamps that protect the labels, then you can wash the record without fear of damaging the label. Again, not expensive to buy. Record vacuuming has been discussed on here with specialist, purpose built equipment. Not an inexpensive option I believe though. No experience of that though.
Barrie
Here is the advice given by the manufacturer of my Turntable and Cartridge:-
"Don’t use any record cleaner that works while the record is playing or any cleaners that use water or solvents. If you keep your records stored in their sleeves, avoid touching the playing surfaces, play with the lid down and keep all water and fluids away, cleaning should not be necessary. Don’t worry about visible dust on the record surface, the stylus brushes this aside and any that collects on the stylus can be easily blown away. In general record cleaning is overdone and one should not believe all the claims made by record cleaner manufacturers! "
PS: I have a Nitty Gritty 2.5 fi record cleaning machine but after using it once on a few LP’s and being less that impressed with the overall results I have followed the above advice and found it works perfectly!
Hi Roger, thanks for that informative post just goes to show, possibly another urban myth dispelled!
Barrie
Think you will need to connect turntable earth to pre-amp ground terminal then another lead from there to earth, 3 pin plug should be fine.
Thanks guys. Yes, there is a lot of “Snake oil” in the HiFi industry with dubious claims by manufacturers of HiFi equipment, especially cleaning equipment. Using just a carbon fibre brush is great with brand new records and very clean records but struggles with records that have ingrained dirt and contaminants (grease, water stains etc) which is the state of some of my records that have been in storage (not at home I might say!) and some of my wife’s records. I am looking at getting a “Disco Record Cleaning Machine - Goat Hair Brush” which is a wet cleaner available for £35. I will use this for an initial clean of really dirty records and thereafter use a carbon fibre brush each time they are played as Bettabuilda suggest. I will let people know how I get on with the cleaning machine if I get one.
I only ever use a carbon fibre brush to clean my vinyl, and it seems to work perfectly well. But then I am a right old granny with my records, and cossett them I must admit, so they don’t get really dirty anyway.
I would be very nervous about using the PVA glue method, as demonstrated on You Tube !
Hi Paul, will definitely give that a go! Makes total sense to me and I don’t have to move the radiator if I move the HIFI either thank you.
Barrie
Hi everyone and a merry Christmas
I wanted a new cartridge/stylus for the LEAK headshell. Ended up buying a REGA Carbon MM cartridge. Cost a fortune! Well £27 delivered actually
It sounds quite nice from the get go had to totally readjust the tonearm to get it right. Whilst I was in there, I took a pic of the techy end of the tonearm
Absolutely love this TT, not high end in any way but just so user friendly and very adjustable
Just a note, when I got the headshell out to install the new cartridge, one of the connecting wires had lost its connector. I rushed on to Amazon to see if I could get a new set by the 24th. I did, but when they arrived, looked nothing like the advert absolute garbage if I’m honest, although not expensive so decided to work with them. Short wires, unshielded connectors which were too large and kept slipping off the pins etc. Anyway, a bit of modification and I had them connected nicely. The others were around 40 years old, so had lasted well, not sure the new ones will though
Barrie