BlueBoy Records » turntable cartridges

why is there a loud humming noise and woofers moving wierd while playing my turntable ?

admin — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 07:06:24 +0000

my system consists of an akai magnetic cartridge turntable, sansui integrated 8 ohms amplifier with phono input & sonodyne 8 ohms matching woofers. while playing the tuuntable the woofers move weirdly and there is a loud background noise/hum even though the connections are all ok and the earthing wire is also connected to the amp. strangely the sound is alright when playing through my dvd or tv. i have checked all possibilities but can;t find the problem. please advice.

your rca’s may have gotton damaged,getting old or are just poor quality try upgrading to hi quality rca’s.

Where can I get an Ortofon MC10 cartridge for a Sony PS-X5 turntable?

admin — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 02:54:13 +0000

Or something else that would fit? The turntable is old, hasn’t worked for awhile and I want to fix it for my dad for Christmas. The number on the cartridge is 834027.
I’m afraid to pay $200 (or $1,000) for one online and find out it doesn’t work! Please help!
It has a 30-year-old moving coil cartridge that won’t work with his amplifier. He needs a new moving coil cartridge that doesn’t require an amplifier.

The Shure M97xE High-Performance Magnetic Phono Cartridge is about $55. 129 reviews over 4 stars.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00006I5SB?ie=UTF8&tag=booforallsor-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00006I5SB

Which cartridge should I get for my turntable?

admin — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 00:32:48 +0000

Hi I’m looking for a cartridge for my Denon DP-300F as the built in one is CRAP.
I’m currently looking at four different cartridges:
Shure M97XE (six months down the line, I MIGHT get a Jico replacement stylus)
Audio Technica MLA-440
Denon-DL 110
Ortofon 2M Red

I listen to alot of pop-punk (Lagwagon, Yellowcard) and late 90’s/early 00’s emo (Get Up Kids, Saves the Day, Weezer) as well as some softer indie rock/alt rock bands.

Also, I have a fairly tight budget for the entire turntable + cartridge + amp + speaker system, so if I save a few bucks here, I can spend a bit more on speakers or a better pre-amp.

thanks!
The majority of what goes through my speakers is pop punk. Fast-paced, simple but sharp chord progressions, etc.
thank you! that was very helpful haha. Not too sure on what speakers to get yet, they’re the ones I can most easily replace, so I’m trying to piece together a vague idea of a system first before moving to that.
One thing I’m concerned about is that I’ve heard the Ortofon has alot of background noise :/

Would the AT MLA-440 be okay too?

The Sure M97 Xe is a good general Cartridge that sounds good with a wide variety of electronics and speakers… its a little hard to set up though because VTA and cartridge alignment have to be exact (due to the extra slim elliptical needle) in order for the cartridge to work properly and sound its best, most people that are having problems with it do not know how to set up VTA and alignment properly for this cartridge and as such are getting poor sound…… its also a little laid back sounding and may not be exciting enough for you, its good with acoustic guitar and softer rock but fast pop punk maybe not ..the Denon DL 110 will be faster and play hotter and present a more exciting sound stage due to its moving coil status, but its also harder to get right needing better electronics……..The Orthofon may be right for you depending on what other equipment you have if you have forward sounding speakers and bright electronics it might be better than the Denon…I would chose the Denon for the most detail.. with the right equipment a mellow amp like a NAD or tube amp with a good phono stage..and nice mellow speakers like Thiel or Vandersteen but if you have like a yamaha receiver and Klipsch speakers try the Orthofon as the Denon is going to be too bright and foward for you….

Where can I get a cartridge for my Gemini XL-400 II turntable?

admin — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 08:22:19 +0000

I bought the needle but I wasn’t told i needed a cartridge and now I need to know where I can get one or at least what model number I need

Give this company a call & tell them what you have. They carry a full line of turn table accessories.

Where do you go to buy replacement styluses/cartridges for your turntable?

admin — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 07:49:04 +0000

Got a favorite online store or do you have a local store that sells such things?
Gee Lep, somebody is after you today, huh?
I got a needle for one at Radio Shack before, but it wasn’t the best quality. Hence, I need a new one. The other one I think is in need of a new cartridge.
Oh, you’re bad Ghost!
I’ve been doing stuff like that for years, haha. I’m a natural born cheapskate. Needle Doctor is one of the ones that popped up when I was trying to google it on my own. Before I got frustrated and decided to just ask.
I know, Wire and String. It’s ridiculous.

My two favorite sources with the largest selections of name brand new old stock styli are…

http://www.turntableneedles.com

http://www.lpgear.com/

You can find some good deals on eBay and elsewhere… it all depends on what you’re looking for. Some after-market styli can sound really good on the cheap. Others, not so much… They’re worth a try sometimes if the price is right. JICO makes some nice after market styli, some (like the SAS) that sound better than the original OEM.

http://stylus.export-japan.com/index.php?osCsid=o9ddm1vduurothrm7oorrbp8n2

As far as cartridges go… it depends what you’re looking for…

The "Red Ed", particularly the elliptical is a really nice budget cartridge available at the Ed Saunders site.

The Audio Technica AT95E is another fine budget choice. Best price is usually eBay. Although, LP Gear and turntableneedles.com both sell versions of the AT95E with fancier stylus shapes installed and those sound really nice.

The Denon DL-110 is a nice choice around $100.00 and available from several vendors. For around $200.00 you can’t beat the NOS SAE cartridges being sold on eBay and Audiogon right now. The Shure M97xE and a JICO SAS stylus for it is another great combo for around $200.00 that will outperform considerably more expensive cartridges. Best deal on the M97xE with stock stylus is usually Amazon.

Hope you find what you’re looking for. Keep ‘em spinnin’!

What is the correct way to replace turntable cartridge?

admin — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 02:01:50 +0000

I need to replace the stylus on my record deck. Have been advised that old one (Ortofon 510 Mk11) has been superceded by Ortofon 2M Red, and that fitting it is a precission job needing specialist equipment (for correct alignment). So how critical is the positioning of cartridge, how is it done, and is it something I can do myself?

It is critical. I can hear when my overhang is a bit off and sometimes fine-tune it a fraction of a mm by ear.

You didn’t say what kind of turntable you have… You can find the manuals with measurements for setting overhang for many turntables online.

Alternatively, you could print an alignment protractor online. You have to make sure it prints the exact right size. A Baerwald alignment works fine with most tables…

http://www.vinylengine.com/cartridge-alignment-protractors.shtml

If you have a table with markings on the counterweight you know to be reasonably accurate after properly balancing the tonearm, there’s really no need for a tracking force scale. Each cartridge varies a bit and the sweetest sound is often obtained pretty close to the recommended tracking force, but not exactly on it. As long as you’re in the safe range for the cartridge, you’re good. So, I would fine-tune that by ear. Scales are for people with no markings on the counterweight, inaccurate markings on the counterweight, or amateurs who set everything "by the numbers". Fine-tuning your tonearm setup purely visually is like fine-tuning the picture on your TV by how it sounds… It doesn’t make any sense.

It shouldn’t take many years of experience… lol. It’s something anyone can do if you have a little patience. It’s not rocket science.

Also, NOS styli are still available for your cartridge from several online vendors. Just Google your model# and add the word stylus. I wouldn’t be surprised if your vintage cartridge sounds better than the Ortofon 2M Red, which is a cartridge not everybody likes. I wouldn’t be in such a rush to change it if it works fine besides needing a new stylus. I find vintage cartridges often perform better than anything available today at a reasonable price. Use an older Audio Technica AT15SA and NOS stylus myself…

My advice, if you need to align a cartridge, give it a shot and you’ll be an old pro before you know it. Maybe the other guy could explain how you get the years of experience without giving it a try… lol. Keep ‘em spinnin’! Plenty of help over at the AudioKarma turntables forum if you run into trouble or have any other questions.

Can some one help me find a replacement needle for my Stanton STR8-20 turntable?

admin — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 07:01:13 +0000

I have a Stanton STR8-20. I got it for cheap at a garage sale so if you can point me in the direction of a link for a specific replacement cartridge I would appreciate it,

go to sam ash music online it has a wide variety of catridges

Can you put any dj cartridge on a turntable?

admin — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 09:00:10 +0000

I have numark tt1610’s and I don’t really like the groove tool cartridge. I want a cheap one with this shape.http://www.workingdj.com/wp-content/uploads/Stanton%20Trackmaster%20V3%20DJ%20cartridge.jpg I was wondering if any cartridge that shape could fit on my turntables. Thanks.

Absolutely. You can mount any standard 1/2" mount DJ cartridge in your headshell or use a DJ cartridge with an integrated headshell like the one in your link. No problem.

Keep ‘em spinnin’!

How can I tell if the cartridge of a turntable is magnetic or ceramic?

admin — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 06:25:01 +0000

I just ordered a Crosley Revolution turntable. I bought it mostly for my quick fix for vinyl. I would also like to use it in the office. I have a Technics 1200 for my real listening. Some people who have reviewed it on the internet have written that it has a magnetic cartridge. I would like to know how I am able to tell if its a magentic cartridge. Thanks.

As another responder said, on a ceramic cartridge, the cantilever rests in a yoke that’s part of the cartridge body; therefore the replacement stylus assembly needs to be "open" so that the cantilever can fit into the yoke when the stylus is installed. A web search for the Pfanstiehl P-190 would show you an example. The stylus assembly for the Crosley Revolution is not open (as can be seen at LPGear, for example), plus, the website Squidoo lists it as a magnetic cartridge. It looks like an interesting product, and I’ve read several reviews from users saying they’re enjoying it. Hope you have a good time with yours.

INTERFACE How-To – The Phono Cartridge

admin — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 09:32:44 +0000

JC Talks about the basics of Phono Cartridges and the Shure M92E Cartridge.

http://live.scottydonline.com

Duration : 0:7:49

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