LATEST Piece of Gear in Your Stack - What is it?

[MidiMagic]

I don't know anything about CD4. But when I read discussion about it here I always wondered whether a linear tracker would be the way to go. Since I see descriptions that certain cartridges work on the outer part of the record but not the inner. Sounds tailor made for an LT.

Great luck and let us know how it all turns out.

The position of the pickup is not the problem with outer groove vs inner groove differences. The problem is the difference in how much groove passes under the stylus each second.

At the outside edge of a 12-inch record, the groove velocity is 20.94 inches/second.
The wavelength at CD-4 carrier 30 KHz is .698 mils.
Now look at it at 45 KHz: .465 mils.

At a radius of 3 inches, the groove velocity is about 10.47 inches/second.
The wavelength at CD-4 carrier 30 KHz is .349 mils.
Now look at it at 45 KHz: .233 mils.

This last small wavelength is a trying value for many cartridges and styli.

 

[gene_stl]

Thank you for the clarification.

 

[HomerJAU]

I’m using quite a few specialist (but cheap) power boards with noise filtering and lightning protection

Here’s a link for those here in AU/NZ:

https://www.thortechnologies.com.au/product/thor-smartbrain-e145s/
I bought 8 of them. 3 for my main 7.1.4 system, one for each: My 5.1 system, bedroom TV, Home office PC, My NASs and 10GBE switch, my main router and security system. I managed to get 4 for $30 each on eBay.

 

[J. PUPSTER]

in the words of The Fab Four...

"HELP!"

and in the words of Penelope Pitstop;

"HEY-ALP!!"

i haven't started playing around with the Ortofon CD-4 pre-pre-amp yet, chiefly because i haven't the foggiest how you plug the bloody thing in and connect it to the mains power!

please put me out of my "misery" and tell me what the heck this is connection is?

the prongs are approx 4mm 'high' x 2 mm 'thick'.

the Top pin (Earth?) is approx 17mm long
and the 2 Bottom Pins (Live & Neutral?) are approx 12mm long.

thanking you in advance!!

250 volt -that's for a pre-amp?

 

[fredblue]

250 volt -that's for a pre-amp?

ohhh... i don't know Mister Pupster!!

 

[gene_stl]

That is just the voltage rating for everywhere but the USA and parts of Japan.
Edit: Oh and Canada too. everywhere that uses 240 volt 50 hz

 

[MidiMagic]

I am in a woodworking forum as well and they tell anyone who uses silicon on their furniture that it is beyond repair.

Is that silicon or silicone?

That connector looks like the ones on the backs of PCs.

 

[barfle]

in the words of The Fab Four...

"HELP!"

and in the words of Penelope Pitstop;

"HEY-ALP!!"

i haven't started playing around with the Ortofon CD-4 pre-pre-amp yet, chiefly because i haven't the foggiest how you plug the bloody thing in and connect it to the mains power!

please put me out of my "misery" and tell me what the heck this is connection is?

View attachment 83040

View attachment 83041

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the prongs are approx 4mm 'high' x 2 mm 'thick'.

the Top pin (Earth?) is approx 17mm long
and the 2 Bottom Pins (Live & Neutral?) are approx 12mm long.

thanking you in advance!!

IIRC, it’s intended to plig into an IEC cord. Or maybe it’s IEA. Kinda looks like what’s on the back of most of my plug-in gear manufactured in tha past 30 years.

 

[fredblue]

one of my trusty ol' AT440MLb's finally wore out i couldn't find any replacement styli so i'm gonna try an AT VM540ML and see how i get on

 

[edisonbaggins]

one of my trusty ol' AT440MLb's finally wore out i couldn't find any replacement styli so i'm gonna try an AT VM540ML and see how i get on

View attachment 83435

Let us know!!!

 

[fredblue]

Let us know!!!

Willy do!!
Just have to remember to hook it up with the short thick cables for the old capaccccccccitancccccce isssssssuesssssss!

 

[fredblue]

Let us know!!!

not great news.. its my fault, i didn't do my homework before buying it, it turns out its actually lower compliance than the AT440MLb, which i wasn't expecting because i thought it was a direct replacement/clone!

so ultimately it needs (what i consider) an excessive amount of weight to track properly.. 2.2 grams!!

worse still, the only way i can achieve this VTF on the newly acquired SL-10 (T4P arms preset to 1.25g, SL-10 only allows for +/- 0.25g for fine tuning) is by putting a f***ing blob of Blu-Tack on the top of the T4P Cartridge

i did weigh out the Blu-Tack on my digital stylus scales to the correct weight before reluctantly plonking it atop the combined £300-worth of new needle and AT T4P Cartridge body, so its not entirely unscientific.. but wow, i'm not thrilled about it all.. and i have to say i don't consider it suitable for CD-4 on the SL-10 at all.
maybe it'd be better on my SL-1210

its times like this i wish i hadn't given up the "demon drink"

 

[Sonik Wiz]

not great news.. its my fault, i didn't do my homework before buying it, it turns out its actually lower compliance than the AT440MLb, which i wasn't expecting because i thought it was a direct replacement/clone!

so ultimately it needs (what i consider) an excessive amount of weight to track properly.. 2.2 grams!!

worse still, the only way i can achieve this VTF on the newly acquired SL-10 (T4P arms preset to 1.25g, SL-10 only allows for +/- 0.25g for fine tuning) is by putting a f***ing blob of Blu-Tack on the top of the T4P Cartridge

i did weigh out the Blu-Tack on my digital stylus scales to the correct weight before reluctantly plonking it atop the combined £300-worth of new needle and AT T4P Cartridge body, so its not entirely unscientific.. but wow, i'm not thrilled about it all.. and i have to say i don't consider it suitable for CD-4 on the SL-10 at all.
maybe it'd be better on my SL-1210

its times like this i wish i hadn't given up the "demon drink"

When you posted earlier about the VM540ML I took a quick look at the specs & the only thing that stood out was the rather high tracking force. That didn't look good. But all else did, sort of. I mean as I said before with modern carts you just read the specs, make a choice & give it a try. No way to find out except spend the $$. And the concept of buying a vintage cart for CD-4 is that it's vintage & just because a new generic stylus might fit it still no promise it will work for CD-4.

Sorry for your pain... thanks for keeping us informed.

 

[fredblue]

When you posted earlier about the VM540ML I took a quick look at the specs & the only thing that stood out was the rather high tracking force. That didn't look good. But all else did, sort of. I mean as I said before with modern carts you just read the specs, make a choice & give it a try. No way to find out except spend the $$. And the concept of buying a vintage cart for CD-4 is that it's vintage & just because a new generic stylus might fit it still no promise it will work for CD-4.

Sorry for your pain... thanks for keeping us informed.

thanks Sonik the Wiz!

whatever the VM540ML is, it is definitely not an AT440MLb in crimson clothing and not a direct replacement/straight swap
stylus because with the same cart body and settings the stylus requires a totally different setup and even then sounds totally different from the 440! the 440 is bright and lively, full of detail and character, the 540 by comparison is thick and heavy and recessed.

the purple groove warrior (aka AT440!) goes on to track another day!

 

[R E Faust]

Just managed to grab a TEAC A2340 quad/stereo reel to reel for a steal.

Has the usual pinch roller jam but I'm in the process of sorting that out and cleaning/oiling.

Should be near mint when finished

 

[fredblue]

one of my trusty ol' AT440MLb's finally wore out i couldn't find any replacement styli so i'm gonna try an AT VM540ML and see how i get on

View attachment 83435

well i thought i'd have a go setting up the wee crimson beastie on the SL-1210Mk2...

..and i'm pleased/relieved to report that the AT VM540ML is a much better match for the more conventional S-shaped tonearm of the SL-1200 than that stubby little T4P thing on the SL-10!

it requires more tracking force and anti-skate than i've used in many years (2.2g) but if that's what it takes..

anyway.. next up, CD-4 testing with the red devil...

 

[fredblue]

https://www.quadraphonicquad.com/fo...ar-in-your-stack-what-is-it.16464/post-645842
https://www.quadraphonicquad.com/fo...ar-in-your-stack-what-is-it.16464/post-645846
As for having the arm stuck , it is NOT quite DIFFICULT to change the rubber belt that moves the arm...CAUSE I have done it TWICE to my darkie SL-QL1s which I am guessing is quite similar to the FLAGSHIP SL-10, look up the part no. in turntableneedles.com and that is basically it!

report back your progress, OK?

i ordered a replacement rubber belt, took the machine to bits and cleaned it all up inside.

i then sorted out a problem where whoever had been in there before had managed to pinch the tonearm wires between the black plastic arm shroud and the metal outer shell so they were snagging (!)

i then changed the belt for the new one (which really looked and felt exactly the same as the old one..), put it all back together again and it all worked flawlessly - for 3 days!

then on day 4, after an approximately 8 hour session of disc spinning it got about 3/4 of the way through a side and abruptly lifted the arm off the record and back to the rest position (the entire deck was very hot at this point!)

so i've given up on the cute lil' SL-10 for now, until i can figure out what else i can do to it, or possibly have done to it.

all is not lost though because...
there's something juicy on the way in an upcoming post >>>

 

[fredblue]

LATEST piece of gear in my stack..

what is it?
i hear you cry!

weeeeeelllllll.... its this wee beaut..!!

yes, a Technics SL-7 Linear Tracking Turntable!

i was surfin' round the ol' fleabay the other night and one suddenly popped up; serviced, with new belts and lube and in good enough cosmetic condition for the £200 smackers asking price. boom! let's hope unlike the SL-10 its not a case of "a fool and his money are soon parted"..!!

 

[fredblue]

just for fun here’s the SL-7 and SL-10 cuddling up together side by side

ohhh.. they're sooooo cute!!!
i just want to snuggle up with them and wuv them fowevuh and evuh and evuh!!!

 

[fredblue]

ps. do any of you guys have any tips on how to clean up and smooth out scratches in plexiglass? (or whatever these lids are made of!)