WE HAVE EXTENDED OUR TRADING HOURS

Please note that our core trading hours have been extended to 6 days per week: Tuesdays – through Sundays 11am to 6pm daily. Closed Mondays

SO! WHAT’S THIS BIG WEIGHT AUDIOFILES PUT ON TOP OF THE RECORD ON THE SPINDLE?

Here are just a couple of other record weights to choose from below.

Well! It not only looks ‘chunky’, but it actually has a couple of very good functions………..

The majority of your records will have some degree of warp, no matter how perfect you think they are. The slightest undulation sets up distortions & low frequency noises amplified through to your speakers that were never intended to be there. One quick fix is a switch on your amp called ‘Low Filter’ or something similar – trouble is, it cuts off the low frequencies of the music as well!

So why not put something heavy on the centre of the record when it is on the platter to flatten it out? Also, it adds more weight to improve inertia as well, achieving a smoother 331/3rpm.

There are a couple of versions – just pure weight, a clamping type device or a screw down version but the spindle needs a thread & not many turntable manufacturers are that accommodating.

Here’s a copy of a very high end UK manufacturer’s brochure supplied with the clamp they offer as an optional extra ( and yes, we stock them):

By the way, you might think that the new 180gram (or even 200 gram records are starting to emerge) will overcome the warping problem, but even very thick records will not be dead flat & what are the chances of these weight/clamping systems flattening them out on the platter? Let alone if over time, these heavy thick records start to warp even more!

May 26th 2010

OUR FAVORITE TONE-ARMS……

Tonearms, the critical conveyance of the delicate signal from the stylus & cartridge mounted at the end where it tracks the record groove.

Tonearms can ‘make or break’ a quality turntable setup and here we have selected 4 of our favourites of the more common type.

The common denominator is that they are all manual with a cue lifter (a little lever to lift/lower the arm onto the record) built into the arm’s base – no auto functions like – auto lift, auto return, cut, start, play……………the levers under the plinth to move the arm place too much drag on the fine cantilever and the diamond tip, compromising audio quality.

First, SME, made in England and their caption (The world’s Finest Tonearm) isn’t far off the mark:

Next, Rega, highly regarded, no fuss, easily mounted & minimalistic.

Thirdly, Grace again English!!, delicate, beautifully engineered, & nimble were less is more!

And lastly Syrinx, this is the PU2, not so common, but WOW! a killer tonearm:

April 25th 2010

SETTING UP TURNTABLES CORRECTLY

This is the fun part! Once you’ve got your gorgeous classic turntable home, you now need to set it up correctly, so the diamond tip of the needle sits correctly in the groove. It may sound elementary, but so many people are just so glad to hear music from their records, they never bother to calibrate it properly – and a correctly set-up turntable will make your records really sound ‘sweeter’ than them thou CDs.

Number one rule – it must be situated on a dead level surface free from vibration (refer our discussion below titled ‘Turntables and Floor Boards Don’t Mix’).

Next, get the platter moving and ensure it is rotating at 331/3 or 45 rpm. Many turntables have some sort of strobe built in, maybe a light shining on groves embedded into the side of the platter, maybe groves on the platter surface or something like it. If you can’t see anything, pop into our store or email us, we’ll provide you with a free paper-cut out that will do the job. Remember, our power supply in Oz, is 50Hz, so that’s the row of grooves that must appear to be stationery.

Step 3, Use the counter balance weight at the rear end of the tonearm to adjust the needle pressure on the record – too light & it’ll just skate over the grooves, too heavy and it’ll wear out the stylus tip and damage your records. mmm, this is where it gets tricky for the amateur and all counter balance weights are adjusted differently – I know, lets look at YouTube! Click on this link, it’s quite a good performance, it’s a bit DJ orientated, he calls records vinyls which is a bit strange to us, but calibrate the pressure to 2 grams +/- .2g – NOT over 2.5g as suggested by that DJ.

www.youtube.com/watch

They are the major settings – the other issue to address is anti-skating – what’s that!! There’s a fundamental principal in physics where anything that turns freely will gravitate to the centre – a tonearm will therefore gravitate to the centre of the record, thereby leaning on the inner side of the groove more than the other, and that’s not good! It must sit dead centre of the groove to get even stereo reproduction. Whatever anti-skating device your tonearm has, and you are sure the turntable is level, set it to the central mark – if it’s a weight dangling on a string, loop it to the middle groove, if it’s a dial from 0-3, set it on 1.5, if it’s a tiny weight on a horizontal bar, set it to the middle.

So, without going into dreadfully technical discussions, they are the basic steps – put in the effort and your ears will be rewarded and your precious records will love you.

March 10th 2010

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