Clients will often ask “Mike, does my deck really need a service?” My answer is always the same and based purely on my experience – there are very few situations where a service won’t make a really noticeable improvement in operational and sonic performance.
I usually reply with “Have you ever had it serviced?”, “Has the bearing oil ever been changed?” and “Has your cartridge ever been properly aligned?” You can probably imagine that in most cases the answers to these questions are no.
Turntables are complex mechanical systems that DO need regular maintenance. What happens though is that owners often forget about this until one day they notice there is a channel imbalance, or the level of low-frequency rumble is suddenly quite noticeable.
You can perhaps see my point – most turntables get zero service until something fails or there is a developing problem, yet they are complex mechanical systems that were certainly always meant to be regularly serviced. Any manufacturer’s service manual, of which I have hundreds, will specify a service schedule or routine to be followed.
Typically a service will correct speed anomalies, reduce rumble and reduce distortion. Tracking is usually improved, as is channel balance and inner groove performance.
I have not yet found a deck I couldn’t improve, so get in touch if your turntable has not been serviced for a while. Remember, Liquid Audio is one of the few businesses correctly servicing turntables in Australia. I stand by all the work I do.
