Frequently asked questions about turntables and vinyl, belt-drive vs direct-drive, cartridges, headshells, alignment and more.
I don’t like either very much, but I generally recommend a good moving magnet cartridge over a cheap moving coil. If you have say around $500 AUD to spend, and assuming you are chasing a medium compliance cartridge for a typical medium mass tonearm, there are lots of choices. Moving coil cartridges are technically better […]
What’s better: a good moving magnet cartridge or a cheap moving coil? Read More »
Either a good step-up transformer or an exceptional active gain stage. Almost nothing does a better job of taking extraordinarily small signals from a moving coil cartridge and amplifying them than a step-up transformer, with maybe one exception, which we will get to. A Perfect Match Technically there’s a bit to know, but step-up transformers
This is a really good question, variations of which I hear a lot. Let’s look at this in a little more detail, and bear with me as there’s a bit to unpack with this one. Alignment Basics Cartridge alignment is a technical process, but a relatively straightforward one, once you understand it and how to
Only when it comes to us for (probably long-overdue) maintenance. We don’t operate a retail store and therefore don’t offer retail sales of service parts for example. Think of it this way: it’s like going to your mechanic for a set of spark plugs. They don’t have a shop selling spark plugs because they typically
Can you sell me a belt for my turntable? Or an XYZ for my XYZ..? Read More »
Generally speaking, I suggest you don’t buy equipment in poor condition. I know that everyone wants a bargain and buying equipment in poor condition is often perceived as a bargain. Sadly, there is no escaping the fact that equipment in poor condition tends to be less reliable and less repairable than similar gear in good
What are your thoughts on buying equipment in poor condition? Read More »
No, not without taking a few precautions! If you quite enjoy your current cartridge, let me give you a little bit of advice, from one long-time lover of all things vinyl to another. Nothing ruins your day faster than an absent-minded dust down of your turntable with a soft microfibre cloth, that runs a little
If you are going to get a belt, a critically important part of how your turntable runs, at least get a good one. How will you know if you’re getting a cheap turntable drive belt or a quality belt of the correct size or not? Well, if it’s very cheap, that probably answers your question!
