Help! Garrard 2025T Vocal Distortion

[aashish351]

Dear Turntable experts,

I have unpacked my Garrard 2025T after a year and I am struggling with the following issues:

1. While packing I accidently broke the clip of the ceramic cartridge holder and now the cartridge needs to be held in place by wrapping a thread/tape/rubber band (see pictures below). In the pictures the clip part is glued using feviquik but after I tried to clip on the cartridge, it broke again even more and now cannot be glued again. I have ensured that the cartridge is centred with respect to holder, however, I am not sure if the vertical alignment (If there is such a thing) is good. Can this part be sourced/fabricated or the design modified? I am concerned because of its possible role in point 2...

2. I am hearing a substantial distortion noticed in the vocal sections of every record I play which is much higher than what I remember. The distortion increases as the arm reaches the end of the record. I have read that this could be due to cartridge problem. Both cartridges I have are old and only one of them works properly (other gives a right shifted soundstage) . But could this be due to the clip issue?

3. I hear a faint drum-rolling type hum which is predominantly in the bass/mid-bass region. It does not increase with the volume and mostly hides behind the music, but in the quiet sections and start/end of records - it is noticeable. This is not a major deal breaker and has been there since I got it, but if I can correct it I wouldn't mind. The phono is a DIY assembled from ceramic input of a vintage sansui amp made by FM Lifewater when he helped me source the TT.

I know that this is not a real high fidelity turntable and will only go so far, but I still feel it deserves to be restored to a reasonable state. To that effect, I am willing to order available replacement cartridges and styli and seek your help in that too.

If there is a Delhi-NCR based expert FM who can and would like to take on fixing this as a project, I would be eternally grateful.

Pictures to help study the turntable state. https://plus.google.com/photos/1123...s/6101555533345712241?authkey=CKncoKOb2pbL-AE

Aashish

 

[Hiten]

Aashish.
The snap on cartridge clip seems to be of LD plastic. Feviquick is only good for acrylic. On LD and PVC it will not work. See if you can salvage it from another player. OR use Araldite. A metal clip can be fabricated if proper metal material can be found. It has to be like spring so it can hold the cartridge. These clips are aligned with proper VTA so SQ you are hearing is not proper. Once you get perfect clip I guess you will not have any problem.
Regards

 

[aashish351]

Thanks Hiten, unfortunately I don't have the plastic snap of the clip anymore. So getting a replacement from somewhere or fabricating something could be looked into. Alternatively, are there cartridges in the 5-8 gm range that come with a clip and can be screwed into the single hole in the front of the arm?

 

[Hiten]

Thanks Hiten, unfortunately I don't have the plastic snap of the clip anymore. So getting a replacement from somewhere or fabricating something could be looked into. Alternatively, are there cartridges in the 5-8 gm range that come with a clip and can be screwed into the single hole in the front of the arm?

I doubt if cartridges come with clip.

 

[aashish351]

I think I found the clip. Please check this http://www.gettheneedle.co.uk/ceramic-and-crystal-cartridges/mounting-clip-garrard/-sonotone.html

 

[Iceberg86300]

Looks correct to me. Could always ask for a couple more photos and dimensions though. At any rate the price is right for a trial piece.

 

[lifewater]

Hi Aashish, the distortion of sound is due to the broken clip and now after the "juggar" in fitting the cart, the VTA is definitely wonky.

As regards the hollow drum rolling it is a common feature of most idler wheel TTs. What you need is a "subsonic" or "rumble filter" incorporated into the preamp.

There are many circuits available but you have to search someone who can fabricate it for you can Sachin or someone help ??

If not an old amp with ceramic cart input having a rumble / subsonic filter will help (I told you about one)

You decide, but first the Cart holder ...

 

[aashish351]

Received and installed the replacement narrow mounting clip. I didn't realise that such a small thing could make such a difference. Turntables are certainly picky little things!! The distortion has greatly reduced. It has not gone completely but certainly reduced to the level prior to the broken clip. I think the remaining distortion is due to the old cartridge or stylus. But now I don't hear it on all records. Could also be due to the quality of records. They are all old Indian pressings, mostly polydor or emi. The very good deutsche gramophone ones I got from uk, I have not dared to play them on this turntable yet. They are in perfect condition and I don't want to spoil them with the ceramic cart. The only confusing thing is the distortion on loud vocals of a new 4-LP set of the Manganiyaar project which I bought from reliance. Is it the quality of recording?

Anyway I hope to play some of these records on well setup MM turntables to understand it better. Any NCR vinyl hobbyists willing to host a newbie vinyl enthusiast and teach him a thing or two?

 

[greenhorn]

playing with bad alignment can damage your records. try playing a record that was not exposed to the jugaad cart, and see if that has distortion as well ?

 

[aashish351]

Very exciting development! Got a new replacement stylus - Garrard KS40a/ Sonotone 3509 - the vocal distortion is almost completely gone! The treble has also become sweeter. The same records are sounding so much better.

I think the previous stylus, which was the original part, had really reached end of life. I don't know what it's use history was.

One thing though - the needle skipping has slightly increased. Is it because the new stylus is sensitive to fine scratches. Please note these are all old records (Indian pressing from 70s and 80s) handed down to me in average condition.

Lastly, I would like to keep this stylus in good shape. How should a diamond stylus be cleaned?

 

[aashish351]

Let me elaborate on needle skipping. It's not skating all over the record. It remains at the same position of the track, but just skips a split second like a scratched CD.

 

[jls001]

How have you set the tracking weight and anti skate force? These two settings will have a bearing on skipping. Does your arm have a calibrated tracking weight? If not, do you have a stylus gauge?

Skipping can also happen because of notchy bearing. Lift arm and gently move the tonearm horizontally towards the spindle. Does it move smoothly? Or do you face some small resistance at any point in the movement? An even better way to do this is to reset tracking force and just balance the arm. After it has been balanced, the arm should just float. Gently blow the arm towards the spindle. It should move without resistance.

To clean cartridge of accumulated grit, dust and lint, use a record cleaning brush that usually comes along with a new cartridge. If you don't have one, buy a sable hair paint brush of small size (the type used for water colour painting). The hair must be soft. Brush gently from the rear of the cantilever towards the front of cartridge. Be gentle. For hard to remove dust, cartridge cleaning fluid is needed. Alternately, you can use gel based cartridge cleaners.