Audio components manufacturing?

[B2]

You want to know how to make a very good one with minimalistic build? Then look to the old "Acoustic Research AR-XA Turntable". Search ebay there are lots of them available.

They are still around, but now far more expensive than what I paid many years ago. They simplified the needle balance. They elimited most all wow and flutter by rubber band drive and heavy inertial table. Simple motor. etc.

Have fun.

Dave L.

 

[silence dogood]

Back when I was a kid, I helped my older brother modify an old tube type record player to play a 16" record that our dad brought home. He extended the tone arm and rebalanced it. We had a lot of fun listening to a Jack Benny radio program.
In the late 70s, did a lot of repairs on stereo equipment. Mostly RCA, VM, that sort of thing. Then one day, I went out worked on a McIntosh amp.
Almost felt like that I was working on a Stradivarius or a Rembrandt. Turned out it was a coupling capacitor. Made sure that cap was of the best quality and replaced the one in the other channel. You see, in a McIntosh every circuit is balanced, even the transformer windings. Turned it on and then nothing. Turned up the volume, treble, then bass; nothing. Turn controls back down and put on a record. Pure music.

 

[silence dogood]

You want to know how to make a very good one with minimalistic build? Then look to the old "Acoustic Research AR-XA Turntable". Search ebay there are lots of them available.

They are still around, but now far more expensive than what I paid many years ago. They simplified the needle balance. They elimited most all wow and flutter by rubber band drive and heavy inertial table. Simple motor. etc.

Have fun.

Dave L.

Had one, great turntable. Unfortunately, it got stolen.

 

[great white]

I have ringing in my ears (Tinnitus) which sounds like static on an old TV, or thousands of crickets. Normally I don’t notice it, unless I’m thinking about it.

I really enjoyed hearing “high fidelity” music when I was younger and thought that with the ringing in my ears that I would not enjoy that aspect of recorded music again. That is until recently…, when I happened to play music from my phone in our vehicle- I was hearing things I didn’t know were present in the audio.

So I purchased a headphone amplifier and some reasonably good quality headphones- what a difference!!! The music now sounds “alive” (hard to explain).

The point being that even with the ringing in my ears, I can still hear details.

Right there with ya. Tinnitus, both ears. Cones from roughly 3,000 hours flying next to a high speed (ie:whining) gearbox. Sounds like that high pitched ringing they play on movies right after someone is next to an explosion. 24/7, 365.

I’ve basically taught myself to “ignore“ it. It’s always there, I just use my mind to not ket it take center focus…

 

[pdentrem]

Decades ago I bought a tone arm kit. Mildly successful but the motor needed to be better isolated in my build. I may still have the arm.
Pierre

 

[great white]

Decades ago I bought a tone arm kit. Mildly successful but the motor needed to be better isolated in my build. I may still have the arm.
Pierre

I would be interested in seeing it's construction should you ever run across it again.....

 

[pdentrem]

Found it. Was in filing cabinet.

I still have two Dual belt drive tables, on in use and a spare.
Pierre

 

[great white]

Found it. Was in filing cabinet. View attachment 443874View attachment 443875

I still have two Dual belt drive tables, on in use and a spare.
Pierre

Well thats interesting. Pretty simple design. What does it use for gimble bearings? Any chance you might consider selling it? It would be beneficial to have something to measure to start from or use as a basic example.

I googled the designer/company and it seems he was a fairly significant player at the beginning of the vinyl era, although they closed up shop in the mid 80's.

If I may ask about the dual tables, I've never quite understood why they are so sought after. They seem like fairly simple, bare-bones devices. They certainly don't look to be anything besides mass produced stuff. Do you know why they seem to be so respected compared to the other mid 70's era stuff?

I also don't see why the Garrard ones are so highly prized either.....maybe it's just showing my lack of knowledge.

 

[rwm]

Just a thought here: If you put the record on an arbor you could turn it in the lathe and have a spring mounted tone arm on the cross slide...

Great thread! It would be a fun project to build one. The tone arm doesn't seem too hard but the spindle drive could get complex.
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It seems they have moved away from strobe tracking of RPM in favor of accurate AC drives?

 

[great white]

Just a thought here: If you put the record on an arbor you could turn it in the lathe and have a spring mounted tone arm on the cross slide...

Great thread! It would be a fun project to build one. The tone are doesn't seem too hard but the spindle drive could get complex.

From what I can gather, the issue with the tone arm is getting the geometry right, the materials composition and the pivot bearings.....