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  1. DesertTwang

    Tonearm skids back into record when reaches run-out groove

    Pioneer PL-540: Very strange behavior that started after playing a new (to me) type of record: a 12-inch polycarbonate, lathe-embossed record. It came with instructions to increase the VTF to avoid skipping. I did that, and when the tonearm reached the last minute or so of playing, the music was...
  2. DesertTwang

    Taking my old Thorens to the US

    While visiting family in Germany, I found the TT I grew up with, a Thorens TD280 MkII. I know it’s not a spectacular table, but it has sentimental value to me and is in great shape. I already have a Pioneer PL-540, which I love, and I have no intention to replace that one, but I would like to...
  3. DesertTwang

    Cheap replacement for the rubber rings in SpinClean rollers?

    My rollers need replacing, but really all that is worn is the rubber rings. The rollers themselves still have life in them. Of course the company doesn't sell just the rubber rings, and I find $20 for a pair of new rollers (plus tax/shipping) a bit of a rip-off. Has anyone found generic rubber...
  4. DesertTwang

    Evaluating a stylus after a mishap

    I have an AT 150Sa stylus, which replaced the original stylus that came with my AT 440MLa cart. The orig. stylus has a (guesstimated) 300-400 hours on it, so I decided to replace it, even though it still sounds fantastic. The 150Sa is still pretty new, I've only had it for 5 months, playing on...
  5. DesertTwang

    I just successfully cleaned a record with windshield wiper fluid

    I know. It hadn't even occurred to me, either, until last night. I was listening to a record i found the other day at the used record store. As always, I had dutifully cleaned the record, along with several others, in my SpinClean, before allowing it on my turntable platter. The A side sounded...
  6. DesertTwang

    Refoaming a set of KEF 103/4 woofers?

    I snagged a pair of KEF Reference Series 103/4 speakers from a neighbor who put them out on the curb. When I first hooked them up, they sounded terrible, and I didn't know why. Based on advice from this forum, I held on to them for the past two years, and recently, I finally decided to take them...
  7. DesertTwang

    AT150Sa for Pioneer PL-540?

    Hi all, I've had the AT 440mla cartridge on this TT for about 3.5 years, and while I probably only average ~1 record per day, or possibly less (I dont' keep track), I've been thinking it might be time to replace the stylus. If not right now, probably in the not-too-far future. Seeing the crazy...
  8. DesertTwang

    I've finally had it -- no more new vinyl from places I can't easily return

    Bought four sealed new vinyl records over the past couple of weeks, from different stores, and three of them have major defects. One, the Justin Townes Earle album, "Saint of Lost Causes," looked great but had clipping/noise in one channel during certain passages, which ruined the otherwise...
  9. DesertTwang

    Toss original inner sleeves because of acidic paper?

    There appears to be a wide-spread practice of keeping original inner sleeves only if they're printed with lyrics, ads etc. that provide historical context to the record. Many people toss original inner sleeves as long as they're the plain white paper kind, and I have been doing the same. All my...
  10. DesertTwang

    How to clean stylus brush?

    There are lots of threads about stylus brushes and how to use them to clean the stylus. But how do you clean the stylus brush?
  11. DesertTwang

    Where to buy new vinyl?

    After buying yet another faulty, new, "audiophile" pressing, this time Gillian Welch's Soul Journey album ($30!, off-center), and my request for an exchange being ignored by the label (Acony), I'm sick of buying new vinyl, only to unpack a record that's in crappier shape than 90% of my thrift...
  12. DesertTwang

    Pioneer PL-530 vs. PL540

    Saw a nice-looking PL-530 with a wooden plinth in a used gear store today and wondered if I would be up- or downgrading if I chose it to replace my PL-540. I'm not very familiar with Pioneer's turntable history. The PL-530 does look "prettier" than my PL-540, but is it a better turntable? Priced...
  13. DesertTwang

    Miami black mask - has anyone tried this to clean records?

    Saw a commercial about the Miami black face mask yesterday and immediately wondered if this might work on records. Has anyone tried this? https://www.miamimasks.com/
  14. DesertTwang

    Educate me on KEF 103/4 speakers

    Apologies for the inherent ignorance of this post. The first and last time I bought a pair of speakers was when I graduated high school and rewarded myself with my first stereo system. That was 27 years ago. I still love the speakers I got at the time (Magnat Monitor C, made by a now-defunct...
  15. DesertTwang

    Leaving record in hot car after sunset?

    I've seen lots of posts about not leaving vinyl records inside vehicles while parked in the sun. That's an obvious no-no. But what about the following scenario: Yesterday I bought a sealed copy of John Prine's new "Tree of Forgiveness" album on limited green vinyl at a store in Phoenix...
  16. DesertTwang

    Does crosstalk tell me something about azimuth and VTA?

    I recently obtained the test record that originally came with my model of amplifier, a Denon PMA-501. That amp has a crosstalk canceller function with controls to adjust this feature. I never used it, since I lacked the record needed to adjust it. The record, it turns out, is simply a one-sided...
  17. DesertTwang

    Digitizing vinyl - so frustrating and tedious I'm about to give up

    *****UPDATE: Thank you everyone who contributed to this thread. Based on your feedback and upon discovering more shortcomings of GarageBand, I have decided to never, ever touch GarageBand again, at least for ripping vinyl. After hours of struggling through this, I ended up trashing all my work...
  18. DesertTwang

    Skip in high dynamic passage that resolves when adjusting AS

    OK, so riddle me this: For the first time, I put on my new copy of Doc and Merle Watson's "Never the Same Way Once," which was just released by the Owsley Stanley Foundation. It's a set of two 45-RPM LPs. During the last track on the first side, the needle skipped and wouldn't recover...
  19. DesertTwang

    Warp in new record - would you keep or return?

    This is the 2011 Sundazed reissue of "The Fantastic Expedition of Dillard and Clark" album (LP 5344). I'm quite disappointed at the quality control (or lack thereof). The record sounds fine and plays through without skips, but I find this amount of warp borderline (un-?)acceptable. What do you...
  20. DesertTwang

    Mold developed on album cover I bought recently -- toss out or...?

    I have read some threads about mold on records and covers, and here in Arizona, I have come across record covers that had suffered water damage in their previous lives, and some showed brown spots that may or may not be indicative of mold problems sometime in their past. But I never had actual...
  21. DesertTwang

    The good, the bad and the ugly: A question about vintage inner sleeves

    As a rule, every record I buy, regardless of used or new, gets a new inner sleeve (I use the 2.0 HDPE sleeves from SleeveCity). Original plain white paper inner sleeves go into the recycle bin; if they have any kind of print or promotional info on them, I file them with the album, or, if they're...
  22. DesertTwang

    Visiting San Francisco -- recommendations for good vinyl shops?

    I'll be attending a conference in San Francisco and was wondering whether anyone could recommend any record stores worth visiting? Is there some kind of vinyl equivalent to the City Lights Bookstore maybe?
  23. DesertTwang

    Best lubricant for dust cover hinges?

    Believe it or not, I could not find a thread about this topic. Lately, I have noticed the dust cover of my Pioneer PL-540 TT creaks a little when opening and closing and the hinge movement feels "dry." Before I go ahead and just apply some household machine oil, I want to make sure I'm not...
  24. DesertTwang

    What does the strobe light in my Pioneer direct drive table actually do?

    I realize this seems like an ignorant question, but I'm not an electrical engineer, so bear with me. I used to think that the strobe light in a direct drive table served as a mechanism to keep the speed constant. But the more I thought about this, I started questioning that idea, as I think this...
  25. DesertTwang

    What am I not getting about mono?

    Since I got back into vinyl a couple of years ago, I have noticed that mono recordings seem to be favored by many people, for a reason that eludes me. I always believed that mono was inferior and to be viewed as a limitation that stereo recording technology helped overcome. Growing up, I...
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