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AR-XA rummage sale find

Swallner

Swallner

New Member
My son picked this up at a rummage sale.
He called me and said he found an AR-XA turntable at a rummage sale and he is asking $25 for it, what do you think?
How can you go wrong! He ended up talking the guy down to $15 for it.
He brought it to me to restore and my plan is to give it to him finished for Christmas.
It has the cover and the original Shure M91-ED.
Today is day 1 of the restoration, got the platters sepa rated and removed all the goo left by the platter mat.
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You're going to need to dig the diamond for the stylus out of the old platter mat:eek:

Good luck with the restore.

Eric
 
As noted, the original boxes can go for good money on the auction sites. When you open the table, take a photo of the wire tree (buss strip). If it is like every XA91 I've come across, there should be two caps mounted into the buss to get the capacitance correct for the M91 cart. Using a different type cart, and you'll want to change that out.
 
My favorite find. A nice table with lots of potential. Nice job removing the goo. I never thought of digging for diamonds in the goo.:rflmao:
 
marcmorin said:
As noted, the original boxes can go for good money on the auction sites. When you open the table, take a photo of the wire tree (buss strip). If it is like every XA91 I've come across, there should be two caps mounted into the buss to get the capacitance correct for the M91 cart. Using a different type cart, and you'll want to change that out.
Click to expand...

I did take a lot of pictures last night and have some of the caps.
I did not bring them to work with me today, I'll try to post them later.
I was thinking of getting a good needle for this cartridge and checking it out.
Perhaps a convenient way to swap out cap's would be in order, I'll put that on the list of things to do.

I do have one question for tonight's task.
I will be tackling the mat goo on the inner platter and I would like to remove the spindle.
How firmly is it seated in the platter? Is removing it a good idea or not? I am assuming out the bottom, correct?
A firm tap with a wooden block?
OK 4 questions, sorry!
 
Here is a photo I did bring with me today.
A Haydon motor, did a quick check of it and the pulley last night.
It ran up quickly, did not seem to get hot and no wobble in the shaft or pulley.
It does have that slight vibration when the switch is off, but I really could not hear any hum at all.
I've got to pull the pulley, I do not think it has ever been off and check the bushings/bearings.
 

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Swallner said:
I do have one question for tonight's task.
I will be tackling the mat goo on the inner platter and I would like to remove the spindle.
How firmly is it seated in the platter? Is removing it a good idea or not? I am assuming out the bottom, correct?
A firm tap with a wooden block?
OK 4 questions, sorry!
Click to expand...

You cannot remove the spindle. It's all a single piece of metal.
 
beatcomber said:
You cannot remove the spindle. It's all a single piece of metal.
Click to expand...

OH, it can be removed, it's just press fit in with a thin lead shim. Getting it to run true after removal and reinstallation can be a bit of a chore. IE, a good known bore of .376", a dial indicator, a soft mallet. A nice Bridgeport would work to chuck it up in, check runout, etc.
 
marcmorin said:
OH, it can be removed, it's just press fit in with a thin lead shim. Getting it to run true after removal and reinstallation can be a bit of a chore. IE, a good known bore of .376", a dial indicator, a soft mallet. A nice Bridgeport would work to chuck it up in, check runout, etc.
Click to expand...
Best to leave it be then, I have access to all of that equipment and the guys who know how to use it buuuuuut
it ain't broke... until I hit it with a hammer.
 
marcmorin said:
As noted, the original boxes can go for good money on the auction sites. When you open the table, take a photo of the wire tree (buss strip). If it is like every XA91 I've come across, there should be two caps mounted into the buss to get the capacitance correct for the M91 cart. Using a different type cart, and you'll want to change that out.
Click to expand...
 

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That is the power switch cap. Would expect to see the phono cartridge caps in the opposite corner with that phono cable wiring.

Great looking table for the project.
 
If the N91 stylus is toast you can pick up an aftermarket for as little as 15 bucks and still use the M91 cart with very good results.
 
Good find and great price. If the spindle is fine, it should be left as is. Search for the "LA Audiophile AR Rebuild" or the Van Alstine AR rebuild guide. Either will be excellent guides for restoration. Since this is a late XA, it probably has a damper built into the tonearm bearing hub. Pull it out to disable the damping. Clean out both spindle and tonearm bearing wells and you can use 3-1 oil or something more exotic if you prefer. Springs, bolts and nuts should be ok. Rubber grommets will have hardened from age, and any damping foam originally inside the springs (inside the open area) will have disintegrated so remove any remnants. Some go so far as to replace all the springs, grommets etc. No need to do so. Grommets can be rejuvenated using hardware store solutions (web search). Disassemble the tonearm and remove then clean the delrin bearings. Take your time when reassembling the arm, and be very careful when installing and tightening the bearings. Tension and location are very important. Too tight or loose will affect tracking. The arm housing is centered by the location of the bearing points on each side of the housing.

Many feel that the arm is the weak link for the table, but with careful cleaning and reassembly the arm is much better than expected. The tonearm shaft can be adjusted for length and azimuth. There is grub screw on the bottom near the bearing housing that holds the armtube in place. Back in the day, most AR tables were sold with Shure cartridges, and there is considerable evidence that the armtube position was adjusted at the factory for correct alignment with Shure cartridges. This has been my experience. I restored an XA, then installed a M97xe cartridge. I checked alignment and it was spot on without any adjustment. I re-verified alignment using another gauge, and again it was spot on. The M91 cartridge is good, but not great. Styli are easy to find. You can also upgrade to a M95 or M97.
 
I am thoroughly enjoying the XA I bought from a member here. I put a V15 Type II on mine and from all accounts the M91ED is pretty much the same cartridge. If yours sounds as good as mine I think you will be happy. Heck of a score!
 
Blue Shadow said:
That is the power switch cap. Would expect to see the phono cartridge caps in the opposite corner with that phono cable wiring.

Great looking table for the project.
Click to expand...
No cap on the phono wiring?
With the tags on the box it appears to me that the cartridge installation was a factory task.
I would like to clean up and try this cartridge out later, just to hear what it's sound was.
So I would like to know how it should be properly set up.
Plenty of work to do before we get there and it may not be the final cartridge choice, but if I can I would like to play as well.
Any thoughts/advice thank you Marc, Blue and all.
 

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