AT-PL120 owners w/ AT-440mla cart >>>
- Thread starter flattedsixth
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flattedsixth
Active Member
*overstated* not under. sorry.
flattedsixth
Active Member
so in your process, you use the three aivs cleaners (if you will) and make a final rinse with pure/distilled water?
flattedsixth
Active Member
thanks a lot for this post, beatcomber. i really wanna read more about this method and the vpi as well over the next couple of days. i know eventually when the money presents itself, i'm gonna go with the vpi for its convenience and performance, but it's always good to know about reliable alternatives, too. now i just need to research the actual specifics to the cleaning process itself, cause lord knows i have my questions.
several thousand??? that's pretty serious. :yes:
at this point my collection is small (under 200 records) and i wanna get the cleaning up and running sooner than later, so i can kinda run with it whenever i grab a new album. good to know it's definitely best to clean ANY newly purchased album before play back, even if they're brand new factory sealed, or whatever. thanks for the pointer, rick.
flattedsixth
Active Member
all things aside, i really do appreciate the time everyone has taken to help me with my questions regarding the set-up, cleaning, etc. definitely cool.
flattedsixth
Active Member
also, when using the disc doctor solution to clean the stylus, generally how long should i wait before playing a record? i'd imagine the time is pretty short, no?
As far as modification to the AT table, you might want to check out the thread about a cheap and easy upgrade for the Tech 1200 that uses heat shrink tubing on the arm....I did just exactly that to my Pioneer Pl-41 tonearm, but I used a clear instead of black tubing, I also used 5/8" which fits much better than the 3/4" stuff the original poster used, and I had mine go from the base of the tonearm wand to the headshell fixing nut, and it helped tighten up things a bit on that arm, too...use a cheap heat gun or a small butane torch, don't waste your time with a hair dryer, and do it quickly so you don't risk damaging anything inside the arm or around it...which can be easy to do...I just used one of the Harbor Freight micro-torches:
and kept it moving quickly and in a couple of seconds I was done....I just used some tubing I had lying about...of course, I've got several pounds of the stuff around here, so my stock is pretty complete, and I usually always have the 5/8" diameter stuff like I used on hand...
You can also pick up a heat gun from Harbor Freight for less than 10 bucks right now:
Cheap Heat Gun
and those things are always handy to have anyway....
I've used the Disc Doctor's stylus cleaner in the past, but have gone back to the LP#9 and Mr. Clean Magic Eraser as that combo seems to work better for me...but, I wouldn't worry about drying time with the stylus cleaner, by time you set the brush down and cue the tonearm it should be plenty dry...if not, you're using too much stuff!
I have thought for a while that if I found one of the AT PL-120's for cheap on Craigslist that I would pick one up and see just how good one could be made to sound...I do have a couple of brand new Technics 1200 arm wand and bearing assemblies that I could try and transplant into one, but I'd have to find one of these tables real cheap to make it interesting to me...I just have way too many turntables as it is and I am actually starting to sell some off...I do not need, or want, ten turntables!
Another thing is that you don't state where you are in your information that is displayed along with your posts...by stating where you are you might be able to find AK'ers nearby that you can get together with and expand your audio horizons, or help you learn how to do more things...plus, it makes it easier to recommend things as if you are out of the USA, then some of the recommendations won't be of much use to you...
.
and kept it moving quickly and in a couple of seconds I was done....I just used some tubing I had lying about...of course, I've got several pounds of the stuff around here, so my stock is pretty complete, and I usually always have the 5/8" diameter stuff like I used on hand...
You can also pick up a heat gun from Harbor Freight for less than 10 bucks right now:
Cheap Heat Gun
and those things are always handy to have anyway....
I've used the Disc Doctor's stylus cleaner in the past, but have gone back to the LP#9 and Mr. Clean Magic Eraser as that combo seems to work better for me...but, I wouldn't worry about drying time with the stylus cleaner, by time you set the brush down and cue the tonearm it should be plenty dry...if not, you're using too much stuff!
I have thought for a while that if I found one of the AT PL-120's for cheap on Craigslist that I would pick one up and see just how good one could be made to sound...I do have a couple of brand new Technics 1200 arm wand and bearing assemblies that I could try and transplant into one, but I'd have to find one of these tables real cheap to make it interesting to me...I just have way too many turntables as it is and I am actually starting to sell some off...I do not need, or want, ten turntables!
Another thing is that you don't state where you are in your information that is displayed along with your posts...by stating where you are you might be able to find AK'ers nearby that you can get together with and expand your audio horizons, or help you learn how to do more things...plus, it makes it easier to recommend things as if you are out of the USA, then some of the recommendations won't be of much use to you...
.
flattedsixth
Active Member
sorry about that rick, but i'm from philly. gotta run to eat some dinner, but i'll post more in a bit.
flattedsixth
Active Member
this is the first time i am hearing that kind of tweak re: the tonearm. very interesting to say the least, but to be honest? doing that kind of thing (considering how little i know about all this stuff), more or less intimidates me. i definitely wanna read more about that as far as how to do it properly, and thanks for the equipment suggestions, too. if and when i do decide to do that, i will follow your advice. thank you.
i only used the stylus cleaner once since i bought it, and i pretty much figured it would dry pretty quick. when using i only applied ONE drop on the bristles and brushed the stylus off in a back to front motion.
is the tonearm generally considered to be the technics/AT's weakest point?
i only used the stylus cleaner once since i bought it, and i pretty much figured it would dry pretty quick. when using i only applied ONE drop on the bristles and brushed the stylus off in a back to front motion.
is the tonearm generally considered to be the technics/AT's weakest point?
BrocLuno
Lunatic Member
Well ...
Sort of in order backwards - be careful of stylus cleaners with alcohol if you have a bonded Ortofon Stylus - it will drop the diamond in a heartbeat. Other brands are not so sensitive. Dry cleaning with Magic Eraser is always good
The arm on the AT PL120 is not the highest end piece. I thought about transplanting a 1200 arm as they are readily available and same mounting distance. But the stock arm works and it's there and I have other things to do. I think if I did an arm transplant, it would be to an SME instead. I need to keep swappable headshells, so either would do :scratch2:
The lightest headshells I can find are the universal ones off the 'Bay. They are around 6.7 grams with wires. SOAR wires equal the installed so it's a no gain, no loss situation.
SOAR wires are available at LPGear. They used to be like $15 or so, but have gotten more pricey now at LPGear. I'd still use them as they are that good, but it does not make me happy
BUT, LPTunes has them at the original price: http://www.lptunes.com/LP-Gear-SOAR-HD4-Headshell-Lead-Wires-4-pc-Set-p/lpgsoarhd4.htm Think I'm going to get some more
As far as mats go, I like the factory mat back side, especially for 78s. I can add 1/8"of cork (homemade) any time I need. I once read about a fellow who built a two sided mat from suede and cork glued together. Use of dissimilar materials is one easy way to create dampening. I'll do that one day to see how dead it was. Reported as very dead
The heat shrink tubing is a good idea, so is expanding foam inside the tube. But with either one needs to be careful about impinging on the mounting collar or sticking the pins. Go slow and use caution :thmbsp: Another choice are the resonance dampers - the little spiral things that I think Herb sells at Herb Mats.
All sorts of tweaks to these tables can help quite a bit. The speed is dead on, so now it's just working out the areas that need rework
One thing to always play with is headshell mass. You can make this arm act pretty light as in stamped shell, Ortofon OM with keystone weight out, etc. (best sound for this table and that cartridge). Or you can make it act heavy as in needing the counterweight all the way back with a heavy cast shell. I've experimented some and have much more to do to see which cartridges like which set-ups? Point is it's a pretty flexible system for not much money
Sort of in order backwards - be careful of stylus cleaners with alcohol if you have a bonded Ortofon Stylus - it will drop the diamond in a heartbeat. Other brands are not so sensitive. Dry cleaning with Magic Eraser is always good
The arm on the AT PL120 is not the highest end piece. I thought about transplanting a 1200 arm as they are readily available and same mounting distance. But the stock arm works and it's there and I have other things to do. I think if I did an arm transplant, it would be to an SME instead. I need to keep swappable headshells, so either would do :scratch2:
The lightest headshells I can find are the universal ones off the 'Bay. They are around 6.7 grams with wires. SOAR wires equal the installed so it's a no gain, no loss situation.
SOAR wires are available at LPGear. They used to be like $15 or so, but have gotten more pricey now at LPGear. I'd still use them as they are that good, but it does not make me happy
BUT, LPTunes has them at the original price: http://www.lptunes.com/LP-Gear-SOAR-HD4-Headshell-Lead-Wires-4-pc-Set-p/lpgsoarhd4.htm Think I'm going to get some more As far as mats go, I like the factory mat back side, especially for 78s. I can add 1/8"of cork (homemade) any time I need. I once read about a fellow who built a two sided mat from suede and cork glued together. Use of dissimilar materials is one easy way to create dampening. I'll do that one day to see how dead it was. Reported as very dead
The heat shrink tubing is a good idea, so is expanding foam inside the tube. But with either one needs to be careful about impinging on the mounting collar or sticking the pins. Go slow and use caution :thmbsp: Another choice are the resonance dampers - the little spiral things that I think Herb sells at Herb Mats.
All sorts of tweaks to these tables can help quite a bit. The speed is dead on, so now it's just working out the areas that need rework
One thing to always play with is headshell mass. You can make this arm act pretty light as in stamped shell, Ortofon OM with keystone weight out, etc. (best sound for this table and that cartridge). Or you can make it act heavy as in needing the counterweight all the way back with a heavy cast shell. I've experimented some and have much more to do to see which cartridges like which set-ups? Point is it's a pretty flexible system for not much money
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flattedsixth
Active Member
quick question, how is the resonance damper utilized on the set-up etc and how much does it go for? thanks for the reply.
Balifly
Listening
Not sure what that particular product is.:scratch2:
Here is the home page.
http://herbiesaudiolab.net/index.htm
Here is the home page.
http://herbiesaudiolab.net/index.htm
flattedsixth
Active Member
Sort of in order backwards - be careful of stylus cleaners with alcohol if you have a bonded Ortofon Stylus - it will drop the diamond in a heartbeat. Other brands are not so sensitive. Dry cleaning with Magic Eraser is always good
i have the 440mla, which is micro line stylus. is it still ok to use A drop of disc doctor solution on the stylus?
flattedsixth
Active Member
The lightest headshells I can find are the universal ones off the 'Bay. They are around 6.7 grams with wires. SOAR wires equal the installed so it's a no gain, no loss situation.
SOAR wires are available at LPGear. They used to be like $15 or so, but have gotten more pricey now at LPGear. I'd still use them as they are that good, but it does not make me happy
what made you decide to grab a 6.7? do/did you think that the pl120 head shell was to heavy for the 440mla cart? what was the result? much better? thanks for any reply.
- flatted
flattedsixth
Active Member
what protractors did AKers with this setup use? the overhaung or the technics baerwald? any other suggestions outside of those two?
beatcomber
AK Member
I've used the Technics tool on an AT-PL120 with good results. kabusa.com sells them and they're cheap.
flattedsixth
Active Member
thanks for the reply, beatcomber.
yeah, i initially used a protractor off of enjoythemusic.com, and earlier this week my technics tool came in the mail, and how much of a BREEZE is this thing to use? when i slid the head shell into the piece i think i was around 53 mm. so i loosened the screws and slid the cart back a tiny notch, and i was ready to roll. very easy and inexpensive tool to get things aligned properly. i also have an ever so slight front end cock towards the head shell. this is after my adjustment to make the cart completely parallel with the grid lines on the enjoythemusic.com protractor. it's the link that says "click here for cartridge alignment tool". obviously print @ 100%. anyone else every use this?
http://www.enjoythemusic.com/freestuff.htm
flattedsixth
Active Member
oops. should read *towards the SPINDLE*. sorry about that.
BrocLuno
Lunatic Member
I have noticed that many cartridges that track lightly (less than 1.8 grams) really like the arm to act as low mass as possible. The light heashells really seems to help with tracking accuracy and basic musicality. OTOH, many older Empire cartridges and a few Pickerings need a bit more mass to make them work. It's something you have to try and decide for yourself :scratch2: