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Cheap Turntable Tweak

Ilikevinyl

Ilikevinyl

Cool Breeze
I used some rubber o-rings on my Thorens TD-160 & Technics SL-1650. They really helped, both turntables sound better. I have a much blacker background on both. Soundstage is more precise. Bass response is much tighter sounding. A cheap tweak that works!:music: I bought my rubber o-ring kit on Ebay. It has all kinds of o-ring sizes. Don't ask me what sizes I used. The kit came all messed up and I had to sort everything out. All the o-rings I used fit nice and snug. They definitely won't move around.

Thorens TD-160:

I put a bunch of the rubber o-rings around the platter bearing underneath the sub-chassis.

o-rings003.jpg


Put some around the platter bearing on the top of the sub-chassis.

Thorenstweaks002.jpg


Put a bunch around the safety post, that is also connected to the motor bracket.

Thorenstweaks003.jpg


Here you can see that I put some on the screw housing underneath the Sound Support arm platform.

o-rings001.jpg


Finally, put some around the spindle.

o-rings002.jpg


Put some on my SME 3009 Improved arm. 8 of these o-rings weigh .6 grams. Took off the headshell in order to slide them on the arm. The non-removable headshell does come off. There's a tiny screw underneath the arm near the headshell that has to be removed first. Then twist the headshell off. If your going to do this, I highly suggest you take off the arm from the turntable. You don't want to loose that tiny screw! Put 3 o-rings next to the bronze bearing. 2 spaced out in the middle of the arm. 2 right next to the headshell.

o-rings004.jpg


On the Technics SL-1650, I only put them on the tonearm. 2 on each side of the pivot housing. 2 on the rear counterweight shaft, as far forward as they would go, nearest the arm pivot.

Technicso-rings001.jpg


Technicso-rings002.jpg


Put 5 o-rings on the arm tube.

Technicso-rings003.jpg


Just thought I would pass on this cheap turntable tweak to my fellow Vinyl Spinners.
 
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Looks like a fine job being done by an even finer AKer. Like I have stated before, I wish I had the patience to get the job done like that! :D

Gotta calm down more these days!

Take care Cool Breeze & for sharing a fine tip for someone else. :thmbsp:

Rome
 
I agree...this is a great tweek and inexpensive. I did the same when I had my AT 120 table and it really helped tighten the sound up. I made sure to add rings to the "joints" in case there was any microscopic play. My post is a couple yrs old but here is one pic I still have on the arm...

collar2.jpg


I bought my rings at one of the home center stores......maybe $2-3 bucks for like 10-15 of them??
 
Catcher10 said:
I agree...this is a great tweek and inexpensive. I did the same when I had my AT 120 table and it really helped tighten the sound up. I made sure to add rings to the "joints" in case there was any microscopic play. My post is a couple yrs old but here is one pic I still have on the arm...

collar2.jpg


I bought my rings at one of the home center stores......maybe $2-3 bucks for like 10-15 of them??
Click to expand...


I also noticed that it really keeps that annoying sssss-sound on vocals down.

I paid $7 for an assortment of 225 o-rings.
 
I may try that with my SME once my TD-124 comes back from servicing.

I can confirm that adding heat shrink tubing to an SL-1200 arm makes a substantial improvement; I would expect similar results with the O-rings.
 
beatcomber said:
I may try that with my SME once my TD-124 comes back from servicing.

I can confirm that adding heat shrink tubing to an SL-1200 arm makes a substantial improvement; I would expect similar results with the O-rings.
Click to expand...

Yes, heat shrinking is another good way.:thmbsp: Do one or the other with your SME, for sure.
 
Has anyone checked with a test record to see if this affects tonearm resonance? If so, these rings could enable use of different carts.
 
Hello Steve,

I put the o_rings on my bearing housing many months ago with good results. I will have to try the safety pin, spindle, and bearing hub.

Not so sure on the SME but I have used the o_rings on cheaper tonearms
with good results.

I think the best place on the tonearm is adding two right behind the cartridge, followed by an equal number near the pivot, and only one halfway between. Too many will change the effective mass, and resonance, etc. Of course, that might be desirable for some cases.
 
Last edited:
bobins08 said:
Hello Steve,

I put the o_rings on my bearing housing many months ago with good results. I twill have to try the safety pin, spindle, and bearing hub.

Not so sure on the SME but I have used the o_rings on cheaper tonearms
with good results.

I think the best place on the tonearm is adding two right behind the cartridge, followed by and equal number near the pivot, and only one halfway between. Too many will change the effective mass, and resonance, etc. Of course, that might be desirable for some cases.
Click to expand...


Hey Bob,

Yes, I made sure I didn't over do it with the o-rings on the tonearm. They just weigh .6 grams. Both arms sound better now.
 
Ilikevinyl said:
Hey Bob,

Yes, I made sure I didn't over do it with the o-rings on the tonearm. They just weigh .6 grams. Both arms sound better now.
Click to expand...

Steve, I trust your judgement. :thmbsp:

0.6 does not sound like much. Multiply by the eight that you added and you have 4.8 grams total.

The increase in effective mass is much less of you space them accordingly.

I used five on a stock PL514. Two at the pivot, two at the headshell collet, and one half-way in between. The result was a noticeable improvement.
 
bobins08 said:
Steve, I trust your judgement. :thmbsp:

0.6 does not sound like much. Multiply by the eight that you added and you have 4.8 grams total.

The increase in effective mass is much less of you space them accordingly.

I used five on a stock PL514. Two at the pivot, two at the headshell collet, and one half-way in between. The result was a noticeable improvement.
Click to expand...


.6 grams is for the total weight of all of the o-rings that are on the arm, not for each one. I guess I didn't make myself clear.
 
Used 7 on my LP120:
tumblr_munzxupG0V1qi7c6jo1_500.jpg

Did it make a difference? Honestly, I have no idea. The rest of the setup is decidedly low-rent (DG510 A/V receiver, Aiwa SX-NAV800 speakers cribbed off of an old bookshelf system).
 
AK member Divotdog put me on to these a few years back. I've just used them on the bearing well of a TD-160 through.

This thread is getting some interest. Check out the number of views!
 
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