Hey all. I'm new to this site, and to vinyl in general. I recently purchased an Elac Miracord 10 that seems mechanically to be in good working order, and sounds great! However, it buzzes like crazy if one of the terminals get bumped. I am thinking this is the terminal it is grounded through. Is that right? Was this turntable grounded through one of the audio signal cables? Lastly, would it be possible to rewire these, and ground the turntable to my reciever, and replace the old audio signal cables with more modern ones? Any input would be appreciated!
Elac Miracord 10 buzzing sound
- Thread starter Aaron S
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The buzz does follow he channel. I'm guessing that means it has something to do with that particular terminal.
Try a different set of RCA cables.
Cables,then clean contacts on headshell or sled.
likebike23
Addicted Member
I think the cables are soldered in, you can't just swap them. Also the ground wire is Incorporated in one of the RCAs. My Elac 40A was humming like crazy when I first got it. I ended up just cutting off the RCA plugs from the end of the wires and soldered in new plugs. Cheap, super easy, and worked a charm.
Great, thanks for the info! Think I need to solder the new RCA plugs, or could I splice them in instead?
at,
Aaron, it's probably not the best way to do it, but tweak the supposed bad cable down it's length and see if you hear the buzz go away. It might give you an idea of where the possible short is occurring. Before doing that (I just thought of this), check the RCA ends and clean all the gunk off them. To save yourself time and effort, take StereoFisher's advice and clean the headshell connections first.
likebike23
Addicted Member
My experience with my 40A and 10H is that the plugs become black with oxidation (tarnish) and cannot conduct well enough. I tried cleaning the ones on the 40A and they were too far gone. It was just easier to cut off the plugs, strip the wire insulation a little, and solder in new plugs. My 10H wasn't nearly as corroded and I was able to clean up the plugs with a piece of a grey eraser.
As for splicing in plugs, I'm sure it can be done, but why not just get some new male plugs? They are cheap enough. I saw 10 sets for $6 on Amazon.
62vauxhall
Addicted Member
Not that it really matters but I changed RCA leads on the Elac 10 I have. The only example I've owned.
It had the same RCA plugs as depicted above (without a barrel for gripping) which I assumed meant that it's origins were from a console - where repeated connecting/disconnecting would not be happening. Since I do use it in such a manner, I opted to replace the factory cables with a newer pair that incorporate plugs with appropriate grips. I also made them a little longer.
My concern was that sooner or later, I would unplug the cords from something and in the process, an RCA plug would be pulled from it's lead.
My possibly wrong belief is that plugs like those were used way back when because RCA input jacks were, generally speaking, very close together.
It had the same RCA plugs as depicted above (without a barrel for gripping) which I assumed meant that it's origins were from a console - where repeated connecting/disconnecting would not be happening. Since I do use it in such a manner, I opted to replace the factory cables with a newer pair that incorporate plugs with appropriate grips. I also made them a little longer.
My concern was that sooner or later, I would unplug the cords from something and in the process, an RCA plug would be pulled from it's lead.
My possibly wrong belief is that plugs like those were used way back when because RCA input jacks were, generally speaking, very close together.
I'd like to replace the existing RCA plugs on my elac 10 with more modern ones. The existing barrels on the current ones don't grip the terminals on my receiver very well. I'm just concerned that I'll interfere with the grounding if I do so. This wasn't an issue for you when you replaced yours? Did you solder the replacement RCA plugs onto your elac 10 cable?
62vauxhall
Addicted Member
No. I replaced the entire cable. I used to pick up used patch cord pairs when found if they looked to be half decent. Several were 10 or 12 footers that I cut in half for purposes such as this.
A bit of finesse is required unsoldering & soldering but nothing that needs the skill of a surgeon. The tonearm wires are very small gauge and it helps to note which color goes where - just in case.
If all you want to do is install new RCA plugs on the existing leads, that's probably more fool proof.
A bit of finesse is required unsoldering & soldering but nothing that needs the skill of a surgeon. The tonearm wires are very small gauge and it helps to note which color goes where - just in case.
If all you want to do is install new RCA plugs on the existing leads, that's probably more fool proof.
Okay I think I have a game plan, but would appreciate any feedback...I’m going to leave the existing cable soldered in place, but shorten it a bunch. It’s probably about 6’. I’m thinking I’ll shorten it to 2’. Then I’ll replace the current RCA’s with some more modern ones, that have grips that will fit my receiver terminals better.
Or, game plan two. Get a soldering kit, and solder in an entirely new RCA cable.
Thoughts?
Or, game plan two. Get a soldering kit, and solder in an entirely new RCA cable.
Thoughts?