SonofJames
Addicted Member
Cheers, what would I then need for changing 45's ?
ELAC Miracord TT -share all about 'em
- Thread starter illinoisteve
- Start date
SonofJames
Addicted Member
50H II Manual if anyone needs it. You can download the pdf
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twiiii
Lunatic Member
I had 4 different Duals in the late 60's and 70's. But the Miracord 50 H didn't necessarily out perform the Duals, but it didn't have the maintenance issues the Duals had. Plus the lovers of stacking records found the Miracord easily out performed the Duals in that respect. The records didn't jam and dropped effortlessly to the stack of records on the platter. I didn't believe in stacking records as LP's were to precious so I gave up on Auto turntables. Dual, PE, Garrard, and Miracord. Manual tables at the time weren't necessarily all they could be either. But Technics was soon to arrive and that caused a lot changes to start happening. AR TT's were quite an influence, too. That Marantz SLT 12 when it worked was quite amazing. But it looked like something Rube Goldberg came up with to me.
Stack
Active Member
I bought my changer spindle from this exact listing on VoM. You can occasionally get them cheaper on ebay, but not often.
2 common causes. The first is spacing on the cueing lever - sometimes it also isn't level (metal platform raised by the cueing lever) IIRC there is an adjusting nut on the tonearm for this.
Second is the brake mechanism. IIFC it is the same on all the 50H and related mechanisms.
Stack
Active Member
Ha! I just bought one of these also(not at a ridiculously low price however) to use with my collection of large hole 45's. Many of those are Euro repro's of 50's singles. Hate having to add those yellow inserts. Well, the 383 came in today and tried it out with a couple of said singles and....nothing. Records wouldn't drop. So I put some oil on the blades and spindle, moved the spindle up and down to hopefully loosen any oxidization, etc and tried it again. Still nothing. Pulled those records and put on an original 45 from the same era, and it dropped perfectly. So I compared the holes and it turns out the Euros that I tried out were unfortunately cut unevenly. Doesn't surprise me because while they otherwise look and sound great, they are cheap repros and quality on the centering of the hole probably not much of a priority. I have a lot of these so I suppose it will be just trial and error. Disappointing but life will go on.
Stack
Active Member
I've had a similar issue with getting some newer LPs to drop. Modern releases seem to leave some sprue in the spindle hole that makes the record fit too tightly as a rule.
For those, my solution was to use a plastic deburring tool (comes with most 3D printer kits) to gently scrape the sprue out, and that seems to work every time. I'm not sure if that would work with 45s unless they were very close to the correct size, otherwise I'd worry about messing something up.
I normally use a flat head screw driver to gently handle those small hole cases but the large hole 7”’s I’m not going to mess with. Seems like it mostly just is a problem with the Euro boots and not with records from more official sources. Those don’t work will get the yellow insert and be played on a separate spindle. End of issue.
Stack
Active Member
Does anybody know what the "normal" amount of rumble is for a Miracord 50H?
I don't have an exact scientific amount but my graphic EQ's display shows a tiny bit of rumble in the 30hz range. The display is meant for tape, so when I configure it with loud music peaking at around +6db, the rumble is barely displaying at about -24db. From testing, it seems to not be coming from the idler wheel, because if I disengage it and just drop the needle on a stationary record with the motor spinning freely, it's still there.
Should I just expect there to be a tiny bit of rumble, or is this indicating a problem, maybe with the motor mounts or the motor itself?
I don't have an exact scientific amount but my graphic EQ's display shows a tiny bit of rumble in the 30hz range. The display is meant for tape, so when I configure it with loud music peaking at around +6db, the rumble is barely displaying at about -24db. From testing, it seems to not be coming from the idler wheel, because if I disengage it and just drop the needle on a stationary record with the motor spinning freely, it's still there.
Should I just expect there to be a tiny bit of rumble, or is this indicating a problem, maybe with the motor mounts or the motor itself?
Motor noise. I can hear a bit of air disturbance in my 770H due to the armature not being "streamlined" for lack of a better description if I listen closely. not objectionable to me.
Work2do
Active Member
Very impressed by Elac, just getting my first one in order. A couple months ago, I found a Miracord 10 on CL that was a couple hours drive from me for $40. It was pretty rough with a jammed/bent return lever but complete. Cosmetically pretty good and included the SA-383 45 stacker, wood plinth and the oddball "Miracover". The cover is placed between the plinth and chassis with a spindle storage tray and an acrylic cover which has side mount hinges. The set up takes up a bit too much space so I'll be storing it. I was able to pick up another a complete chassis with a broken headshell to source parts and after a couple evenings working on it, I have a pretty nice Miracord 10 to use in my changer rotation.
Both units came with an Empire 880P cart, one with a broken stylus, the other with what appears to be the original green stylus that I'm currently running. I've experimented with this cartridge in the past, albeit with aftermarket styli, never really finding an ideal match to use it long term, but it seems right at home on Elac. I usually have four TT's set up for regular use, typically with one changer in the line up. It will replace my Realistic Lab 24(BSR 610?) in the rotation for now. Getting the unit up and running was much easier than I had anticipated. I have rehabbed several other changers and like BSR's, it is basically just a matter of cleaning solidified grease and applying new. Very pleasant servicing the Elac, unlike the early '70s Dual's with all the necessary adjustments, steuerpimple, etc. The thing runs flawlessly! I had to spend last Saturday afternoon bringing the Christmas decor out of storage and hanging lights outside. I let the thing repeat play for 7 hours or so just to give it some exercise without issue. Seeing as the thing is 65 years old, I am surprised by how nice it sounds. I will definitely pick up another Elac when the price is right.
Both units came with an Empire 880P cart, one with a broken stylus, the other with what appears to be the original green stylus that I'm currently running. I've experimented with this cartridge in the past, albeit with aftermarket styli, never really finding an ideal match to use it long term, but it seems right at home on Elac. I usually have four TT's set up for regular use, typically with one changer in the line up. It will replace my Realistic Lab 24(BSR 610?) in the rotation for now. Getting the unit up and running was much easier than I had anticipated. I have rehabbed several other changers and like BSR's, it is basically just a matter of cleaning solidified grease and applying new. Very pleasant servicing the Elac, unlike the early '70s Dual's with all the necessary adjustments, steuerpimple, etc. The thing runs flawlessly! I had to spend last Saturday afternoon bringing the Christmas decor out of storage and hanging lights outside. I let the thing repeat play for 7 hours or so just to give it some exercise without issue. Seeing as the thing is 65 years old, I am surprised by how nice it sounds. I will definitely pick up another Elac when the price is right.
That cover does consume some real estate but looks very " teutonically practical".
I have a 10 in storage, I just may hit the kitchen attic, haul it out & have a go at it this winter. Dont think it'll take much, as long as the idler wheel's not junk. Only drawback to this model is lack of a cueing mechanism of some sort. Then again, 1 less problem point, like when the damping goop either leaks out or gets too gummy to work below 100°f.
Work2do
Active Member
Yes, the necessary real estate is approx. 29" horizontal and about the same vertically with the swing, so it's more than I can provide without a complete reconfiguration of my set up. If Mrs. would oblige me, it would have a table top all to itself in the living room ! (not gonna' ask...). The lack of cueing is the only strike against it. Seeing as it dates to 1961, I'm not sure any changer had that feature then. Off the top of my head, Dual would probably be the first to incorporate it in a changer (?).
