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Finding my way around the Elac Miracord 50H

smurphs

smurphs

New Member
Hello!

I'm very new here and new to record players in general. I picked up an Elac Miracord 50H in pretty great working condition! However I do have a few questions that I can't seem to find the answer to.

1. Everyone seems to rave about the suspension table. However, with mine, when I walk by or near the table the vibrations in the floor effect the sound and causes the record to skip or wobble a bit. Anyone have any idea what causes this and/or solutions to fixing?

2. So sad the dust the cover can't be on while playing a record. I have a cat and toddler so this is pretty essential to have to keep curiosity away ;) Would love to see some DIY plinth/dust covers out there and look into building one where the dust cover is either attached to the plinth or at least large enough to cover record player while playing records.

Thanks all!
 
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As you know the floor is flexing and transmitting vibrations thru the furniture it is sitting on you have a few options.
The springs and foam are too stiff. Check the foam inside the springs to see if it is hard, or just dried out. But you can work around that.
Make sure the TT cabinet is close as possible to the wall. There will be less vibration close to a wall.
What tracking force and cartridge are you using?
Add some isolation pieces under the TT base. I have these just in case, but my 50H and 770H do not have this problem so I don’t use them.
To address the actual floor springiness is complicated, so not practical in this forum.
I will caution you about using a loose dust cover while playing a record. The fit for a dc for the 50H is only slightly larger than the TT. It wasn’t designed to be in place during use. Check the pics of the 50H II and 770H and you will see the bases are wider, so one could use the dc while playing. I still don’t rec it, because one small slip or arm twitch and Hello scratch, and maybe goodby stylus.
I recently built a plinth for my 50H, but used the 770H pattern so I have the extra space.
 

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When my friends and I were in college, lo, these many years ago, we could place the cover on any Dual or Miracord while it was playing. I cannot do anything of the sort now. Nor would I want to, since I have heard how much the dustcover affects the sound.
I'm lucky in that my cat doesn't seem interested in the turntable while records are being played. Once the dustcover is down, she is happy to pose upon it.
 
A cheap way to deal with floor vibrations (once you have checked and fixed your suspension) is to place the turntable on a heavy board that sits on three or four racquetballs cut in half (or round if you drill appropriate holes in the board for the balls to sit in) or a half-inflated inner tube (10-14" usually work well).
 
Make sure your tt base plate is riding on the springs, & that the springs have the rubber bases that hold & locate the springs over the holes on the plinth. be sure the 2 screws that tighten the base plate to plinth for transport/shipping/security are loose, thus enabling the base to ride on the springs. Springs came with foam rubber dampers inside, may be gone due to age. Their presence or absence has little effect, so if they're shot, just cut some similar material to fit inside springs & run it!
 
I've never known Elac or Dual turntables to have or benefit from it in their springs but Pioneer and some others often have foam inside them. I usually just cut up a sponge and jam it in. A 1" or smaller cube is about right but it depends on the stiffness of the sponge too.
 
Montycat said:
I've never known Elac or Dual turntables to have or benefit from it in their springs but Pioneer and some others often have foam inside them. I usually just cut up a sponge and jam it in. A 1" or smaller cube is about right but it depends on the stiffness of the sponge too.
Click to expand...

‘Never seen foam in Dual springs. Replaced foam on a Garrard Zero 100. Don’t think it would do any harm on a Dual spring.

Eric
 
The foam inserts aren't critical to operating. They theoretically serve to reduce the "boinginess" inherent in springs.
 
Catmanboo said:
The foam inserts aren't critical to operating. They theoretically serve to reduce the "boinginess" inherent in springs.
Click to expand...

I found it helpful in a number of turntables but never in Dual, Elac or Garrard. It's almost imperative in the Pioneer PL35 or 45 models. They are full automatic with a motor specifically used to drive the tonearm movement. Without it the whole thing "shudders".
 
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