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How much does the quality of the cartridge stylus affect the sound

Yeeterkeeter

Yeeterkeeter

Kermit the Frog
I own a singular record player, and that’s a generic victorola thing. It’s overall built very cheap. It’s made almost entirely from plastics, it has a lot of turntable flutter, and the speakers are awful. Naturally, this would be from the cheap design, but when I plugged in my (slightly better) generic speaker I got, it still sounded tinny and awful. I was wondering if this was from the electronics, the stylus, or both.
 
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Yeeterkeeter said:
I own a singular record player, and that’s a generic victorola thing. It’s overall built very cheap. It’s made almost entirely from plastics, it has a lot of turntable flutter, and the speakers are awful. Naturally, this would be from the cheap design, but when I plugged in my (slightly better) generic speaker I got, it still sounded tinny and awful. I was wondering if this was from the electronics, the stylus, or both.
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With a player like that, sorry to say, it’s the whole thing. You did mention the flutter and cheapness. The stylus would also be cheap and probably not adjustable. A new cartridge might help, but it would be wasted because the turntable is not capable of good sound. You’ve got to buy better quality. It’s a waste of money even to buy records for it and it’s not doing your records any favours either.
 
Yeeterkeeter said:
I own a singular record player, and that’s a generic victorola thing. It’s overall built very cheap. It’s made almost entirely from plastics, it has a lot of turntable flutter, and the speakers are awful. Naturally, this would be from the cheap design, but when I plugged in my (slightly better) generic speaker I got, it still sounded tinny and awful. I was wondering if this was from the electronics, the stylus, or both.
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A high end table will get more out of a budget cartridge than a high end cartridge will out of a budget table.
 
Azimuth said:
With a player like that, sorry to say, it’s the whole thing. You did mention the flutter and cheapness. The stylus would also be cheap and probably not adjustable. A new cartridge might help, but it would be wasted because the turntable is not capable of good sound. You’ve got to buy better quality. It’s a waste of money even to buy records for it and it’s not doing your records any favours either.
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Well I got it as a gift, so I didn’t really spend any money on it
 
A picture of this thing would help to decide if it could be worthwhile or even possible to upgrade the stylus.
 
Yeeterkeeter said:
I probably won’t. I’ll probably get an old record player off of eBay, and use that instead
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I’d avoid eBay for this. The cost of shipping will mean you get less turntable for your money, and the chance of damage from poor packing are high.

Use local resources like FB marketplace or CL for better success with big fragile things like TTs.
 
Semanon said:
I’d avoid eBay for this. The cost of shipping will mean you get less turntable for your money, and the chance of damage from poor packing are high.

Use local resources like FB marketplace or CL for better success with big fragile things like TTs.
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I make sure to shop local when using eBay, to both save on shipping and support local businesses
 
Yeeterkeeter said:
I make sure to shop local when using eBay, to both save on shipping and support local businesses
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For me, patience is my key to success on eBay. Chances are I don’t need it NOW, and I usually get a better deal when I wait for what I want.

Good luck and let us know your progress.
 
Semanon said:
For me, patience is my key to success on eBay. Chances are I don’t need it NOW, and I usually get a better deal when I wait for what I want.

Good luck and let us know your progress.
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Yeah, I don’t plan on buying anything for awhile, at least until October. That said, does anyone know where I can get cheap 8tracks?
 
Oh... I see, your barely old enough to drink legally. ;)

While some car swapping and selling may go on, it is typically parts flea market style. Parts include 8-track players for cars, which often means 8-tracks and cassettes on some of the tables.
 
GChief said:
Oh... I see, your barely old enough to drink legally. ;)

While some car swapping and selling may go on, it is typically parts flea market style. Parts include 8-track players for cars, which often means 8-tracks and cassettes on some of the tables
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I see... Well, I think I'm gonna stick with eBay for now
 
GChief said:
Not always cheap but car swap meets.
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As Az in post #2 put it, no amount of better cart will really make a difference with that antique phonograph. As car guys might guys put it... "it would be like putting a V8 in a Ford model T".

For its time, it was the "cutting-edge", compared to its predecessors.


Enjoy that old music maker for what's its worth.

Q
 
Right. Since this is the Turntable section and not the Tape section, I would like to get this back on topic with another question:
In your opinion, what is the best turntable you have owned, and why?
 
Quadman2 said:
As Az in post #2 put it, no amount of better cart will really make a difference with that antique phonograph. As car guys might guys put it... "it would be like putting a V8 in a Ford model T".

For its time, it was the "cutting-edge", compared to its predecessors.


Enjoy that old music maker for what's its worth.

Q
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There you go assuming we are discussing an antique Victrola ;)

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