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Looking for troubleshooting help - Realistic LAB 300

Meg_K

Meg_K

New Member
Hi, all. This is my first post and I'm really hoping someone can help me.

My old, terrible turntable died and I ordered a Realistic LAB 300 from eBay to replace it.

It arrived today, so I set it up and it sounded great. Maybe a touch slow, but otherwise a HUGE improvement over the turntable that I am replacing.

But after a while (maybe 30 minutes or so of playback) the sound started to become distorted. I also noticed that the surface of the turntable had become noticeably warm to the touch (which might not be a problem, but seemed strange after such a short time).

To my ear, the distortion sounds like a radio losing a station’s signal. There is no noise when the needle is in the up position, but when the record is playing there is this crunchy, staticky distortion that is completely unlistenable. Again, this only began after playing records for a while. It was a dramatic deterioration from when I first set it up.

I tried several different records and had the same issue with each of them. And just to make sure it was a problem with the turntable -- and not another component or my speakers --I switched the receiver over to FM radio. Sounded great.

I checked the owner's manual and didn't see anything in the instructions that seemed directly related to this problem. (I haven't found a service manual for this model.)

It sounded so good for the first half hour that I really want to get it up and running rather than trying to return it to the seller. My forum lurking leads me to believe that some kind of cleaning/lubrication regimen might be the way to go. (And maybe a new belt, too.)

The fact that the sound began to suffer after running for a while makes me thing that there could be some old cruddy lubricant in there that warmed up with use and started really gumming things up. Does that seem likely?

I am a turntable newbie, but I have some experience and a fair level of comfort working on audio gear. I would like to do the most efficient amount of work possible for the best possible result, and I will bust out the soldering gear if I have to.

To recap: there are two, possibly three, concerns with my new-to-me LAB 300:

  1. Slightly slow speed
  2. Very warm after short duration of use
  3. Noisy playback
Any advice or insight on where to start would be most appreciated!
 
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Hi, I am not familiar with this model and couldn't find a service manual someone here will probably have this. So to help when that happens where is the hot spot on the TT? Is the sound ok at some point like when its cold? Ant idea to the belt age? Usually its a good idea to count on replacing the belt and stylus on a unknown purchase.
 
There's nothing inside the turntable itself to make the audio distorted. The cartridge connects to wires inside the tonearm itself, which lead out of the bottom and connect to the cables which lead to the phono input of your stereo. Sometimes there's a muting switch which cuts off the sound during the automatic cycle, but that doesn't apply to the LAB-300. My guess is that the stylus is either worn or dirty. The warm spot you mention could be due to a motor with dried-up lubrication, but while that should be attended to, it won't affect the sound quality except for the speed of the platter.
-Adam
 
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Hmm...I'd assumed that the stylus was fine, because everything sounded terrific for the first few songs that I listened to. (It's the original Shure stylus, according to the seller.) Would it really become dirty/worn enough during the course of a few songs to make a dramatic difference in the sound?

Thanks for the thoughts, everyone.
 
Meg_K said:
Hmm...I'd assumed that the stylus was fine, because everything sounded terrific for the first few songs that I listened to. (It's the original Shure stylus, according to the seller.) Would it really become dirty/worn enough during the course of a few songs to make a dramatic difference in the sound?

Thanks for the thoughts, everyone.
Click to expand...
Definitely possible to get a stylus dirty and distorted in 30 mins... really it only takes one small thread or ball of gunk.
Did you properly setup the LAB300? Balance arm, set tracking force etc?

Can you see any gunk on the stylus?


Ben
 
Meg_K said:
Hmm...I'd assumed that the stylus was fine, because everything sounded terrific for the first few songs that I listened to. (It's the original Shure stylus, according to the seller.) Would it really become dirty/worn enough during the course of a few songs to make a dramatic difference in the sound?

Thanks for the thoughts, everyone.
Click to expand...
If the record you're playing is very dirty, it's quite possible for the stylus to get coated with the dirt as it plays the grooves. I've been listening to records and wondering why I was getting distortion, cued the needle out of the groove, and saw that there was a big ball of crud at the end of the cantilever. I make a point of cleaning every record I buy, used or new, but it still manages to happen sometimes.
-Adam
 
Too clean just dip it some magic eraser a couple times. Don't scrub. There is a thread about cleaning. All questions are valid. Ask away.
Cheers
 
polypetalous said:
Can you see any gunk on the stylus?
Click to expand...

Ha! There was a small ball of lint on the stylus. I removed it and that took care of the distortion problem.

The hot spot that I mentioned in my first post is the area around the motor pulley. After playing one side of a record last night, the metal surface below the pulley was very warm. Not "I need an oven mitt" hot, but pretty toasty.

Should I just follow the instructions in the owner's manual to clean the driving mechanism and oil the motor? I will also order a replacement belt; I have no idea how old this one is.
 
Yes that is always a good idea. Also, I would replace the stylus as well. You just don't know how old it is and don't want to cause any extra wear on your records. Post a picture of the cartridge, and we can help you find a stylus
 
Greetings and welcome. Sounds like your motor needs oiling. Common on these older turntables. They still beat new turntables. I keep small art brushes to remove lint on the stylus. Good cartridge. I usually replace the stylus when getting something with no history. Good luck and enjoy.

Eric
 
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